Grilled Hot Honey Chicken Skewers with Rainbow Carrots
As summer comes to a close, I’m cranking out as many recipes as I can on the grill. Soon it’ll be too chilly and I’m definitely not gonna want to sit outside in that! These Grilled Hot Honey Chicken Skewers with Rainbow Carrots were a super fun and unique way of using up some fresh corn on the cob, vibrant rainbow carrots, red onion, and chicken breast. These were sweet, savory, and just a little bit spicy. Still family friendly and extremely flavorful! It really felt like we were eating the rainbow, which made my boys really excited.
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Why are these chicken skewers great on the grill?
Chicken skewers are great on the grill for many reasons! The chicken cut into uniform pieces helps to ensure that they all cook at an even rate. No raw centers or overdone edges. The browning and the caramelization achieved by the grill helps to build extreme flavor! The skewers cook quickly and are already in the perfect portion size. They’re handheld, crowd friendly, and I mean – they look absolutely beautiful on a platter!
The rainbow carrots add contrast and color, the corn is charred to perfection on the grill, and the hot honey caramelizes into this incredible sticky glaze. These were so fun!
Did you know?
Rainbow carrots have been around longer than orange carrots! Yeah, for real. Purple, red, white, and yellow carrots came first. Orange carrots were a later invention, all thanks to Dutch growers in the 16th century!
Each color features different antioxidants too! And way back in the day, they even used these vibrant carrots to make all natural dyes, long before synthetic dyes were a thing. Pretty cool, right?
What ingredients do I need to make these?
For the grilled hot honey chicken skewers with rainbow carrots:
Chicken Breasts
Rainbow Carrots
Ears of Corn
Red Onion
Olive Oil
For the spice blend:
Garlic Powder
Paprika
Chili Powder
Salt
Onion Powder
Black Pepper
For the hot honey glaze:
Honey
Hot Sauce
Fresh Lemon Juice
Red Pepper Flakes
For serving:
Lemon Wedges
Fresh Basil
What equipment do I need?
- Chef Knife
- Cutting Board
- Stockpot
- Propane Grill
- Tongs
- Small Dish
- Whisk
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Juicer
- Paper Towel
- Grilling Skewers
- Mixing Bowls
- Silicone Brush
- Strainer
How do I make them?
To prep the ingredients:
To get started on this recipe, first we’ll need to prep all of our ingredients. Shuck the corn, then cut into large chunks. Peel and chop the onion into large chunks.
Give the rainbow carrots a scrub, peel, then cut those into large chunks too. The smaller pieces of carrots won’t do super well on the skewer, so just set those off to the side, ensuring you get some nice big chunks of each color.
Next, trim the fat off the chicken breasts and cut them into chunks.
To make the spice blend and par-boil the carrots:
In a small dish, add the garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, salt, onion powder, and black pepper. Whisk to combine.
Pat the chicken chunks very dry with paper toweling on both sides, then add to a large bowl.
Pour in the some of the oil for the skewers and then add the spice blend, massaging the chunks of chicken with your hands until coated. Set aside until ready to use.
Next, fill up a stockpot with salted water, then bring to a boil. Boil the carrots for a few minutes, then drain and pat very dry with paper toweling.
Pro Tip: We are only cooking the carrots about halfway in this step. If we don’t par-boil them, they won’t finish on the grill with the rest of the ingredients. Carrots take a long time!
To make the hot honey glaze:
In a small bowl, add the honey, hot sauce, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and red pepper flakes. Whisk to combine, then set aside until ready to use.
To assemble the skewers and grill:
Preheat the grill to medium high for a few minutes, and while it’s heating up, let’s assemble the skewers.
Pro Tip: If you’re using wood skewers, you’ll want to soak them for several minutes before assembling, so don’t heat up the grill until they’re done soaking. If you’re using metal skewers, you can just assemble them right away!
Load the ingredients onto the skewers as follows: corn + onion chunk + two pieces of chicken + carrot chunk.
Repeat until all ingredients are used.
Using a silicone brush, brush the grill grates with the remaining olive oil then add the skewers to the grill, ensuring there’s a bit of space between each for airflow.
Grill the hot honey chicken skewers with rainbow carrots for several minutes, turning every few.
In the last couple of minutes, generously brush the skewers with the hot honey glaze, brushing on all sides as you turn them.
Once all skewers have been grilled, move to a plate until ready to serve.
To serve the grilled hot honey chicken skewers with rainbow carrots:
Top the skewers with freshly torn basil and serve with lemon wedges on the side.
Squeeze that fresh lemon juice all over the skewers and dig in. Enjoy!
Tips:
- The hot honey wasn’t too hot on these. It was just the right amount of sweet and heat. However, if you want them to be super hot, consider upping the hot sauce by 1-2 tsp.
- Using a charcoal grill? No problem. Just light your coals and let them burn until covered in light gray ash. Bank the coals to one side to create a two-fire zone. This creates one hot side and one cooler side! Next, grill the skewers over direct heat for the same amount of time as listed in the recipe, turning as needed. That’s it! So easy.
- Making these in a grill pan? Just follow the same instructions on the stove. Works great if the weather isn’t really cooperating.
- These grilled hot honey chicken skewers will keep for 3-4 days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, just heat about 1 tsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the whole skewers to the pan, cover with a lid, then warm for about 5-7 minutes, turning only once. The lid traps the steam and revives that char from the grill!
Love this recipe’s vibe? Check these ones out!
Looking for some more unique carrot recipes?
Grilled Hot Honey Chicken Skewers with Rainbow Carrots
Equipment
Ingredients
For the grilled hot honey chicken skewers with rainbow carrots:
- 2 Chicken Breasts fat trimmed, cut into 1.5 inch chunks
- ½ lb. Rainbow Carrots scrubbed, peeled, cut into large chunks
- 3 Ears of Corn shucked, cut into quarters
- ½ Large Red Onion cut into large chunks
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil divided
For the spice blend:
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Chili Powder
- ¾ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Onion Powder
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
For the hot honey glaze:
- 3 tbsp Honey
- 2 tsp Hot Sauce
- 1 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice
- ¼ tsp Red Pepper Flakes
For serving:
- Lemon Wedges
- Fresh Basil torn
Instructions
To prep the ingredients:
- Prep the chicken breasts and the fresh veggies, setting up your mise en place.
To make the spice blend and par-boil the carrots:
- In a small dish, add the garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, salt, onion powder, and black pepper to make the spice blend.
- Whisk to combine.
- Pat the chicken chunks very dry with paper toweling on both sides, then add to a large bowl.
- Pour in 1 tbsp of the olive oil for the skewers, then add the spice blend, massaging the chunks of chicken with your hands until coated.
- Set aside until ready to use.
- Next, fill up a stockpot with salted water, then bring to a boil.
- Boil the carrots for 5-6 minutes, then drain and pat very dry with paper toweling.
To make the hot honey glaze:
- In a small bowl, add the honey, hot sauce, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and red pepper flakes.
- Whisk to combine, then set aside until ready to use.
To assemble the skewers and grill:
- Preheat the grill to medium high for 5 minutes, and while it's heating up, let's assemble the skewers.
- Load the ingredients onto the skewers as follows: corn + onion chunk + two pieces of chicken + carrot chunk.
- Repeat until all ingredients are used.
- Using a silicone brush, brush the grill grates with the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil then add the skewers to the grill, ensuring there's a bit of space between each for airflow.
- Grill the hot honey chicken skewers with rainbow carrots for 8-10 minutes, turning every 2-3, starting to brush with the hot honey glaze in the last 5 minutes.
- Once all the skewers have been grilled, remove to a plate until ready to serve.
To serve the grilled hot honey chicken skewers with rainbow carrots:
- Top the skewers with freshly torn basil and serve with lemon wedges on the side.
- Squeeze that fresh lemon juice all over the skewers and dig in. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Please be aware that nutritional values are approximate and intended as a helpful guide
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