Chicken And Veggie Camping Kabobs (Plus 5 Easy Variations)
Most camping grill recipes are fast to prep and cook with a little extra time to marinate to make the flavors sensational. These easy Chicken And Veggie Camping Kabobs can be grilled on almost anything. Use a grate over a campfire, a Blackstone or a camp grill using propane or charcoal .
How To Make Chicken Shish Kabobs At The Campsite
These kabobs call for a few fresh veggies, if you shy away from making camping veggies because of the challenge of keeping them fresh, we’ve got tips to help you!
Step 1. Prep the veggies and the chicken. You will be chopping an onion, bell pepper and cutting the chicken into bite sized pieces.
Step 2. Marinate the veggies and the chicken. It’s nice to do a quick prep for camping dinner recipes that sit in a marinade in a freezer bag for a few hours while you take a hike or relax around camp.
Because the chicken takes a little longer to cook, you will be separating it from the veggies on the skewers so it is easiest to marinate them in separate re-sealable plastic bags.
Place the chicken with half the marinade in one bag.
Camp Cooking Tip: If you are gluten intolerant, check the label on the salad dressing you’re using because this is a great meal for people looking for gluten free camping food.
Place the onion, bell pepper and mushrooms in another bag with the rest of the marinade. Refrigerate for 4 hours to let the marinade do its magic.
Note: Even though the bags are sealed, you want to make sure you don’t cross-contaminate your other food stored in your refrigerator or cooler. Get our tips on how to pack a cooler to keep your family safe during your camping trips!
Step 3. Thread the skewers.
Camp Cooking Tip: We like using metal skewers but if you use wooden ones, make sure you soak them in water before you spear your food and begin cooking so they don’t catch on fire during the cooking process … especially if you are grilling these kebabs over a campfire or charcoal grill.
Step 4. Prepare to cook. The nice thing about grilled camp meals is the flexibility of cooking them. You can make this as one of our easy campfire recipes if you have a campfire grill grate.
If you’re camping without fire in dry conditions during forest fire restrictions when open flames are prohibited, use a cast iron grill pan set on your stove top to make skewer recipes as one of your camp stove recipes. Or, you can use your Blackstone.
Step 5. Grill over medium heat. You will be grilling the easy camping skewers over a medium heat. Thread the chicken on separate skewers than the veggies, then, start the chicken first because it takes a little longer to cook than the veggies.
Hand Test For Cooking Temperatures
You don’t need a thermometer to determine the temperature of your heat source for cooking. Here are steps for the “hand test”.
- Hold the palm of your hand about 5 inches above the heat source (campfire coals, charcoal briquettes, propane grill etc.) you’re using for cooking. (Make sure nothing is flammable, like clothing or jewelry.)
- Pull your hand away from the heat before it hurts and note how many seconds have passed. Example: 6-7 seconds = medium heat.
| Heat Level | Temperature Range | Time |
| High Heat | 450-550°F (230-290C) | 2-4 seconds |
| Medium-High | 375-450°F (190-230C) | 5 seconds |
| Medium Heat | 350-375°F (175-190C) | 6-7 seconds |
| Low-Medium | 325-350°F (160-175C) | 8 seconds |
| Low Heat | 250-325°F (120-160C) | 9-10 seconds |
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Camp Cooking Tip: I think the best camping skewers are stainless steel because you don’t have to soak them in water like you do with wooden skewers. If you use wooden camp skewers, be careful because they can catch fire if they are too dry when you cook with them.
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Cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 15-20 minutes, and, the veggies are tender, about 10 minutes.
Camp Cooking Tip: Stay a safe distance from the heat so you don’t burn yourself as you turn the sticks during the cooking process. You don’t want to get injured and cut short your camping adventurers so use heat resistant gloves and extra-long metal tongs when grilling over an open flame of a campfire or BBQ grill.
Some of my favorite easy camping meals include meat and veggies in one pot.
Step 6. Serve and enjoy.
Be careful because the skewers are hot. Remove the kabobs from the skewers and serve over rice.
Scaling Servings
Kabobs are easy camping meals for large groups because the prep and marinating can all be done in advance and the cooking time is quick for on-site grilling.
5 Variations & Substitutions
Kabob recipes are really versatile. Try some of these options on your next camping trip.
1. Greek Chicken Kabobs
Add Greek flavors by drizzling some yogurt tzatziki sauce over the chicken skewers just before you serve them. They are great over a bed of rice or as a sandwich on flatbread like I do in my Chicken Souvlaki Pitas.
2. Hawaiian Kabobs
If you want to add a tropic flavor to your meal, make pineapple chicken kabobs by adding some fresh pineapple cubes, red bell pepper chunks, sliced pieces of corn on the cob, red onion, and sweet potato cubes. You can eliminate the rice when you add more starchy veggies and still have a complete meal.
3. Beef Kabobs
Flat iron steak is an inexpensive cut of meat that gets really tender with a good marinade. You can cut the steak into strips or leave it whole when you place it in the marinade. It can be threaded onto skewers or grilled whole. Either way, my Grilled Flat Iron Camping Steak has tons of flavor from a simple homemade marinade with olive oil, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and a few basic spices.
4. Italian Kabobs
Create an Italian flavor profile by swapping out the type of meat. Instead of chicken chunks, use Italian sausage pieces and add a little parsley, basil and oregano to the marinade.
5. Vegetarian Kabobs
Make it vegetarian by replacing chicken with plenty of veggies. Zucchini, eggplant, yellow squash, petite potatoes and cauliflower are great options that are readily available even in small grocery stores when you’re camping in remote areas off the grid. If you don’t want to use prepared salad dressing to marinate the vegetables, you can just toss them in a little olive oil, salt and pepper, thread them onto skewers and grill them till they are tender and have a nice char.
Similar Recipes
If you want a vegan version of kabobs, you can find it along with more yummy vegetarian camping recipes. Camping kabobs are not the only way to get a fast and simple meal on your table. Try these too! These Grilled Chicken Nuggets are a Chick-fil-A copycat that is fast to prep and cook at camp.
This simple Grilled Dijon Chicken With Garlic And Jalapeno is zesty and slightly spicy. The marinade only takes a few minutes to prepare but provides lots of flavor for this inexpensive protein.
Want a creamy sauce for your chicken? Try this Dijon Mustard Dutch Oven Chicken Breast meal. You can even use this sauce on other types of meats and veggies!
Meal Planning
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Recipe
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Chicken Shish Kabobs Camping Recipe
Equipment
- Grate over campfire, Griddle with stove, or Blackstone
Ingredients
- 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs) half breasts, cubed in bite sized pieces
- 1 onion cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 yellow or orange bell pepper cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms (cremini, white buttons or baby bellas) dirt removed with wet paper towel
- 1 (10 oz) package cherry tomatoes
- 1 (16 oz) bottle Italian salad dressing
- 4 servings cooked rice
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a gallon food storage bag.
- Pour 1/2 bottle of dressing in the bag with the chicken.
- Seal the bag and toss to coat all of the chicken with the dressing.
- Refrigerate 4 hours to marinate, turning the bag every hour or so to ensure the chicken is evenly coated with the dressing.
- Place the onion, bell pepper and mushrooms in a gallon food storage bag.
- Pour the remaining 1/2 bottle of dressing in the bag with the veggies.
- Seal the bag and toss to coat all of the veggies with the dressing.
- Refrigerate 4 hours to marinate, turning the bag every hour or so to ensure the veggies are evenly coated with the dressing.
- Using metal or soaked wooden skewers, thread the chicken separating the pieces with a few chunks of the onion.
- On separate skewers, thread the remaining onion chunks, bell pepper, mushrooms and tomatoes.
- Start your campfire or your camp (propane or charcoal are both fine) grill.
- Grill, covered, over medium heat (see * Note) until vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through turning occasionally. Baste with marinade during cooking and discard any unused dressing. The veggies will take about 10 minutes and the chicken will take about 15-20 minutes.
- Serve over rice.
Notes
Nutrition
More Meal Ideas
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