Spicy Thai Chicken Skewers (chicken Kebabs)

These Spicy Thai Chicken Skewers (Chicken Kebabs) are full of aromatic, peppery, authentic Thai flavors!

Spicy Thai Chicken Kebabs with Black Pepper and Thai Basil Chicken are perfect for a backyard summer BBQ.

Spicy Thai Chicken Skewers as an appetizer

Have I told you guys before about this very Sri Lankan tradition of pairing spicy “bites” (spicy party appetizers and starter recipes ) with beer and booze at parties and gatherings?

Typically these Sri Lankan snacks included a bowl of spicy, mixed nuts, deep-fried meat, cocktail meatballs , fish cutlets , fish patties (fish empanadas) , curried beef roti , or Sri Lankan Chinese rolls .

Occasionally, that spread would become more varied (ever famous Sri Lankan kottu roti is another popular choice) depending on the host’s hospitality.

But they were always spicy bites – sizzling with spicy heat and intense flavor – and just the best darn accompaniment to a chilled beer, in the whole wide world!

As kids, I remember how envious we were of the adults, seeing them snacking on those spicy bites, which for reasons that I still don’t get, weren’t offered to those who weren’t involved in their booze-filled, merry-making. Why should they get their own appetizers?

So we always hung around them, zooming in and out of their space, grabbing whatever we can from their plates, in fistfuls of spicy deliciousness that were better than anything else served up at the party anyway.

Fast forward twenty years and half a dozen moves across towns, countries and continents, things are still the same for me. A cold beer just isn’t the same without something delightfully spicy.

So I channeled that Sri Lankan spirit and celebrated summer with a backyard BBQ for two with delicious Spicy Thai Chicken Kebabs (Thai chicken skewers) and a cold beer.

The versatile and super flavorful Thai Spice paste

Thai chicken skewers

When we decided to throw a quick BBQ last Sunday, I knew I wanted to make something spicy, not simply because spicy food + beer = traditions for us, but also because spicy food makes for a fantastic pairing with a pale ale pilsener.

So spicy Thai chicken skewers it was, with black pepper and Thai basil chicken kebabs in lettuce and garlic butter sweet potatoes! 🙂

The bitterness of the hops was a good balance for the spiciness in these spicy Thai chicken skewers. That first sip of cold beer enhanced the heat and the flavors, since the bitterness and carbonation complement the heat.

While I do love cooking with chicken breast, for BBQs I prefer to go with the dark meat of chicken thighs. That way the heat of the BBQ doesn’t dry out the chicken, and for a fun, carefree day around the grill, you don’t have to worry about overcooking the chicken when you use boneless chicken thighs (marinated with some intense Thai flavors!).

Black pepper and Thai basil chicken also happens to be one of my absolute favorite Thai stir-fries. It used to be my go-to stir fry every time I had lunch at this little hole-in-the-wall Thai restaurant across the street from my office, back in Lismore, Australia. And it continues to be one of my favorite flavor combinations to this day!

There’s a lot of rich, aromatic, peppery and authentic Thai flavors in this black pepper and Thai basil chicken. One taste of these spicy Thai chicken kebabs and you’ll see what I mean!

If you don’t have access to a grill, no worries, you can just as easily make these spicy Thai chicken kebabs in the oven, or on a pan .

The only flavor addition you’ll miss is that characteristic smoky BBQ flavor, but even without that, this Thai spice mix produces some incredible flavors in this spicy Thai basil chicken.

I swear we were hungry as soon as the chicken hit the hot grill, because that aroma was simply eye-watering. A chilled beer in one hand did make things a little easier till our lunch was ready, but together, these spicy Thai chicken kebabs in lettuce and a cold beer make for a dynamite combo!

Recipe

Spicy Thai Chicken Skewers (Chicken Kebabs)

Ingredients

Thai Spice Mix

• 15 Thai basil leaves
• 1 tbsp cracked blackpepper
• ½ tbsp chili/red pepper flakes Adjust to your spice tolerance level. These are pretty spicy.
• 1 inch ginger sliced
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tsp fish sauce
• ¼ tsp salt or more to taste if desired
• 1 tbsp dark brown sugar or palm sugar
• 3 tbsp oil vegetable oil or olive oil can be used.

Chicken Kebabs

• 1.5 lbs boneless chicken thighs cut into 1 inch pieces
• 10 wooden skewers soaked in cold water, at least for 1 hour.
• Oil to brush on, to make sure it doesn’t stick
• Black pepper and chopped Thai basil to sprinkle on top
• Romaine lettuce to serve

Instructions

Spice Mix

• Place all the ingredients in a small food processor and pulse until you have a smooth paste. Set aside.

Chicken Kebabs

• Mix the chicken and spice mix together, and set aside for at least 1 hour to marinate, preferably upto overnight. Also, place the wooden skewers in water, to soak overnight as well.
• The next day, skewer the chicken, dividing it up between the 10 skewers.
• Prepare the grill to a medium high heat, and brush the grill with some oil.
• Place the chicken skewers on the grill, and cook them about 5 - 10 minutes per side until the chicken has nice grill marks. Cook the chicken kebabs on all sides.
• Sprinkle black pepper and chopped basil on top before serving. Serve with Romaine lettuce (optional).

Nutrition

Recipe from The Flavor Bender by Dini Kodippili

Spicy Thai Chicken Skewers (Chicken Kebabs) https://www.theflavorbender.com/spicy-thai-basil-chicken-kebabs/