Chicken spedini are marinated chicken skewers that are grilled or roasted to perfection. Try this easy and delicious recipe for an easy and healthy dinner!
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Chicken spedini are essentially Italian chicken skewers, although they are more commonly found in the US than in Italy. Spedini can be made in several ways; with different types of marinades, with or without breading, and with or without vegetables.
This Italian spedini recipe incorporates chicken breast pieces that are marinated in olive oil and herbs. You can grill the skewers, or roast them in the oven.
This is a fun and healthy way to enjoy chicken, and the dish can be served with a variety of amazing side dishes to form a fantastic meal.
🥘 Ingredients
The main ingredient in this recipe is chicken breast fillets. You can also use chicken thigh fillets if you prefer, but I highly recommend using boneless chicken pieces as they are easier to thread on a skewer.
Additionally, you will need ingredients for a basic Italian chicken marinade. I use olive oil, lemon juice, basil and parsley, however you can use other dried herbs like mint, oregano, and rosemary too.
You will also need some skewers. I like to use these metal skewers as they are a bit more safe and reusable, but wooden skewers will also work just fine.
🔪 Instructions
Dice the chicken breast fillets into bite sized pieces. Place them in a bowl, and add the olive oil, lemon juice and herbs. Make sure to coat the pieces evenly with the sauce. Leave the chicken to marinade in a refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or up to 4 hours.
If you use wooden skewers, you will have to completely soak these in water for at least 30 minutes before continuing. This will prevent them from catching on fire while the chicken cooks. You don’t have to do this if you use metal skewers.
Pierce the chicken pieces on skewers. You can now choose to cook them on a grill or in an oven.
Grilled spedini
Grill chicken skewers at around 450 °F / 230 °C for about 5 minutes. Rotate the skewers every minute to grill them evenly. Chicken cooks faster than you’d think, so don’t leave them for too long.
Oven baked spedini
Preheat your oven to 450 °F / 230 °C / 215 °C fan oven. Place the skewers on a baking sheet covered tray, and bake them for 5-8 minutes, or until the chicken has cooked through. Turn them after a few minutes to achieve an even result.
💭 Top tips
Here are my top tips to succeed with this recipe:
- Make sure to soak wooden skewers thoroughly before use, or they will catch fire!
- Use a meat thermometer to ensure that the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 °F or 74 °C before serving.
- You can replace any of the herbs with other dried Italian herbs, or even use Italian seasoning if you prefer.
- You can serve the chicken on the skewers, or remove the pieces from the skewers first. Be careful, as the skewers can be quite hot.
🥗 Serving suggestions
Chicken spedini are an excellent main course. You can serve it with a wide range of side dishes, but here are some of my favorites:
With rice: Try it with Spanakorizo – Greek spinach rice or lemon and garlic rice.
With salad: Use the chicken skewers as the main protein in Hawaiian chicken salad or Caesar salad with bacon.
With vegetables: French potato salad or Za’atar roasted eggplant are excellent vegetable side dishes that go incredibly well with this chicken dish.
📖 Variations
You can vary chicken skewers endlessly, and they can be made with a variety of marinades. Here are some of my favorite variations of the dish:
With breaded chicken: Coat the chicken pieces with breadcrumbs before adding them to the skewers. This is a common way to make chicken spedini in the US.
Masala chicken skewers: Marinate the chicken in Greek yogurt and curry powder for an Indian inspired version of the dish.
Mexican style: Dice cilantro lime chicken breasts, and add these to the skewers. You can then serve them with a Mexican salsa or in tacos.
🍲 Leftovers
Leftover chicken spedini can be stored in an airtight container in a refrigerator for up to 3 days.
I like to remove the cooked chicken pieces from the skewers, and use them in other dishes such as artichoke chicken salad or chicken wraps.
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If you love healthy chicken breast recipes, you should try any of these:
📋 Frequently asked questions
Rub the skewers and meat with olive oil unless you use a non stick grill. Grill for about 5 minutes, and rotate every minute until the chicken is cooked evenly.
Grill chicken skewers at 450 °F / 230 °C.
Spiducci is another common name for spedini. It simply means meat, usually sheep or lamb, that’s diced and placed on a skewer before grilling.
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Recipe
Chicken Spedini
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breast fillets
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Dice the chicken breast fillets into bite sized pieces. Place them in a bowl, and add the olive oil, lemon juice and herbs. Make sure to coat the pieces evenly with the sauce. Leave the chicken to marinade in a refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or up to 4 hours.
- If you use wooden skewers, you will have to completely soak these in water for at least 30 minutes before continuing. This will prevent them from catching on fire while the chicken cooks. You don’t have to do this if you use metal skewers.
- Pierce the chicken pieces on skewers. You can now choose to cook them on a grill or in an oven.
Grill method
- Grill chicken skewers at around 450 °F / 230 °C for about 5 minutes. Rotate the skewers every minute to grill them evenly. Chicken cooks faster than you’d think, so don’t leave them for too long.
Oven method
- Preheat your oven to 450 °F / 230 °C / 215 °C fan oven. Place the skewers on a baking sheet covered tray, and bake them for 5-8 minutes, or until the chicken has cooked through. Turn them after a few minutes to achieve an even result.
Notes
Leftovers
Leftover chicken spedini can be stored in an airtight container in a refrigerator for up to 3 days. I like to remove the cooked chicken pieces from the skewers, and use them in other dishes such as artichoke chicken salad or chicken wraps.Top tips
Here are my top tips to succeed with this recipe:- Make sure to soak wooden skewers thoroughly before use, or they will catch fire!
- Use a meat thermometer to ensure that the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 °F or 74 °C before serving.
- You can replace any of the herbs with other dried Italian herbs, or even use Italian seasoning if you prefer.
- You can serve the chicken on the skewers, or remove the pieces from the skewers first. Be careful, as the skewers can be quite hot.
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