Grilled BBQ Chicken and Bacon Skewers

These Grilled BBQ Chicken and Bacon Skewers are built around a simple smoked‑paprika garlic seasoning, an indirect‑then‑direct grill setup for crispy bacon, and a precise basting sequence that lets the chicken cook through before the bacon gets its final crisp.

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I tested cooking the skewers entirely over direct heat versus starting them on the cooler side of the grill at about 350-375°F, and the indirect‑first method won every time for juicy chicken and evenly rendered bacon. Once the meat is almost done, I move the skewers over the hot side and brush on BBQ sauce in two passes so every bite gets that sticky, lacquered finish without burning the sugar.

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Chicken‑and‑bacon skewers sound like an automatic win, but on the grill they're actually tricky: cook over high heat from the start and the bacon burns before the chicken reaches 165°F; baby the heat and the bacon steams instead of crisping.

In this recipe I season the chicken with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder, and smoked paprika, then weave in strips of bacon and cook the skewers over indirect medium heat (about 350-375°F) so the chicken cooks through and the bacon has time to render without scorching.

Only in the last few minutes do I move the kebabs over direct heat and start brushing on BBQ sauce in two rounds, which lets the glaze set and caramelize while the bacon finishes crisping, giving you juicy chicken, properly cooked bacon, and a fully coated, sticky BBQ finish instead of guess‑and‑hope grill marks.

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Want oven-baked kebabs instead? Then go for Oven-Baked Tandoori Chicken Skewers.

The Juiciest Chicken and Bacon Kebabs You'll Ever Try

The Bacon-and-BBQ combo steals the show and makes these easy chicken skewers so delicious and flavorful. All together this is the perfect summer meal that comes together in no time and is great for summer grilling.

I personally love some really crispy bacon by itself, but adding it to the grilled chicken kebabs is so much better than having it with breakfast.

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Why I love this recipe

• It solves the classic "bacon vs chicken timing" problem by cooking the skewers over indirect medium heat first, then shifting to direct heat only at the end so the bacon crisps without burning and the chicken still hits 165°F.
• There's no long marinade - the smoked paprika, garlic, onion, and olive oil seasoning mix goes straight onto the chicken, which means you can build flavor fast and get the skewers on the grill in minutes instead of hours.
• The way the bacon is threaded so it weaves between each piece of chicken means you get a bit of smoky, salty bacon with every bite instead of random bacon chunks sliding around the skewer.
• I love the fully coated BBQ finish: the recipe has you flip, baste, cook, flip again, and baste once more, which I've found creates a sticky, even glaze on all sides instead of just a few saucy patches.
• Resting the skewers 5-10 minutes off the grill keeps the juices in the chicken and lets the bacon fat settle, so the kebabs taste even better a few minutes after they come off the heat rather than drying out on the plate

Chicken and Bacon Kebabs Ingredients

I always think of saucy BBQ chicken as a summer food, but also enjoy the texture and saltiness of bacon, which was really the inspiration behind these skewers.

• Chicken breasts. Can you get away with chicken thighs? Not in this recipe as they are less uniform and more messy. I did make air fry recipe with chicken thighs and that worked very well.
• Bacon. Definitely avoid thick bacon at all costs and use regular thin sliced pieces.
• Olive oil. Turns out that with just some pantry staples, you can have a sweet and spicy sauce that's the easiest to throw together.
• Paprika, salt and coarse black pepper, onion and garlic powders - Turns out that with just some basic flavors, you can have a nice BBQ chicken and bacon skewers that are the easiest to throw together.
• BBQ sauce - I used regular BBQ sauce from a grocery store, my favorite kind is Stubbs original sauce.

Special equipment

• At least 6 skewers
• Small bowl
• Medium bowl
• Grill

How to make bacon and chicken shish kebabs

1. Combine Spices

Combine the salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and smoked paprika in a small bowl. 

2. Drizzle Chicken with Olive Oil

Place the chicken in a medium mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to combine. Sprinkle the seasoning over the top and toss to combine as evenly as you can. 

3. Thread Chicken onto the Skewers

Thread the bacon and chicken onto the skewers so the bacon weaves between each piece of chicken. 

4. Set up indirect grilling and Grill

• Turn 2 of the burners off on your grill to set your grill up for indirect grilling and oil the grates with no flame underneath with canola oil.
• Place the skewers on top of the grill with no flame and close the lid.
• Cook for 10 minutes and then flip the skewers over and baste with BBQ sauce. Continue cooking for an additional 10 minutes, then flip the skewers and baste once more and then cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.

Move the kebabs to the side that is on and cook each side an additional minute to crisp up the bacon. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 165 F.

Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before serving garnished with chopped parsley or cilantro, if desired. 

What I tested for these chicken and bacon kebabs

Before landing on this method, I played with heat zones, bacon thickness, and sauce timing to solve the one big problem with chicken‑and‑bacon skewers: getting the chicken safely cooked and juicy while the bacon actually crisps instead of burning or steaming.

Indirect vs direct heat
I tried cooking the skewers entirely over direct medium‑high heat, entirely over gentle indirect heat, and a hybrid method.

• All‑direct heat cooked the chicken quickly but the bacon fat dripped, flared, and scorched long before the chicken reached 165°F.
• All‑indirect heat kept flare‑ups away but left the bacon soft and a little rubbery by the time the chicken was done.
• The hybrid method-starting the kebabs over indirect medium heat (about 350-375°F), then finishing over direct heat for just a minute or so per side-gave me juicy chicken with rendered, crisp edges on the bacon and far fewer flare‑ups. That's the method you see in the recipe.

Bacon thickness
Thick‑cut bacon sounds great, but it simply doesn't keep pace with bite‑sized chicken on a skewer.

• In testing, thick bacon was still chewy by the time the chicken was cooked through, and to get it crisp I had to overcook the chicken.
• Regular, thin‑sliced bacon rendered much faster and crisped just as the chicken hit temperature, which is why I explicitly recommend avoiding thick‑cut here.

How the bacon is threaded
I also tested sliding on separate cubes of bacon vs threading one strip so it weaves around the chicken.

• Bacon pieces on their own edges tended to burn on the outside and dry out before the inner fat could render.
• Weaving a strip of bacon so it zigzags between each piece of chicken meant part of the bacon is exposed to direct heat (for crisping) and part is insulated against the chicken (staying a little soft and fatty). This gave the best texture contrast and kept the bacon from spinning or sliding off.

Sauce timing
Finally, I tried brushing BBQ sauce on at the start, at the halfway point, and just toward the end.

• Sauce from the beginning looked nice at first but the sugars started to burn and go bitter before the chicken reached temp.melskitchencafe+2
• Brushing once at the halfway point was better but still pushed the sauce close to over‑caramelized by the end.
• The best version came from grilling the seasoned chicken and bacon first, then basting with BBQ sauce in two passes only in the final stretch (flip → baste → cook → flip → baste → short cook). This gave a shiny, sticky glaze without scorching.

If the bacon is burning before the chicken is done

• You're probably over direct heat too long.
  Make sure you're starting the skewers over the cooler, indirect side of the grill, not directly over the flame. Use direct heat only at the end for a quick crisp.
• Check your bacon thickness.
  If you used thick‑cut bacon, it simply takes longer to render than the chicken can handle. Swap to regular thin‑sliced bacon next time so it cooks on the same timeline as the chicken.
• Delay the sauce.
  If you're brushing BBQ sauce on too early, the sugars will burn long before the chicken is cooked. Keep the sauce for the last several minutes only, when the meat is already nearly at temperature.

If the bacon is soft and the chicken is dry

• You may be staying on indirect heat the whole time.
  That keeps flare‑ups away but never gives the bacon the direct heat it needs to crisp. Once the chicken is almost at 165°F, slide the skewers over to the hot side for a quick sear on each face.
• Check how tightly you packed the skewers.
  If all the pieces are pressed together, the bacon can't get enough airflow or direct contact with heat to crisp, and the chicken in the center can overcook while you wait. Leave a little space between pieces

If the chicken is cooked but tastes bland

• Make sure the seasoning actually coats every surface.
  In testing, tossing the chicken in olive oil first and then sprinkling the spice mix helped the rub adhere evenly; if you skip the oil or don't toss thoroughly, some pieces will cook up under‑seasoned.
• Use a BBQ sauce you like straight off the spoon.
  The final flavor depends heavily on your sauce, since it's the last layer on the skewers. A thin, overly sweet sauce will taste flat even if your technique is perfect.

Recipe Tips for Perfect Chicken Kebabs

• Always grill your meat and veggies on separate skewers if you're worried the veggies would get burnt before the chicken was done; and that's why there is only meat on my kebabs.
• Use thin bacon - Don't use thick cut bacon or it won't be fully cooked when the chicken is fully cooked. 
• Use indirect heat - Cooking with mostly indirect heat allows the bacon to fully cook without burning while letting the chicken still become fully cooked. 
• Maintain grill's heat - If your grill's internal temperature gets below 350, increase the heat. Once half the burners are off you may need to increase the temperature of the 2 burners that are still on.
• Is BBQ sauce necessary? You can skip the BBQ sauce if you would like. 
• Add real heat (if desired) - If you want to add a little kick to this, add ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper. 

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