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Quick and simple Spicy Beer BBQ Chicken Skewers with Avocado Corn and Feta Salsa. This homemade sweet-n-spicy chipotle honey BBQ sauce steals the show and makes these easy chicken skewers completely delicious. The side of salsa adds a crisp, salty bite with lots of fresh summer produce. All together this is the perfect weeknight dinner that comes together in no time and is great for summer grilling.
Ok, one last grilling recipe for you guys before Memorial Day this weekend! I’m not sure about all of you, but I am really, really excited for summer this year. It’s been a long winter and a long spring. So I’m really looking forward to the summer days and nights ahead.
Summer vacations, weekend getaways, dinners cooked on the grill, and drinks on the deck. Yes, laidback-lowkey days…that’s what summer is all about! I think we’re all ready for that. So, with the summer slowly approaching I want to share a quick dinner with plenty of summer flavor and produce.
Barbecue chicken was always something my dad made on busy nights in the summer. He’d thaw out some frozen chicken tenderloins and toss them with a bottle of Sweet Baby Rays (the family’s BBQ sauce of choice back in the days). Then he’d fire up the charcoal grill, toss on the chicken, and add a side of steamed rice. I don’t remember large varieties of vegetables being added, but asparagus and corn were the usual companions on the grill.
Done and done.
I always think of saucy BBQ chicken as a summer food, which was really the inspiration behind these skewers.
I wanted to do a quick homemade BBQ sauce to add more flavor and ditch the extra ingredients that come along with the bottled stuff. Turns out that with just some pantry staples, you can have a sweet and spicy sauce that’s the easiest to throw together. And yes, so much better than the bottled stuff.
The details
Start with the barbecue sauce. I mix together beer, ketchup, honey, chipotle chile, and a few others spices. Then I simmer everything together on the stove until the sauce thickens.
Super simple and quick to do.
When the sauce is ready, I toss some of it in with the cubed chicken. Then I thread the chicken onto the skewers just before grilling. I love using a skewer, but you could easily just grill up chicken pieces like my dad would often do!
While the chicken is grilling, make that salsa
You all know me, I couldn’t just give you the barbecue chicken recipe. I had to add some sauces and spreads too!
This salsa is the perfect balance of smoky, sweet, spicy, and salty. Grilling the jalapeño is key. It adds a layer of flavor that’s unexpected and delish. The feta adds a nice creamy, salty finish that I LOVE with the BBQ chicken.
For serving, I whip a bit of avocado in a food processor with some lime juice. I then serve the chicken with the salsa, the whipped avocado, and some homemade french fries all on the side. So delish!
The easiest dish, but one of those meals the entire family will love and so great for summer grilling. Easy, fun, and all-around good…that’s what summer dinners are all about!
Looking for other grilling recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Greek Salmon with Lemon Feta and Orzo Summer Salad
Grilled Chicken Shawarma with Golden Butter Fries and Garlic Sauce
Tropical Jerk Grilled Chicken with Charred Mango Salsa Verde
Lastly, if you make these Spicy Beer BBQ Chicken Skewers, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
BBQ Beer Chicken Skewers with Avocado Corn and Feta Salsa
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of your favorite beer
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- kosher salt
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks
Corn and Feta Salsa
- 1-2 jalapeños
- 2 cups grilled or steamed corn
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh basil chopped
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
- whipped or mashed avocado, for serving
Instructions
- 1. In a pot, combine the beer, ketchup, honey, dijon, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder and about 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium- high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer 15 minutes, until thickened. 2. Combine the chicken and about 1/2 cup BBQ sauce in a bowl, tossing to coat.3. Set your grill, grill pan, or skillet to medium-high heat. Take skewers and thread the chicken pieces on. Grill the skewers until lightly charred and cooked through, turning them occasionally throughout cooking, about 10 to 12 minutes total. Alternately, you can roast the chicken at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes.4. At the same time, grill the jalapeño until lightly charred, then give it a rough chop and toss with the corn, cilantro, basil, chives, lime juice, lemon juice, and vinegar. Season with salt then toss with the feta. 5. Serve the chicken with the salsa, whipped avocado, and fresh herbs all on the side.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Made this tonight for dinner. It was great! Thank you!
Hey Andrea,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed. Have the best week:) xTieghan
I made this tonight for my son’s birthday and it got rave reviews from everyone at the table! My daughter-in-law is an accomplished cook and she immediately wanted the recipe! This will be a repeat recipe for certain!
Hey Maryellen,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks so much for giving it a go! xxTieghan
Tastes like summer! We enjoyed this meal last night. I just finished leftovers for lunch on a tortilla. YUM! I knew the corn salsa would be good (because it’s HBH), but it exceeded my expectations!
I had some pineapple that I needed to use, so I added them to the skewers with the chicken. With or without the pineapple, it is great!
Hey Missy,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks so much for giving it a go! xxTieghan
Hello! I’m looking forward to trying this. Quick question- which beer did you use?
I always love your inspiring and delicious meals and am enjoying your cookbook. Thanks so much for sharing!
Hey Chelsea,
You can use any beer you like, I usually tend to use a Pacifico or Modelo, or whatever my brothers leave in the fridge:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan
I made this last night for a family dinner and everyone LOVED it!! The flavors were so delicious and every item paired perfectly together! I followed the recipe exactly with the exception of the fresh jalapeño. Instead, I used a favorite pickled variety chopped up in the salsa and with the grilled corn and other ingredients, it was phenomena!! Thank you for another amazing recipe, I can’t wait to make it again!!
Hey Lorie,
Happy Weekend! I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
Ok, just…wow. I made this, and it was simple and brilliant. The BBQ sauce was, as another reader said, so good even for those that typically find store-bought BBQ sauces to be “not so palatable”.
I made the chicken on the grill with briquettes, simple skewers just like in your pic, with only the sauce as a marinade. Some of the best char-grilled chicken I’ve had in a while!
That sauce though…so good. For everyone who is ok with using beer in their recipes, a thick, dark stout, like Guinness is a nice choice. It added a rich smokiness that balanced out the sweet and made it really deep and flavorful.
OUT. OF. THE. PARK, Tieghan.
Thanks for another epic BBQ hit!
Hey Aline,
Happy Weekend! I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
Hey Tieghan,
You through a fast one with the added chives in the instructions. Luckily I had some in the fridge!
I hope you enjoyed the recipe Jeff!
I making it tonight but didn’t see the chives in time! I bet it’ll still be good!
Let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
I’ve been wanting to make a good BBQ chicken recipe and this looks great, however, I’d like to incorporate the crockpot for the chicken breasts, and do more of a pulled chicken sandwich type, but with this BBQ sauce. In this case, would you still recommend heating the BBQ sauce first, or throw everything in a crockpot at once? Thanks!
Hey Alex,
I would give one of these recipes a try:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/the-best-slow-cooker-bbq-chicken/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/crockpot-bbq-beer-pulled-chicken-cheddar-corn-popovers/
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
These are so good! My husband absolutely loved it, especially the bbq sauce! He said there was no need to ever buy a bottled sauce again. So I’ll definitely be making more of that. It’s been hot the last couple days where we live so we cooked everything on our Traeger outside and it turned out absolutely perfect. Definitely will be a summer staple for us! Thank you!
Hey Hannah,
Wonderful! That’s so great to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have a great Friday:) xTieghan
oooohhhh…was just wondering if we could cook these on the Traeger. Can you tell us the method? The temp and time you used or anything else that needs an adjustment to use the Traeger? Thanks so much!
Hey Kim,
Since I also grilled these, you can follow the recipe as is. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Another great recipe… I was short on time so only made the skewers and they were delicious, chicken was tender but the BBQ made the dish, so good. I will be making another batch. Can’t wait to make this again with the salsa.
Hey Sharron,
Wonderful!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am so glad that it was enjoyed! ☀️xTieghan
BBQ sauce is excellent as is the corn also. Next time I would double the corn recipe as it was a huge hit.
Hey Sara,
Wonderful!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am so glad that it was enjoyed! ☀️xTieghan
I made this for Saturday of the Memorial Day weekend-Steve said it had high end restaurant quality flavor. Your use of herbs and spices is impressive and your food is joyful! The corn with feta and avocado is inspired! It made a great meal.
PS I love your updated website. It took some getting used to, but I think it is clearer and easier to navigate.
Hey Jacquie,
Wonderful!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am so glad that it was enjoyed! ☀️xTieghan
SO SO good! I definitely agree that the prep time needs to be updated to at least 20 minutes. We added onions and pineapple to these and it was amazing! Highly recommend.
Hey Ashley,
Wonderful!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am so glad that it was enjoyed! ☀️xTieghan
Huge crowd pleaser for all of my boys. BBQ was spicy and delish. I doubled everything.
Hey Nicole,
Fantastic! I am thrilled you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Have a great week:) xTieghan
Hi Tieghan,
Could you use whole chipotle in adobo rather than the Chipotle chili powder? If so, how much would you use?
Thanks!
Hey Debbie,
Sure, that would be great! I would just use 1 or 2. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This recipe is a keeper! Flavors are fantastic. I’ve never whipped avocado – it was a great layered texture. Thanks – Tieghan – another awesome recipe!!! Lee Mc
Hey Lee,
Fantastic! I am thrilled you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Have a great week:) xTieghan
The skewers and corn/feta salsa was a big hit at my memorial party today. I served them with tortillas, guacamole, shredded cheese, beans! Guests loved the meal especially the corn/feta salsa. No leftovers!
Hey Rosie,
Fantastic! I am thrilled you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Have a great week:) xTieghan