Chicken and Shrimp Kabobs

Does anything scream summer like chicken and shrimp kabobs on the grill? They might take a little bit of time to marinate and assemble but the end result is always worth waiting for. Grilled chicken, grilled shrimp, grilled peppers, grilled onions, and grilled tomatoes in an herb and citrus marinade will never not be amazing.
Start off by soaking your bamboo skewers in water overnight. This is done for two reasons, the first is to keep the bamboo from splintering when assembling the ingredients. The other reason is to keep them from burning too quickly over high flames. If you have stainless steel skewers, those are always a good option as well but putting them in a marinade overnight isn’t the best case scenario.
To assemble your skewers add a cherry tomato, a piece of onion, a piece of bell pepper, one shrimp, and one cube of chicken. Repeat this order again to finish your first kabob. Make as many kabobs as you can using this process.
To make the marinade, add olive oil, white vinegar, lemon juice and zest, bay leaf, thyme, basil, sugar, salt, black pepper, red pepper flake, and minced garlic to a bowl and stir well to combine.
Place each skewer into a container that can hold all of the skewers. Coat each kabob with the marinade then place the kabob into the container. Pour the remaining marinade over top of the kabob.
Marinate the kabobs for 12-24 hours before grilling.
To grill the kabobs, start by lighting your charcoals using a charcoal chimney. Avoid using match light charcoal and lighter fluid if possible. Once the charcoal is white hot pour them into one half of the grill. Place the grate over top of the charcoal and let it heat up.
Once the grate and grill is very hot add your kabobs to the grill and char very well on each side. Once you have a good char on all sides move the kabob to the opposite side of the grill that doesn’t have charcoal underneath it. You are now cooking over indirect heat and will continue to cook over indirect heat until the chicken is completely cooked through.
Placing the grill lid over the grill will trap heat but also smother flame so make sure to keep the vents open on the top and bottom to allow airflow to the coals.
Once the chicken’s internal temperature is 165 degrees Fahrenheit then it is done. Be sure to check multiple areas and pieces of chicken to be safe. Raw or undercooked chicken can cause serious food illness so take your time to make sure everything is cooked properly.
Once the kabobs are done, remove them from the heat and allow to rest for 10 minutes before eating.
Grilled pita, naan, and a vinegar or citrus based salad goes very well with these kabobs. A yogurt based sauce such as tzatziki also pairs well.