Chicken and Steak Kabobs with Italian Dressing Marinade

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These Italian dressing-marinated chicken and steak kabobs are perfect when you want your protein and vegetables all in one simple, flavor-packed meal. Marinated chicken and steak get threaded onto skewers with onions, peppers, and zucchini and grilled together so the flavors meld beautifully. The homemade Italian dressing marinade is savory and tangy and pulls everything together. Whether you call them kabobs, kebabs, or skewers, these meat and veggies on sticks are truly a bold, satisfying dish.

Close up view of four skewers full of chicken, steak, onions, peppers, and zucchini lined up. Sprinkled with chives on top.

Why We’re Obsessed with These Chicken and Steak Kabobs

Uses a simple, herby homemade Italian dressing that tenderizes and flavors the meat. No extra fillers or additions, just simple, delicious, bold flavor. If you want to use store-bought instead, that works too.
Can be customized to use up whatever’s in the fridge. If you have additional proteins or vegetables that need to be used up, go for it! Just be aware of the different cook times for the ingredients you use.
No need to choose between proteins. We love using both chicken and beef in this recipe because they each add their own unique flavors and textures, but feel free to add a third option (pork tenderloin, maybe?), or choose only one, if that’s your thing.
Perfect for meal prep, grill nights, or weeknight dinners. To make things easier, you can mix up the marinade ahead of time. You can also chop up the meat and vegetables the night before so that it’s easier to put together when you want to cook it.

Tips for Making the Best Skewers

Don’t overcrowd the skewer. Too much crowding might lead to undercooked meat or veg.
Cut vegetables and meat into roughly the same sizes so that they cook evenly.
Alternate meat and veggies on each skewer, but stick to the same protein per skewer to ensure meat is cooked but not overdone.
Use meat or sturdy vegetables (onions or peppers) on the ends of the skewers. Putting anything with a high water content, like zucchini, on the ends may cause them to slide off as they’re cooking.

Four kabobs full of chicken, steak, onions, peppers, and zucchini lined up on a narrow white plate. Sprinkled with chives on top.

Ingredients You’ll Need to Make This Recipe

Meat – using both chicken breast and steak (we prefer using filet for our steak cut because it’s super tender) gives this recipe a variety of textures and flavors.
Vegetables – you can be flexible with the veggies you use, as long as you cut them relatively the same size as the meat and have similar cooking times. We love the taste of grilled onions (yellow, sweet, or red), bell peppers, and zucchini.
Italian dressing – we make our own Italian dressing to use as a marinade for the meat. The dressing is made up of olive oil, red wine vinegar, spicy brown mustard, honey (or sugar), dried herbs, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Wooden skewers – soak these in cold water for 15 to 20 minutes before adding the chicken, steak, and vegetables to them so that they don’t burn on the grill.

Glass jar full of homemade Italian dressing, full of herbs and spices, with a small spoon in front full of the dressing and fresh tomatoes in the background. — *Homemade Italian dressing, which acts as the marinade for the chicken and steak.*

How to Make These Kabobs

Marinate the Meat

Make the Italian dressing for the marinate. Mix together the Italian dressing ingredients in a jar or a bowl.
Marinate the meat. Place the chicken and steak in a zip top bag or a container with a lid. Add the dressing, seal the bag or secure the lid, and massage the bag or shake the container to mix the marinade with the meat. Marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Prep and Assemble the Skewers

Soak the wooden skewers. Place the wooden skewers into a container with water and soak for 20 minutes (a 9×13 inch baking dish works well). Remove from water once ready to add the meat and veggies.
Add the vegetables and the chicken and steak to the skewers. Thread the steak, chicken, onions, peppers, and zucchini onto the wooden skewers. For best results, use only chicken and veggies on some skewers and steak and veggies on other skewers. The chicken takes slightly longer to cook than the steak, so keeping them separate helps ensure you don’t overcook the steak. Tip: place the prepared uncooked skewers in an empty 9×13 baking dish for easy transferring to the grill.

Grill the Chicken and Steak Kabobs and Serve

Prep the grill. Heat a gas grill to medium-high to high heat (around 425°F). Note that the temperature of the grill will fluctuate whenever you open it. To help keep the skewers from sticking to the grill, wipe the grates with a paper towel coated in canola oil. You can also rub the grates with the starchy part of a halved potato. The starch will make the grates non-stick.
Grill the chicken and steak kabobs. Place the skewers on the grill over indirect heat. Cook them for about 10 to 15 minutes, flipping over occasionally to sear each side. The chicken will likely take longer to cook than the steak.
Remove from the grill and serve. Once they’re done cooking, remove the skewers from the grill. Serve skewered or unskewered with your preferred side (we like to eat them with rice).

Barbecue grill with skewers of alternating vegetables (zucchini, onions, and peppers) and with Italian dressing marinated chicken and steak lined up in a row.

FAQs: Chicken and Steak Kabobs

What’s the difference between skewers, kabobs, and kebabs?

In American English, these words often refer to the same thing: meat (and sometimes vegetables) on a stick. The words “kebab” and “kabob” are often used interchangeably in the United States. However, not all kebabs/kabobs are skewered, while others are roasted on a vertical spit. This might lead to differences in preparation and cooking method.

What’s the best meat for kabobs?

For chicken, we like using chicken breasts because they cook relatively quickly and soak up the marinade nicely. For beef, we suggest using a cut of steak that is pretty tender, like ribeye, filet mignon, or sirloin.

What vegetables are good with meat on skewers?

Any vegetable that you can grill is good with these. We like onions and peppers because they’re super sturdy and cook a similar amount of time as the meat. Zucchini, mushrooms, yellow squash, or even cherry tomatoes are good options too. Just be mindful of what you put on the ends of the skewers. Putting anything with a high water content, like tomatoes, on the end may cause them to slide off as they’re cooking.

Why do I need to soak the wooden skewers before using them?

Soaking them makes them wet enough so that they won’t flame up and catch fire on the grill.

Can I marinate the vegetables too?

Yes but it’s not as vital. The marinade tenderizes the meat, but the vegetables don’t need tenderizing. We skewer the vegetables with the meat together, so the marinade flavors the veggies while cooking. You can also reserve some of the marinade before adding it to the raw meat and brush it on the skewers while they grill.

Can I use just chicken or just beef?

Yes! You can double the amount of chicken and skip the steak altogether, or vice versa.

What is a good side dish for chicken and beef kabobs?

We like to serve ours with white or brown rice. They’d also be great with a side salad, like our Blue Cheese, Walnut, And Pear Salad. You can also serve them with fruit, like our Berries and Cream with Honey Lemon Syrup.

Can I make these vegetarian?

Absolutely! Skip the meat entirely and just marinate the vegetables. Maybe add some mushrooms for umami notes. You could also marinate extra firm tofu or even cubed halloumi cheese (it doesn’t melt) and skewer those in place of the meat.