Chicken Chorizo Olive Skewers Recipe

Lay skewers over direct heat and listen—that sharp sizzle means you’re doing it right. These aren’t complicated. Chicken thighs, chorizo, green olives threaded on a stick, spiced, grilled hot until the edges char and the chicken stays juicy underneath. Sounds simple because it is.

Why You’ll Love These Chicken Chorizo Olive Skewers

Takes 50 minutes total—32 minutes prep, 18 on the grill. That’s it. Mediterranean flavors without any of the fussing. Fennel, curry, pepper. Weird combo that actually works. Chorizo does half the seasoning work for you. You’re basically just assembling. Grilled chicken thighs stay juicy even when you mess up the timing slightly. Breasts dry out. These don’t. Works as an appetizer or throw four skewers on a plate and call it dinner. Leftovers are better cold the next day, somehow. The olives burst when they’re hot. Kind of changes the whole thing.

What You Need for Chicken Chorizo Kabobs

Chicken thighs. Not breasts. Breasts get stringy. Thighs have fat running through them—they forgive you when the heat’s too high. About 700 grams. Cube them yourself, doesn’t matter how perfect.

Chorizo sausage. Spanish kind, the stuff that’s already cooked. Slice it thick—around a centimeter. Too thin and it disappears into the grill grate.

Green olives. Pitted. Rinsed. The salt on them is intense, so get that off first.

Fennel seeds. Crushed, not whole. Whole ones get stuck in your teeth. Three-fifths of a teaspoon. That’s the amount that matters.

Cracked black peppercorns. Don’t use ground pepper. The cracks stay on the chicken longer, give you texture. Same amount as the fennel.

Curry powder. Sounds weird with the olives and chorizo. Do it anyway. Half a teaspoon.

Kosher salt. One-and-a-half teaspoons total. The chorizo is already salty, so go easy.

Olive oil. Two-and-a-half tablespoons. Coats everything evenly, keeps it from sticking to the grill.

Skewers. Metal ones are better. If you’re using wood, soak them at least 30 minutes or they’ll burn down to nothing.

How to Make Grilled Chicken Chorizo and Olive Skewers

Dump the chicken cubes in a bowl. Add the olive oil, fennel seeds, cracked pepper, curry powder, kosher salt. Mix until all the pieces catch some of the spice. Don’t overthink it. Ten minutes sitting around lets everything settle—the chicken absorbs some flavor. Not required but helps.

Thread the skewers now. Chicken chunk, chorizo slice, olive, then repeat. Four chicken pieces per skewer, six chorizo, six olives. You’ve got eight skewers, so do the math backward if you’re bad at it. The order doesn’t matter as much as spreading everything out evenly so nothing’s crowded on one end.

Get your grill hot. High heat. Oil the grates—actually oil them well, use a brush, get between the bars. Dry grates grab everything.

Lay the skewers perpendicular to the grate bars so they don’t slip through. Listen for the sizzle right away. Sharp and immediate. If it’s soft hissing, your grill isn’t hot enough. Pull them off, wait another minute.

How to Get These Chicken Skewers Actually Charred

Three to four minutes per side. Watch the chicken color shift—pale pink to opaque ivory along the edges. The chorizo releases oil, pools under the chicken, that’s what you want.

Don’t walk away thinking you’ll be fine. You won’t. The bottom side burns faster than the top. Flip them around 3 minutes. Look for browning, not charring. Brown is flavor. Charred tastes bitter, tastes like mistake.

Once both sides are seared, shift the whole skewer setup to the cooler part of the grill. Indirect heat. Close the lid. This is where the cooking actually finishes—10 to 12 minutes more. The outside stays seared, the inside comes up to temperature without getting dry.

Press one of the chicken pieces gently with your finger. Should feel firm but give a little. Spring back immediately? Not done yet. Stays compressed? Overcooked. You want somewhere in the middle. If you have a thermometer, 74 Celsius (165 Fahrenheit) inside the thickest piece. Don’t stab too many holes checking though.

Chicken Chorizo Skewer Tips and Common Mistakes

Rest them five minutes after pulling off the grill. Seriously. Sounds like nothing but the juices redistribute back into the meat instead of running all over your plate.

Wooden skewers need soaking—30 minutes minimum. Ignore this and they become charcoal while your chicken’s still getting warmed through.

Don’t pack the pieces too tight. They need air and direct heat between them. Crowded skewers steam instead of grill.

The curry powder catches faster than you’d think. If your grill flares up, it’s probably the spice mixture scorching. Move the skewer, lower the heat a touch, keep going.

Chorizo already brings salt and flavor. If you taste the raw chicken mixture and it seems underseasoned, that’s normal. The chorizo and olives finish the job on the grill. Add more salt now and you’ll be upset later.

Chicken Chorizo Olive Skewers Recipe

By Emma

Prep:

32 min

Cook:

18 min

Total:

50 min

Servings:

8 servings

Ingredients

• 700 g (about 1 ⅓ lb) boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cubed (~34 cubes)
• 35 ml (2 ½ tbsp) olive oil
• 3 ml (⅗ tsp) crushed fennel seeds
• 3 ml (⅗ tsp) cracked black peppercorns
• 3 ml (⅗ tsp) curry powder
• 1.5 ml (½ tsp) kosher salt
• 32 slices chorizo sausage, roughly 1 cm (½ in) thick
• 32 green olives, pitted and rinsed
• 8 metal or soaked wooden skewers
• 1 lemon, quartered (optional garnish)
• Tzatziki sauce, as desired (optional)
• Hummus, as desired (optional)

Method

1. 1 Mix chicken cubes with olive oil, spices including fennel seeds, cracked pepper, curry powder, and kosher salt in a bowl. Toss gently to coat all pieces evenly. Let rest 10 minutes if you have time, but no more.
2. 2 Thread skewers alternating chunks of chicken (~4 per skewer), slices of chorizo (6 per skewer), and green olives (6 per skewer). The order matters little; I stagger them randomly for even heat and color.
3. 3 Preheat grill to high, oil grates well to avoid sticking. Lay skewers over direct heat; listen for sizzle—sudden, sharp, not soft hissing.
4. 4 Grill 3-4 minutes per side, watch color turn from pale pink to opaque ivory with seared edges. Avoid charring; burnt bits smell bitter, kill those bites.
5. 5 Shift skewers to cooler spot (indirect heat zone). Close lid, continue cooking 10-12 minutes. Test doneness by gently pressing chicken pieces: firm yet springy. Internal temp around 74°C (165°F) if you insist on thermometers.
6. 6 Remove skewers, allow rest 5 minutes on warm platter. Meat juices redistribute, keeps bites juicy.
7. 7 Serve with lemon wedges, sprinkle juice over hot skewers. Offer tzatziki or hummus on the side. Creamy sauces cut through the spice and salt nicely.
8. 8 Cleanup tip: If using wooden skewers, soak at least 30 minutes before to prevent burning.

Nutritional information

Calories

330

Protein

32g

Carbs

2g

Fat

21g

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Frequently Asked Questions About Chicken Chorizo Skewers

Can you use chicken breasts instead of thighs? Yeah, but they’ll be tougher. Thighs have more fat. Less forgiving. Breasts dry out if you’re not watching the whole time.

How long can these sit marinated? Not long. Ten minutes in the spice mix and you’re good. Longer than that and the acids start breaking down the chicken texture weird.

What if your grill isn’t hot enough when you start? You’ll know immediately—soft hissing instead of that sharp sizzle. Pull them off, let it heat another minute, try again. Happens.

Do the olives need to be pitted before threading? Yes. Nobody wants to bite into a pit. Rinsed too—they come packed in a ton of salt.

Can you make these without the fennel seeds? It changes things. The fennel adds a licorice thing that balances the curry. You could skip it. Probably works fine. But try it once with.

How do you know when they’re actually done? Press the chicken with your finger. Should feel firm with a tiny bit of give. Not mushy, not rock hard. Around 165 Fahrenheit if you trust thermometers more than instinct.

What’s with the curry powder and mediterranean flavors? Weird mix, I know. The fennel brings Mediterranean spice, the curry adds warmth, the olives and chorizo tie it together. Sounds off on paper. Tastes right on a plate.

Can you prep these the night before? Thread everything on skewers, wrap them, stick them in the fridge. The spiced chicken mixture should stay on there—doesn’t separate. Grill them the next day. Takes the same 18 minutes.

What happens if you let them sit on the warm platter too long? They keep cooking from residual heat. Five minutes, maybe six. Longer and the chicken hardens up again. Not worth it.

Do the wooden skewers actually need 30 minutes soaking? Yeah. Less than that and the ends burn before the chicken finishes. Soak them, seriously. Takes no effort.