Summer Basil Chicken and Shrimp Kabobs

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.

In 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

Summer Basil Chicken and Shrimp Kabobs

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.

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Course:

Main Dish

Cuisine:

American

Keyword:

basil

|

chicken

|

grill

|

kabobs

|

shrimp

Servings: 8

4.78 from 9 votes

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

• Chef Knife
• Cutting Board
• Skewers – Metal
• Grill
• Food Processor
• Pastry Brush

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

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Nutrition Facts

Summer Basil Chicken and Shrimp Kabobs

Amount Per Serving

Calories 378 Calories from Fat 216

% Daily Value*

Fat 24g37%

Saturated Fat 3g15%

Cholesterol 179mg60%

Sodium 758mg32%

Potassium 652mg19%

Carbohydrates 5g2%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 33g66%

Vitamin A 1160IU23%

Vitamin C 70.5mg85%

Calcium 79mg8%

Iron 1.8mg10%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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.

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