Summertime means grilling, and grilling often means kabobs for us. Basil Chicken and Shrimp Kabobs use a sweet basil oil for a flavorful variant on kabobs.
Jump to RecipeIn the summertime, we love to grill. And even though September is around the corner, living in South Texas means it’s still really hot. We really only get a couple of months of cold weather, which means we get to grill almost year-round. Kabobs, such as these basil chicken and shrimp kabobs, are one of the best meals for us to grill because we can customize them to what each of us likes.
This recipe is a little different than the usual marinade we use, but it was a perfect summer meal. The basil gave it that sweet summertime flavor, and the veggies are all those that are in season right now. I like to try to eat the foods in season because they are usually a bit cheaper and easier to find.
I found the original recipe from a copy of Southern Living that I have. But, of course, we changed it slightly to what we prefer (and what I could find in the store). Unfortunately, the heat has been so hard on our garden lately that almost all the herbs and vegetables have started bolting or dying off. The day I went shopping, the produce was very picked over. I had to improvise on a few of the vegetables.
The recipe originally called for 2 red peppers, and 2 yellow peppers. I had to make changes in the store based on what was available and bought one huge red pepper and two small yellow peppers. I also bought some fresh basil, since we don’t have any growing in the herb garden right now. But then I completely forgot I had it and used the basil from the spice drawer. Oh well, it was still tasty either way.

Summer Basil Chicken and Shrimp Kabobs Step by Step
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
- 12 oz shrimp (medium, uncooked)
- 2 red peppers (chopped)
- 2 green peppers (chopped)
- 1 red onion (chopped)
- 1 zucchini (chopped)
- 2 tbsp basil leaves
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper

Instructions
If you are using wooden skewers, make sure to start soaking those as soon as possible. You want them to soak for about 20 minutes prior to building the kabobs. A few years ago we bought some metal skewers and love them. We aren’t wasting so much since they are reusable, and we don’t have to worry about any bits of wood getting in the food.
Build the skewers. We tried to evenly distribute the vegetables and meat across all the skewers. Here’s where the customization comes in. If you have someone who doesn’t like onions, you can make them a couple of kabobs without onion. Or if another really likes zucchini, you can double it up on theirs. Kabobs are so versatile, they are great for making individual ones how each person prefers.

After building the kabobs, mix together the ingredients for the basil sauce. Mix olive oil, basil leaves, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender until it’s thoroughly mixed together. If you are using dried crushed basil, you can whisk it together in a bowl.
Brush the basil mixture on then it’s time to grill!

We set our grill to medium heat and put the kabobs on to cook. Grilling is Justin’s domain, so I can’t tell you too much about that process, but I know he was flipping them every now and then to make sure all sides were cooked evenly.

We served ours with some watermelon, another perfect summer food. The combination was actually really good because the watermelon is also sweet, so the two flavors went together well


Recipe
Originally Published On: July 21, 2018
Last Updated On: September 19, 2022

Summer Basil Chicken and Shrimp Kabobs
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
- 12 oz shrimp (medium, uncooked)
- 2 red peppers
- 2 green peppers
- 1 red onion
- 1 zucchini
- 2 tbsp basil leaves
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- If using wooden skewers, soak in water
- Thaw shrimp
- Dice chicken and vegetables into one-inch pieces
- Build skewers as desired, mixing vegetables with meat
- Heat grill to medium heat
- Grill kabobs until chicken is cooked through
- Combine basil, vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper in a blender or food processor until combined
- Brush basil mixture over kabobs
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
More Kabob Recipes
- Summer Basil Chicken and Shrimp Kabobs
- Quick and Easy Fruit Kabobs
- Beer Ranch Chicken Kabobs
- Lemon-Herb Chicken Kabobs
Other Summer Recipes
- Ice Cream Sandwich Cake Recipe: Perfect Summer Dessert
- Cucumber Summer Salad
- Fresh Summer Relish
- 5 Ingredient Rum Runner Cocktail Recipe
- Summer Veggie Stir-Fry
- Frozen Piña Colada
- Hawaiian Chicken Wraps: An Easy Summer Meal
- Spiked Agua Fresca: A Perfect Summer Drink
- Frozen Fruit Cups: The Perfect Summer Treat
- Summer Basil Chicken and Shrimp Kabobs
- Fluffy Frozen Fruit Salad
- Grilled Summer Orzo Salad
- 5 Cup Salad Recipe: A Perfect Cool Summer Dessert
- Simple Classic 3 Ingredient Margarita Recipe
- Amaretto Punch Slush
- Classic Potato Salad
- Strawberry Cobbler
- Watermelon Lemonade
- Sweet Baked Plantains
- Simple Strawberry Lemonade
- Grilled Pineapple Pork Chops
- Pineapple Bread Casserole
- Simple Classic Coleslaw Recipe
- Fresh Caprese Salad
More Shrimp Recipes
- Sriracha Shrimp with Ginger Broccoli
- Easy Homemade Shrimp Cocktail
- Shrimp Fried Rice
- Shrimp Scampi with Basil
- Roasted Shrimp with Sriracha Cocktail Sauce
- Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas
- Ginger-Lime Shrimp
- Shrimp Boil Foil Wrap
- Seafood Gnocchi Soup
- Pineapple Shrimp Stir Fry
- Shrimp Tacos with Homemade Coleslaw Recipe
- Creamy Shrimp Pasta
- Shrimp and Okra Bowl
- Steak and Shrimp Kabobs
- Summer Basil Chicken and Shrimp Kabobs
- Shrimp Orzo with Lemon
- Shaggy Dog Sushi Roll Recipe
- Crunchy Roll Sushi Recipe
Looks great, need to try it before the summer is over!
Yes! Kabobs always make a great summertime meal.
These look so delicious! I will definitely have to try them. We’re trying to get some grilling in before summer ends!
They were so good! And summer definitely isn’t over yet! Still time to get some grilling in for sure.
This recipe sounds so good! We love grilling kabobs, especially when camping!
Oh I never thought about kabobs while camping. We went camping every month growing up but never made kabobs!
That looks amazing! I think my kids will love this especially the chicken! The shrimps, I’ll be making for me and my husband.
That’s what we did too! We made a few with only chicken for the boys to eat and they enjoyed it.
This dish was a hit with the kiddo! He loved being able to pull the pieces off the stick.
Aww I’m glad he enjoyed it!!
You get to grill all year? Now you’re just making me jealous 🙂 These look amazing! We still have a few weeks of BBQ weather left (hopefully!) so there’s still time for some delicious kabobs!
Yeah, part of living in the South! Although we get the excruciatingly hot summers here. July, August, and September are brutal!
I love kabobs!Can’t wait for it to cool down in az so I can finally BBQ again — definitely adding to the list!
Yes, it was too hot here to enjoy being outside for a while too. We are finally able to go sit outside now while we grill.
Love! Love! Love Kababs…I am going to try out this recipe 🙂
I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Chunky veggie kabobs are one of my favorite foods. Grilled and eaten on the deck.
Yes! It’s finally cooling off enough to start eating outside again soon!!
Those kabobs looks so bright and beautiful. And the food looks absolutely delicious that you have here. I love good kabobs and the balsamic sounds like a perfect combination as a dressing for it.
We love anything that can be grilled and enjoyed outside as we eat, especially kabobs! The balsamic was so fresh and just tasted like summer!
These look amazing! I love kabobs and am a big shrimp fan, so I can’t wait to try these. Plus, they just look so pretty!
I love shrimp too! Especially grilled like this, so yummy!
Looks awesome, and super light and fresh. Great for the tastebuds!!!
Thank you! They are very fresh tasting, tastes like summer! 😀☀️
This looks really good. I love shrimp and having kabobs in the summer. Summer is def over now but it doesn’t mean we still can’t grill!
We grill almost year-round here, but we are in South Texas so it’s still definitely summer weather here!
This is so delicious! I would love to try this especially in our weekend picnic. Yum!
We love grilling out on the weekends too!
Looks really delicious. I’ll have to try this the next time I grill out.
Thanks, I hope you enjoy!
Wow that sounds goods! I think it would be a big hit in my home. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Happy to share, I hope you get a chance to make these and enjoy!!
Well you have the Kabob idea and created a healthy and nutritious dish. this can be used for those nice garden parties
Thank you! These would be perfect for parties!
I love your guides. I’ve never been a great cook and I’m lucky most of them have turned out fine, but I’m hopeful your posts will turn me into an exceptional cook.
It just takes a lot of practice! Trust me, when I was in college it was almost all freezer and boxed meals until I starting to experiment in the kitchen 🙂
Its my first time visit this blog and i love the recipe. I want to learn how to cook it, thanks
I’m so glad you found my blog! There are lots of yummy recipes, so many things to try on here!
Love to try one of these. Thank you for the recipe. Don’t know how good it will be, but want to try it.
You should give it a try. The basil adds a lot of flavor to the meat and veggies with this recipe, but it’s still light and refreshing for the summer heat!
Those kebab skewers look amazing! What a great marinade to add to them. I’m so glad grilling season is finally here!
The marinade is so simple, but it’s delicious! We are so happy for summer, too.
Haven’t tried but looks gorgeous. Love the colors. Will def try this for the family.
We like having a lot of colors, too. It makes my boys a bit more willing to try if it looks pretty!
This sounds like a fantastic summer recipe. It’s nice and healthy too which I love and something I know my husband and I would enjoy.
We try to have light and healthy meals in the summer as much as possible. Grilling kabobs is a great way to do it.
This recipe looks amazing. I have a shellfish allergy, so sadly I cant try it out, but I will pass it along to my parents!
You could skip the shrimp. My mom is severely allergic to shellfish and we made this for her one time without any shrimp and it was still yummy!
Whenever we have a very hot summer (we don’t usually) I would cook only outdoors!! I got and Outdoorchef grill, and have it in the balcony but I’m always looking for new delicious recipes and this one, my friend is totally AWESOME!! I love that marinade!
We always have hot summers. I live in south Texas right now and grew up in south Florida. Yesterday was 87 but “feels like” 97 already. It almost gets too hot to enjoy the outdoors in August. But, we still love to grill as much as we can!
This is an easy and great summer recipe to follow. Thanks for the step by step explanation. can’t wait to make it.
Happy to help! We love grilling and making kabobs in the summer.
I love how colourful and vibrant these look. Ideal for summer bbq season for sure xx
Wow! What an an amazing, enticing and sumptuous recipe, I like that is also very easy to make. I would love to try it out sometime.
I like trying to get a lot of colors in meals. My boys think it’s fun and are more willing to eat it, too!