Garlic Parmesan Chicken Skewers

by KetoFocus.com

Viral TikTok chicken recipe

5 Stars (2 Reviews) 4 Comments
Air FryerEgg FreeHigh ProteinNut Free

This MUST TRY viral recipe will have you hooked! Garlic parmesan chicken skewers are coated with a rich, garlicky parmesan sauce then air-fried to give a gooey, cheesy exterior that is slightly crispy, why keeping the chicken bites incredibly juicy.

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Nutrition Facts
Serving Size:
1 skewer

6

Servings

461

Calories

25.6g

Fat

51.5g

Protein

3g

Net Carb

3.6g

Total Carbs

When I first saw videos of people making these Garlic Parmesan Chicken Skewers on TikTok, I immediately went to the grocery store to buy chicken breast and parmesan cheese. I already had the garlic. Since my kids loved my Garlic Parmesan Wings and they like food that comes on a stick, I knew this chicken kebab recipe was going to be a hit!

A plate of chicken skewers stacked on each other and coated with a cheesy garlic sauce.

The viral TikTok recipe for Garlic Parmesan Chicken Skewers combines a savory blend of garlic and cheese with tender bites of chicken. Cubed chicken is tossed in a mixture of oil, salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper. Throughout cooking the skewers in the air fryer, the chicken is coated in a garlic parmesan sauce made from butter, generous amounts of minced garlic, grated parmesan cheese, ranch seasoning and red pepper flakes for some kick. The result is juicy chicken covered in a complex flavor of slightly spicy, tangy, cheesy and zippy!

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Chicken Skewers Recipe Video

Youtube
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Chicken Skewers Ingredients

  • 2 lb chicken thighs or breasts, cubed
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Garlic Parmesan Sauce Ingredients

  • 8 tablespoons butter
  • 8-10 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon dry ranch seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Garlic Parmesan Chicken Skewers Directions

  • STEP
    1

    Soak the skewers

    Soak wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes. If skewers don’t fit in the air fryer, cut them down to fit.

    Wooden skewers soaking in water in a glass container.
    Quick Tip
    Metal skewers will work as well.
  • STEP
    2

    Mix seasoning for the chicken

    In a small bowl, combine salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper.

    Ingredients

    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 2 teaspoon paprika
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

    A big bowl of chicken bites surrounding by little bowls filled with seasoning.
  • STEP
    3

    Season the chicken

    Add chicken, oil and seasoning to a ziploc bag or large bowl and toss to coat.

    Ingredients

    • 2 lb chicken thighs or breasts, cubed
    • 1 tablespoon avocado oil or neutral oil

    Seasoning dusted on top of cubed chicken in a big bowl.
  • STEP
    4

    Skewer the chicken

    Add seasoned chicken to the skewers, tightly packing with no space in between.

    A plate of seasoned raw chicken on skewers.
    Quick Tip
    Tightly packing the chicken helps each piece to stay juicy inside while the outside gets slightly crispy from the cheese when cooked in the air fryer.
  • STEP
    5

    Make garlic parm sauce

    Add butter and garlic to a microwave-safe bowl and heat until almost melted. Stir in parmesan cheese, ranch seasoning, red pepper flakes, and parsley. Reserve a small amount of sauce final coating (about 1/3 of the sauce).

    Ingredients

    • 8 tablespoons butter
    • 8-10 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
    • 1 tablespoon dry ranch seasoning
    • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
    • 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

    A small bowl with butter, parmesan, garlic and parsley sauce.
    Quick Tip
    Reserving a small amount of the sauce will prevent cross contamination when coating the uncooked chicken.
  • STEP
    6

    Air fry the chicken

    Add chicken skewers to the air fryer leaving even space around to allow for air flow. Air fry at 400°F for 4 minutes. Flip the skewers, brush on some sauce. Air fry for 2 more minutes. Flip again, baste with more sauce and cook for another 5-7 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

    Butter garlic sauce on top of partially cooked chicken skewers in the air fryer.
    Quick Tip
    To cook in the oven, place the skewers on a foil lined rimmed baking tray and bake at 450°F for 14-15 minutes, flipping a few times & basting throughout the cooking time.
  • STEP
    7

    Final brushing

    Remove and brush with reserved garlic parmesan sauce. Serve with ranch, more garlic parmesan sauce or enjoy plain.

    A silicone brush brushing garlic parmesan sauce on top of chicken skewers.
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Close up of a pile of juicy air fried chicken skewers coated with a garlic parmesan sauce.

Variations

There is a reason why this chicken recipe went viral on social media and that’s because they are perfect the way they are but here are some variations to the recipe I would do if I wanted something different.

Protein swap

This buttery parm sauce is excellent with chicken. You can use chicken breast or chicken thighs. However, other proteins that would pair well with the sauce are steak bites, salmon or shrimp. 

Vegetarian options

If someone in your group doesn’t eat meat, swap out the chicken for tofu, zucchini or baby portabello mushrooms.

Lemon herb sauce

Keep the garlic parmesan as a base but add in the juice from a lemon and a teaspoon of fresh thyme for a zesty lemon herb sauce to go with the chicken bites.

Make it creamier

Stir in a few tablespoons of heavy cream or add in a few tablespoons of cream cheese to make a creamier garlic parmesan sauce to cover the skewers.

A hand holding a cooked chicken kebab over a plate with garlic, red pepper flakes and sauce in the background.

Storage information

Whether you are meal prepping for the week or have leftovers, these chicken skewers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. You can store them on the skewer or removed the cooked chicken from the kebab stick and store them in an air-tight container or ziploc bag.

The skewers can be frozen cooked or uncooked. Store in an air-tight container, freezer safe bag or vacuum sealed in the freezer for 1-2 months.

To reheat, put chicken skewers back in the air fryer at 350°F for 3-5 minutes or until heated through. Or reheat in the oven at 350°F for 10 minutes.

Garlic Parmesan Chicken Skewers: FAQS

Do I have to use skewers?

You don't have to thread the chicken through the skewers. You could just add the chicken bites to the air fryer basket, toss and cook until done, but haven't them jammed together helps to make them so juicy inside. Plus it's fun eating food from a stick.

Should I use chicken thighs or chicken breasts for skewers?

Either chicken thighs or chicken breasts can be used in this recipe. Chicken breasts often gives more uniform bite sized pieces compared to chicken thighs; however, chicken thighs are a little more juicier.

Why do I need to soak the skewers before threading and cooking?

Dry skewers or kebab sticks are easily prone to burning and catching on fire if they are dry. Soaking the wooden sticks in water for 30 minutes before threading with the chicken will help prevent this.

Nutritional information & Macros

Nutrition Information

Garlic Parmesan Chicken Skewers

Servings: 6

Amount Per Serving
Calories 461
Fat 25.6g
Protein 51.5g
Total Carbs 3.6g
Net Carbs 3g

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4 Comments

  1. Sounds delicious, but I hate using skewers. Such a hassle especially since we just remove the meat before eating anyway. Do you think this would be just as good if I don’t skewer the meat & just airfry the nuggets?

    Reply

  2. I had bought a kg of breast in bulk and saw this recipe on youtube. made it last night for dinner with some alterations for an australian palette. whole family loved it. kids ate it with cheesy pasta and we ate it with carrot/parsnip mash.
    I subbed 50% of the butter for greek yoghurt to reduce fat but it also added moisture to the breast meat. plus with the yoghurt i needed about 30% less cheese as yoghurt held the ingredients together. i added 1/2 tspn cayenne to the marinade mix. I used minced garlic from a jar and dried parsley. Also, as I didn’t have ranch powder – not a thing in Australia, but I made my own with 1 teaspoon dried dill
    1 teaspoon dried parsley
    1 teaspoon dried chives
    1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
    1/2 teaspoon onion powder
    1/2 teaspoon sumac
    1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
    1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

    Reply

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