Summer brings along one of my favorite family activities: firing up the grill and gathering everyone for a cookout. Whether it’s 4th of July or just dining “al fresco” on a breezy summer evening, I like to keep it delicious and easy. It’s all about spending time with loved ones instead of cooking all day. I’m sharing one of my favorite family recipes, our Grilled Peach BBQ Chicken Skewers.

They’re juicy, sweet and you grill fresh peaches alongside the skewers for the ultimate family dinner. It’s a meal you’re going to love when you don’t want to heat up the kitchen.

It’s important to keep things stress-free and a little planning can easily help you create a memorable cookout without much work. Of course, it starts with a meal that everyone will love. These Grilled Peach BBQ Chicken Skewers can be prepared ahead of time. I like to put them together in the morning and let them marinate all day. My Husband grills them fresh while I put together some complimentary side dishes.

Grilled Peach BBQ Chicken Skewers

For this recipe, you’ll need to have skewers on hand. I use the basic wooden skewers. There’s a secret to ensuring the skewers don’t burn on the grill. You need to soak them! Soak bamboo skewers in water ahead of time for at least five minutes. This allows them not to burn quickly on the grill.

How To Make Your Skewers Ahead of Time

This is one of my favorite recipes to make ahead of time. It’s easy to prep the chicken skewers and store them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to grill. Follow the recipe directions but omit the cooking. Instead, cover them with plastic wrap on a plate. Keep the chicken refrigerated until you’re ready to grill. Do not toss the extra marinade because you’ll use that later when cooking.

I like to make these in the morning, before cooking, or even the night before. As long as you follow food safety practices and keep the chicken refrigerated, you’ll be fine!

Best Side Dishes To Serve With Grilled BBQ Peach Chicken Skewers

When I grill my meats, I love serve several easy side dishes that I can prepare ahead of time. I love to make a classic Russet Potato Salad or my Southern Cornbread Salad. If you want to serve a green salad, making your own Homemade Ranch Dressing is a nice touch to dress it up. I pick 1-2 sides, add some great bread from the bakery and call it a meal. It’s one of my favorite meals when we have guests visit during the summer.

Internal Temperature of Chicken

Use a food thermometer when grilling. These BBQ Peach Chicken Skewers cook quickly since they’re chopped pieces of chicken breast. Per USDA, Using a food thermometer is the only sure way of knowing if your food has reached a high enough temperature to destroy foodborne bacteria. All poultry should reach a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F (73.9 °C) as measured with a food thermometer. Check the chicken before removing from the grill.

How To Store Leftovers

Transfer the leftovers to an airtight food storage container. If the skewers are too long to fit into the container, you can cut them in half or take the chicken off of the skewer. Keep the chicken refrigerated. For the best freshness, keep the chicken refrigerated for 3-4 days while enjoying leftovers. Discard the chicken after 4 days.

The chicken is also great for freezing. Freeze the cooked and grilled chicken pieces and store them in the back of the fridge where temperatures are more stable. Let the chicken thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating again.

What You’ll Need From The Grocery Store:

• Peach Preserves
• Barbecue Sauce
• Water
• Chicken Breast
• Salt and Pepper
• Fresh Peaches
• Crushed Red Pepper
• Chopped Fresh Parsley

Step-by-Step Directions To Make Peach BBQ Chicken Skewers

In a mixing bowl, combine each preserves, barbecue sauce and water and whisk until smooth. Reserve 1 cup and set aside for serving. 

Cut chicken breast into 2″ cubes and thread them onto a bamboo skewer. Season with salt and pepper. 

Preheat a grill until hot and add chicken kabobs. Add peaches directly to the grill grate if using. Close the lid of the grill and heat for 5-6 minutes and flip skewers and peaches over and cook for an additional 4 minutes.

When ready to serve, brush or spoon with peach barbecue sauce and heat for 1-2 minutes or until gaze is hot.  

Remove from grill and serve with reserved barbecue sauce and crushed red pepper. Top with chopped fresh parsley.