These Asian BBQ Chicken Skewers are sticky, savory, and totally addictive—your grill just met its new favorite recipe.

As soon as it heats up outside, we ditch the oven and head to the grill. Like our Jerk Chicken Skewers, Asian BBQ Chicken Skewers are one of our summer favorites—quick to make, packed with flavor, and no need to crank up the A/C.
The sweet and spicy Korean glaze clings perfectly to grilled chicken thighs, which stay juicy and tender every time. These skewers also make killer leftovers, so be sure to double the batch and make Chicken Street Tacos the next day.
Serve them with: a cool side like our Crunchy Asian Salad, Old Fashioned Potato Salad, or No Mayo Coleslaw.
Jump to:
Ingredients
- CHICKEN THIGHS: boneless and skinless chicken thighs
- RICE VINEGAR: rice vinegar adds depth and acidity
- GOCHUJANG: Korean Gochujang Paste adds just the right amount of heat
- SOY SAUCE: regular soy sauce (Tamari) or low sodium soy sauce
- CILANTRO: fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- GARLIC: fresh garlic cloves, chopped
- HONEY: use local honey if you can
- GINGER: we used ground ginger powder
- SESAME SEEDS: use sesame seeds as garnish
- RED PEPPER FLAKES: crushed red pepper flakes
- CORIANDER: ground coriander
*see recipe card for quantities.
🔪Top tip
Use chicken thighs (rather than chicken breasts) for this recipe. They are moist, juicy, and absorb the flavors of the Asian BBQ Sauce very well.
Instructions
- Prepare chicken: Cut each chicken thigh into thirds and place them onto skewers.
- Gill Chicken: Heat grill and cook chicken for 3 minutes on each side over high heat.
- Make Asian BBQ Sauce: While chicken is cooking, combine all remaining ingredients except for sesame seeds and whisk to combine.
- Brush sauce on chicken: Once chicken has cooked on both sides, brush sauce evenly on chicken and grill another 3 minutes on each side while lowering grill to medium high heat or until done.
- Garnish and serve: Place on serving plate and garnish with sesame seeds.
Would you like to save this recipe?
Storage
- Store: Let the chicken skewers cool completely, then remove the chicken from skewers and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3–4 days.
- Reheat: warm chicken in a skillet over medium heat or in the microwave until heated through. For best flavor, avoid overcooking when reheating to keep the chicken juicy.
FAQ
Asian BBQ flavor typically combines sweet, savory, and spicy elements—often using soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and sometimes gochujang (Korean chili paste). It’s bold, umami-rich, and perfect for grilling.
We recommend using boneless, skinless chicken thighs for skewers. They stay juicy on the grill and absorb the marinade better than chicken breasts, making them ideal for recipes like these Asian BBQ chicken skewers.
Absolutely. If you don’t have a grill, Asian BBQ Chicken Skewers can be cooked in a grill pan or even baked in the oven at 400°F. Just be sure to get a bit of char to mimic that grilled flavor.
These skewers pair perfectly with fried rice, pickled vegetables, or cold dishes like our Crunchy Asian Salad or No Mayo Coleslaw . The cool, crisp sides balance the bold, spicy chicken.
Related recipes
🍅 Making this recipe?
- Please feel free to reach out with questions. We're happy to help.
- If you enjoyed it, please leave us a comment with ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Asian BBQ Chicken Skewers recipe
These Asian BBQ Chicken Skewers are sticky, savory, and totally addictive—your grill just met its new favorite recipe.
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 2-4 portions 1x
Ingredients
- 4 boneless and skinless chicken thighs
- ¼ C rice vinegar
- ¼ C Gochujang Paste
- ¼ C soy sauce (Tamari)
- ¼ C chopped cilantro
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 tsp ground ginger powder
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp ground coriander
Instructions
- Cut each chicken thighs into thirds and place them onto skewers.
- Heat grill and cook chicken for 3 minutes on each side over high heat.
- While chicken is cooking, combine all remaining ingredients except for sesame seeds and whisk to combine.
- Once chicken has cooked on both sides, brush sauce evenly on chicken and grill another 3 minutes on each side while lowering grill to medium high heat or until done.
- Place on serving plate and garnish with sesame seeds.
Notes
- If using wooden skewers, be sure to soak in them in warm water for at least 15 minutes to prevent them from burning on the grill.
- Use chicken thighs (rather than chicken breasts) for this recipe. They are moist, juicy, and absorb the flavors of the Asian BBQ Sauce very well.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: grilling
- Cuisine: Asian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 skewers
- Calories: 222
- Sugar: 8.9 g
- Sodium: 216.3 mg
- Fat: 6.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 9.9 g
- Protein: 29.7 g
- Cholesterol: 140.1 mg
Matt - Total Feasts says
Absolutely agree about the chicken thighs, plus they are usually cheaper too! Great flavours going on here!
Jackie says
thanks so much Matt!! Great point!