Hairy Bikers chicken skewers are marinated chicken thigh pieces threaded with red and green peppers, grilled for 15–20 minutes until charred. The marinade uses olive oil, lemon, honey, oregano, smoked paprika and cinnamon. It serves 4 with at least 3 hours of marinating.
This comes from The Hairy Bikers’ Mediterranean Adventure (2017), their sun-soaked recipe collection. Si and Dave call these “a perfectly balanced kebab” and say “no chilli sauce required.” The marinade does all the work, so the chicken needs nothing on top when it comes off the grill.
The detail most people skip is the 30-minute room temperature rest before cooking. Si and Dave take the chicken out of the fridge half an hour early so it cooks evenly on the barbecue. Cold chicken straight from the fridge chars on the outside while staying raw in the centre.
Hairy Bikers Chicken Skewers With Oregano
Course: DinnerCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy4
servings15
minutes20
minutes355
kcal35
minutesMediterranean-style chicken kebabs from The Hairy Bikers’ Mediterranean Adventure (2017). Eight boneless thighs cut into pieces, marinated in oregano and smoked paprika, threaded onto soaked wooden skewers with pepper squares, and grilled over charcoal or on a hot griddle pan.
Ingredients
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 red pepper, cut into 3cm squares
1 green pepper, cut into 3cm squares
lemon wedges, to serve
- For the marinade:
2 tbsp olive oil
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp honey
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika
½ tsp cinnamon
salt and black pepper
Directions
- Cut the chicken: Cut each thigh into 4 pieces, trimming off any large pieces of fat.
- Make the marinade: Put the olive oil, lemon zest and juice and the honey in a bowl and whisk to dissolve the honey. Add the oregano, paprika and cinnamon, plus a generous amount of salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Add the chicken and stir to coat completely. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
- Prepare the skewers: Half an hour before cooking, remove the chicken from the fridge to come to room temperature. Soak 8 wooden or bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes. Thread the chicken onto the skewers, alternating with squares of pepper.
- Grill: Prepare a barbecue or heat a griddle until very hot. Grill the skewers for 15–20 minutes, turning regularly, until the chicken and peppers are cooked through and nicely charred in places. Baste once or twice with the leftover marinade as they cook. Serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
- Calories: Chicken thighs 8 × ~100g (~1,040) + red pepper (~47) + green pepper (~30) + olive oil 30ml (~240) + lemon (~17) + honey 7g (~21) + spices (~15) + lemon wedges (~10) = ~1,420 kcal total ÷ 4 servings = 355 kcal per serving. No calories listed on the official site.
FAQs
Why marinate for at least 3 hours?
The lemon juice and olive oil need time to penetrate the chicken thigh meat, which is denser than breast. Three hours is the minimum for the oregano, paprika and cinnamon to work their way in. Overnight gives a deeper, more even flavour.
Si and Dave whisk the honey into the oil and lemon first so it dissolves properly. If you just dump everything together the honey sits in a lump at the bottom and some pieces get more sweetness than others. That whisking step takes 30 seconds and makes a real difference.
Why use chicken thighs instead of breast?
Thigh meat has more fat running through it, which keeps it juicy during 15–20 minutes over high heat. Breast dries out quickly on a barbecue because it’s so lean, and once it’s dry no amount of marinade can save it.
Si and Dave specify boneless, skinless thighs cut into 4 pieces each, which gives you chunks roughly 25–30g. That size cooks through in the same time as the pepper squares, so everything on the skewer finishes together. Breast would need smaller pieces to avoid drying out.
Why soak the skewers in water?
Wooden and bamboo skewers catch fire on a barbecue if you put them on dry. Soaking them in water for 30 minutes stops them charring and snapping while the chicken cooks.
Metal skewers don’t need soaking and are reusable, so they’re worth buying if you grill skewers often. The downside is they conduct heat, which means the chicken cooks from the inside as well as the outside. That speeds things up slightly, so check the chicken a few minutes earlier than Si and Dave’s 15-minute mark.
Can I cook these on a griddle pan indoors?
Yes, and Si and Dave give this as an equal option to the barbecue. Heat the griddle until very hot before adding the skewers, and don’t move them for the first 2–3 minutes so the char lines develop.
The main difference is smoke. A griddle won’t give you the wood or charcoal flavour, but the marinade is strong enough to carry the dish. Open a window, turn the extractor on, and cook in batches if your griddle only fits 4 skewers at a time.
How do I know when they’re cooked through?
Cut into the thickest piece of chicken on one skewer. If the meat is white all the way through with no pink, they’re done. Si and Dave say 15–20 minutes with regular turning, and the charring on the outside is a good visual guide.
If you have a meat thermometer, the chicken should read 75°C at the centre. The Hairy Bikers beer can chicken uses the same temperature check for a whole bird, though that one takes much longer since it’s not cut into pieces.
What should I serve with these?
Si and Dave keep it simple: just lemon wedges squeezed over the hot chicken. For a fuller meal, warm flatbread, hummus and a chopped salad with tomatoes, cucumber and red onion make a classic Mediterranean spread.
Rice works too, especially if you stir through some chopped herbs and lemon zest. The Hairy Bikers chicken and spinach curry is another good chicken recipe if you want something saucier on a different night, though the flavour profile is completely different.
