Garlic Parmesan Chicken Skewers

5 from 1 vote

Garlic Parmesan Chicken Skewers

These Garlic Parmesan Chicken Skewers deliver bold, savory flavor with minimal effort. Juicy chicken thighs marinated in lemon juice, garlic, and hot sauce are baked with a Parmesan-rich coating, creating a crispy, caramelized crust.

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Total Time1

Course: Appetizer, Dinner

Cuisine: American, Mediterranean

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings: Servings

Calories: 688kcal

Author: Emmy Clinton

Ingredients

8 Chicken Thighs 2 pounds
½ Cup Parmesan Cheese grated
2 Tablespoons Garlic minced
¼ Cup Olive Oil

Chicken Marinade

4 Lemons juiced
¼ Cup Parsley chopped
¼ Cup Hot Sauce
2 Teaspoons Salt

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Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk together lemon juice, chopped parsley, hot sauce, and salt. Pat 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs dry and cut into 2-3 pieces each. Toss the chicken in the marinade, cover, and refrigerate 30-120 minutes longer. Marinating too long can make the meat mushy, so I don't recommend exceeding 120 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan, 2 tablespoon minced garlic, and ¼ cup olive oil into a thick, spreadable paste. This mixture will stick to the chicken and create a golden, crispy crust when baked.
Soak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes to prevent burning. Preheat the oven to 400°F and pat your chicken dry using a paper towel. You will then thread the chicken pieces onto skewers. Place them in a 9x13 baking dish and bake for 15 minutes to keep them moist. Pull them out of the oven, and generously coat all sides with the garlic Parmesan paste using a spoon or pastry brush.
Turn your oven to broil and broil on high heat for the last 10 minutes, flipping your skewers halfway through until the Parmesan crust is golden and crispy, and the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Let the chicken rest 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Stop The Coating From Sliding: Ever had all your delicious garlic Parmesan crust slide right off the chicken? This happens because of hygroscopy; basically, the cheese acts like a sponge. If your chicken is too wet from the marinade, the cheese turns into a slippery paste. Fix this by patting your chicken thighs dry with a paper towel before adding the garlic-Parmesan coating. When the chicken is dry, the cheese can "grip" the meat, creating a crust that stays put even when you flip it.
Ditch Pre-shredded Cheese: Pre-shredded cheese is coated in cellulose (essentially wood pulp or starch) to keep it from clumping in the jar. That powder prevents the cheese from melting into a solid, crispy layer. Use a microplane or fine grater on a block of real Parmesan. It creates more surface area, which releases L-Glutamate, the natural amino acid that gives you that "meaty," savory flavor (umami) I love.
Avoid Burnt Garlic: Garlic is delicate. It contains Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that smell amazing but burn quickly. Because garlic burns at a lower temperature than chicken, cooking it too long makes it taste bitter and acrid, which is why I don't add the garlic parmesan coating until the last 10 minutes of broiling. This lets the heat "activate" the flavor without burning it.

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