30 AIP Kebabs That Will Make Your Next BBQ a Success
I am so thrilled to show you all these amazing kebabs recipes that your AIP diet has been missing! Finally, you can take it easy and put together a BBQ menu without having to worry about your diet getting messed up.
Whether you love lamb, pork, shrimp or scallops, there is a perfect option for you on this list. My guess is you’re going to have a hard time deciding, so why not make a batch of each and throw a massive party! (That’s what I’m gonna do!)
Besides the more common meats, we’ve also included special recipes for offal, such as beef heart and chicken liver kebabs!
Now, don’t fret even if you’ve never cooked organ meats before. They are delicious when grilled, and they’re packed with vitamins and minerals, with numerous health benefits.
Start with the chicken livers and hearts that have a subtle flavor, and your picky eaters won’t even realize they’re eating organ meats.
How To Make Sure Your AIP Kebabs Turn Out Perfect: Use stainless steel skewers, or soak your wooden skewers in water for about half an hour before using them.- Cut the ingredients into uniform pieces so that they cook evenly.- For each skewer, choose ingredients that have similar cooking times (i.e. pieces of beef take much longer to cook than slices of zucchini).- Skip the store-bought barbecue sauces and spice mixes unless you are 100% sure they are AIP-friendly.
These AIP kebab recipes will bring you flavors from all over the world – Puerto Rico, Greece, and the Middle East, to name a few places. Of course, if you’d rather “stay home” there is definitely something for everyone on the list.
There are plenty of options so that you can make every family member their favorite – or maybe you’d like to mix and match, to let everyone try something new?
Here are just a few of the AIP Kebabs we’ve included:
- Grilled Chicken Skewers with Garlic Sauce
- Lemony Mediterranean Chicken Skewers with Artichoke Hummus, Cucumber & Olives
- Beef Shawarma Skewers
- Lemon Garlic Baked Shrimp
- Chimichurri Grilled Shrimp
- Rostelle (Grilled Lamb Skewers)
- Pineapple, Mint and Lamb Kebabs
- Greek Pork Souvlaki
If you click or tap any of the links above, it will instantly take you to the recipe below. Or download the entire list by clicking on the green button below.
Chicken AIP Kebabs
Grilled Chicken Skewers with Garlic Sauce
– Paleo Flourish
Ingredients: chicken breast, onion, zucchini, garlic, salt, lemon juice, olive oil.
The garlic sauce in this Paleo recipe can also be used as a dip for veggie sticks and tastes amazing! If you want more color on these skewers you could thread on some red onion or for a slight difference, roll up strips of bacon instead of some of the chicken. It might be a good idea to use metal skewers for chicken as they help to make sure the meat is cooked thoroughly.
BBQ Chicken Livers and Hearts
– The Nourished Caveman
Photo Credit: Vivica from The Nourished Caveman
Ingredients: chicken hearts, chicken livers, sea salt, black pepper (omit).
We all know that offal should be included in our diet as it is rich in nutrients, but some of it just has too much of a ‘metal’ taste. That’s why using chicken livers and hearts makes a great introduction – the flavors are much more subtle and are a great way to encourage the whole family to try them. The only drawback is that the livers can easily stick to the grill and fall apart, so one suggestion would be to place them in a foil tray on the grill.
Lemony Mediterranean Chicken Skewers with Artichoke Hummus, Cucumber & Olives
– Meatified
Photo Credit: Rach from Meatified
Ingredients: chicken thighs, olive oil or avocado oil, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, dried cilantro leaves, ground turmeric, artichoke hearts, cucumber, green olives, lemon wedges.
This dish is full of Mediterranean flavors because of the lemon, garlic and olives if you choose to use them. The skewers are loaded with flavorful chicken and the artichoke hummus can be used to dip the meat in, for a tasty and filling AIP-friendly meal. If you are using wooden skewers you will need to soak them first, but I prefer metal skewers as they help make sure the chicken is cooked right through.
Easy Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Skewers
– Paleo Newbie
Ingredients: chicken breast, honey, balsamic vinegar, bacon
Chicken and bacon together is a firm favorite in our family and these skewers are too! These make a fantastic AIP or Paleo-friendly appetizer, a satisfying main served with vegetables or salad and a sauce, or you can serve them up at pretty much any kind of party. These can be baked or cooked up on the grill – perfect for any time of the year!
Pinchos Puerto Rico Marinated Grilled Chicken Kebabs
– Low Carb Yum
Photo Credit: Lisa from Low Carb Yum
Ingredients: garlic, Himalayan salt, ground black pepper (omit), oregano, extra-virgin olive oil, lime juice, chicken breast.
This is a fantastic recipe for anyone who is a bit worried about grilling chicken, as the lime in the marinade will start to cure or ‘cook’ the meat as it soaks. It also gives the meat that zingy taste of summer, making these kebabs popular for family barbecues. If you have any leftovers, serve them up next day on top of a fresh salad for a delicious light low carb meal.
Garlic-Amino Chicken Kebabs
– Autoimmune Wellness
Photo Credit: Autoimmune Wellness
Ingredients: pineapple juice, coconut aminos, garlic, chicken breast or thighs, zucchini, mushrooms, coconut oil, sea salt.
With the mixture of sweet and savory seasonings on these tasty kebabs, this is bound to be a favorite at your next family barbecue! This is a grain and gluten free recipe that is compliant with the AIP eating plan and is a good way to get even the kids eating healthy. I always recommend using metal skewers when cooking chicken as they can help to make sure the meat is properly cooked.
Peach Prosciutto Chicken Kabobs
– Fed and Fulfilled
Photo Credit: Fed and Fulfilled
Ingredients: peaches, chicken breast, zucchini, sweet onion, prosciutto, smoked sea salt, dried basil, oil for greasing the grill, orange juice, balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, raw honey.
There is something so summery about the sight of chicken skewers grilling outside, but these ones hold a big secret surprise – pockets of peach wrapped in salty prosciutto that give you a real fruity hit to complement the tender chicken! These are all topped with peachy glaze that is sweet and savory and makes the chicken so special. No need for boring barbecues on AIP!
Hawaiian Chicken Kebabs
– The Health Nut Mama
Photo Credit: The Health Nut Mama
Ingredients: chicken breasts or thighs, red onion, pineapple, zucchinis, mushrooms, coconut oil, sea salt.
Chicken and pineapple together have long been a favorite in our family and when you grill the pineapple it caramelizes and gives you a toffee flavor but still with a tangy side too. You can use chicken tenders, breast chunks or thigh meat with this AIP recipe, but it also tastes great with cubes of pork or even shrimp. This is a dairy, grain and gluten free recipe that everyone will love!
Herbed Chicken Zucchini Koftas with Minted Mango Salsa
– Healing Family Eats
Photo Credit: Healing Family Eats
Ingredients: zucchini, sea salt, ground chicken, red onion, parsley leaves, coconut oil, mango, mint leaves.
Koftas are meatball-like meat dishes and are really good for grilling. The koftas in this AIP recipe are made with chicken and grated zucchini, which helps to stop the poultry from drying out during cooking and can be a great way to get kids to eat veggies without noticing! Then the cooked koftas are served with a sweet and fruity salsa with a hint of mint for freshness – summer on a plate!
Crazy-Good Kebabs
– Eat Heal Thrive
Ingredients: boneless meat (a combination of chicken breasts and thighs), fresh mint leaves, fresh rosemary, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, extra virgin oil, salt.
I first discovered homemade kebabs years ago, and found they were a great way to encourage picky eaters to try grilled veggies as well as tasty chicken. I like to thread some red onion and mushrooms onto the skewers, but you can choose whatever vegetables you prefer. The longer you marinade the meat the more flavor will infuse into it, so you could prepare this the night before for super-tasty kebabs!
Beef AIP Kebabs
Beef Shawarma Skewers
– Grazed & Enthused
Photo Credit: Grazed & Enthused
Ingredients: ground beef, Japanese sweet potato, lemon zest, lemon juice, dried oregano, coconut flour.
Shawarma is traditionally thinly sliced beef cut from a rotisserie, not unlike doner kebab meat, but in this great AIP and Paleo recipe, you are simply using ground beef to make life a lot easier! The meat mixture is then formed round skewers to form lollipop shaped meatballs that are ideal for grilling. These are really kid-friendly and can be served with a dip or salsa for extra goodness.
Beef, Fig and Red Onion Balsamic Skewers
– Every Last Bite
Ingredients: honey, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic, fresh thyme, onion, salt, pepper (omit), steak rump/tenderloin or fillet, figs.
Just imagine biting into chunks of tender beef and juicy fig all coated in a balsamic glaze to give you a really tasty mouthful! That’s what you get from this grain, gluten, and refined sugar-free recipe! As they cook, you will find the red onions are slightly caramelized and give a sweet flavor to the rest of the ingredients. If figs are not in season, you can use a vegetable like zucchini to replace them.
Green Balsamic Beef Kabobs
– Do You Even Paleo?
Ingredients: fresh parsley, extra virgin olive oil, coconut aminos, balsamic vinegar, sirloin or chuck beef, red onions, mushrooms.
Balsamic vinegar is one of those seasonings that go well with just about everything, including beef, chicken and even strawberries! With any balsamic recipe, try to use the best you can afford as the good quality vinegar taste much better. In these kabobs, the balsamic adds a rich flavor to the meat and sets off the taste of the vegetables too. You can also swap the veggies for your favorites – try zucchini as an AIP alternative!
Grilled Heart Kebabs with Herb Vinaigrette
– Real Food & Love
Ingredients: beef heart, filtered water, sea salt, honey, herbs (any combination of parsley, cilantro, basil, tarragon, etc.), garlic, extra virgin olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice.
If like us, you are a fan of grilling in the summertime, you might like to try this amazing Paleo and AIP-compliant grilled heart recipe. When cooked on the grill, the beef heart comes out tasting of steak and with a similar texture, so you might even persuade the kids to try this healthy organ meat! I recommend you use metal skewers on an outdoor grill as they can help make sure the meat is cooked right through.
Balsamic & Fig Beef Kabobs
– Fed and Fit
Ingredients: steak chunks, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, fresh rosemary, kosher salt, black pepper (omit), fresh black figs, sweet onion.
Here is another great example of how balsamic vinegar can liven up your grilling experience! It brings a richness to the flavor of the beef and goes so well with the figs. I find that a red onion works well in this recipe if you can’t get sweet onion, and if you can only buy large figs you can cut them into sections before threading onto the skewers. To keep this recipe AIP-compliant, omit the black pepper.
Fish & Seafood AIP Kebabs
Lemon Garlic Baked Shrimp
– Paleo Flourish
Ingredients: shrimp, garlic, lemon juice, ghee, salt, black pepper (omit), bell peppers (omit), mushrooms, zucchini.
Who doesn’t like fish with lemon? It is a classic! If you would rather not wait for barbecue weather, this dish can be cooked in the oven, but the shrimp look amazing threaded onto skewers and grilled. The peppers add loads of color, or for AIP you can omit these, and you can use any type of mushroom you prefer. Impress your guests at your next dinner party or serve this at a family barbecue – shrimp cook quickly, so they are great for hungry kids! Keep in mind ghee is not appropriate for strict AIP, but if you’ve reintroduced it successfully this is a great dish to try.
– Cook Eat Paleo
Photo Credit: Lisa from Cook Eat Paleo
Ingredients: shrimp, olive oil, Italian parsley leaves, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, garlic cloves, sea salt, ground pepper (omit).
Chimichurri sauce originates from South America and the outstanding flavors come from parsley and garlic. It is ideal for low carb dishes and can add a lovely fresh flavor to shrimp or chicken. It is great as a marinade but can also be served as a Paleo dipping sauce. Because shrimp cook in just a few minutes, this would make a great main for a busy day served with a salsa or salad.
Grilled Bay Scallop Skewers
– What Great Grandma Ate
Ingredients: bay scallops, avocado oil, salt, fresh thyme, lemon juice.
Scallops are a great source of vitamin B12 and other nutrients, so they make a good addition to an AIP diet. On the grill, these little beauties cook in a few minutes, so you really need to keep an eye on them. This simple recipe gives you tasty scallop bites, served with just a squeeze of lemon, keeping the flavors real and clean, and they can be served alongside char-grilled veggies of choice.
Shrimp Skewers with Garlic-Lime Marinade
– Skinny Ms.
Ingredients: shrimp, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, lime juice, kosher or sea salt, black pepper (omit), paprika, cilantro or parsley.
This is a two for one recipe as you get instructions for grilling or oven-baking the shrimp if the weather won’t let you cook outdoors. When you are preparing the shrimp, don’t be tempted to marinate for too long as the lime juice will start to ‘cure’ the seafood. This recipe is low in both carbs and calories and would be great for those of you who are trying to lose weight as well as improve your healthy eating habits.
Broiled Shrimp Kababs
– A Clean Plate
Ingredients: shrimp, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, honey, lemon juice, ground ginger, dried oregano, dried basil.
These kabobs have the added benefit of being seasoned with herbs as well as garlic and ginger, giving them a whole new level of flavor. This is another AIP recipe that lets you cook the shrimp either indoors in the winter, or outside on the grill in better weather. These taste best when served hot over a bed of fresh salad leaves for a clean and wholesome meal.
Gluten-Free Garlic Lemon Shrimp Skewers
– Don’t Mess With Mama
Ingredients: shrimp, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, fresh parsley, black pepper (omit), Celtic sea salt, lemon wedges.
This is a really useful grilling recipe for Paleo and AIP followers and is also great for those of us on low carb diets too. The shrimp are flavored with garlic and lemon, then cooked on a grill for a real food option for lunch. The taste is simple and clean and can be served to the whole family with just a few lemon wedges to squeeze over the top. What could be easier?
Garlic Grilled Shrimp Skewers over Ginger Spiced Sweet Potato Rice
– AIP Sisterhood
Ingredients: large shrimp, garlic, olive oil, sea salt, sweet potatoes, yellow onion, ground ginger.
Shrimp is a fantastic food to grill as it only takes a few minutes to cook, so is perfect for a speedy lunch dish. In this AIP recipe it is served with sweet potato rice which is flavored with ginger to give it a warming spiced taste and this goes well with the shrimp. If you prefer, you can serve it with cauliflower rice in the same way but the sweet potato adds a new dimension to the flavor.
Other AIP Kebabs
Rostelle (Grilled Lamb Skewers)
– The Nourished Caveman
Photo Credit: Vivica from The Nourished Caveman
Ingredients: hogget shoulder meat (lamb if hogget can not be found), salt, pepper (omit).
This must be one of the simplest recipes around, but this method lets the flavor of the meat shine through! All you are adding to the lamb is salt, omitting the pepper for AIP, so there are no complicated seasonings to challenge you, and this is real food at its best. The meat gives you a source of protein that you can serve with vegetables, or simplify things and use a low carb coconut yogurt and mint dipping sauce.
Pineapple, Mint and Lamb Kebabs
– Autoimmune Wellness
Photo Credit: Autoimmune Wellness
Ingredients: pineapple, garlic, ginger, sea salt, lamb shoulder steak, mint leaves, cinnamon.
You might have tried pineapple with chicken kebabs, but this great AIP recipe shows you how the pineapple goes well with lamb too, especially when you team it up with some mint. Using pineapple in the marinade helps to soften the fibers in the lamb and makes it succulent and tender. If you want to make these even more filling you can also thread some vegetables onto the skewers – zucchini and mushrooms work well here.
Greek Pork Souvlaki
– The Healthy Foodie
Photo Credit: Sonia from The Healthy Foodie
Ingredients: pork tenderloin, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, dried oregano, fresh thyme, lemon zest, Himalayan salt, gound black pepper (omit).
Souvlaki is Greek fast food that can often be found sold by street vendors. It consists of chunks of marinated meat and vegetables threaded onto skewers, and in this recipe the marinade is made from lemon, garlic and olive oil, which give the souvlaki that authentic taste of Greece. This is a low carb recipe and to keep things AIP-friendly, omit the black pepper.
Lamb, Tarragon and Mint Koftas
– Guest Post by Jo Romero
Photo Credit: Sarah from The Paleo Mom
Ingredients: lamb, garlic, fresh tarragon leaves, fresh mint, fresh parsley, salt.
When my children were small, I found it almost impossible to get them to eat healthy meat dishes, but when I found koftas, they were the answer! I think it was because they were served on a stick that made them so appealing! The ones in this AIP compliant recipe are a great combination of lamb and mint which can be served quite simply with a green salad or a homemade coleslaw.
Lamb Souvlaki (Greek Lamb Skewers)
– Keto Diet Blog
Ingredients: lamb leg or shoulder, mint, rosemary, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt or pink Himalayan salt.
As with many marinated meat recipes, the longer you can marinate the lamb, the more flavor will be absorbed by the meat, so it’s best to plan ahead and soak them overnight. If you don’t like rosemary, you could try using tarragon for a different taste, but either way, fresh is best. This would be a lovely appetizer for a dinner party with friends or served with an AIP Greek dip for a family barbecue.
Grilled Prosciutto and Zucchini
– Maria Mind Body Health
Ingredients: fresh lemon or lime juice, mint, garlic, lemon or lime zest, ground turmeric, extra-virgin olive oil, Celtic sea salt, freshly ground pepper (omit), zucchini, prosciutto.
One of the best things about cooking these delicious skewers is that they only take minutes to make! These would be perfect for a summer barbecue with friends. These are served with a mint and citrus dip which is not only dairy and grain free, but totally compliant with the AIP if you omit the pepper. The dip is so fresh and fragrant and sets off the flavor of the prosciutto really well.
Spiced Lamb Kebabs
– Gutsy By Nature
Ingredients: ground lamb, red onion, garlic, ginger, parsley, cilantro, mint leaves, sea salt, mace, turmeric, coconut oil.
While you are following the autoimmune protocol, Indian food can be something to avoid as it involves a load of seed and grain-based condiments and nightshades. So this is the recipe for you if you feel you are missing out on your Indian food. These kebabs taste best cooked outside on a grill as this gives them that authentic charred look and taste we all love!
Köfte Lamb Kebabs
– Real Food & Love
Ingredients: ground lamb, red onions, garlic, Italian parsley, thyme, lemon zest, sea salt.
This kind of kebabs can be very impressive to serve to family and friends, and they will be totally impressed when they bite in and taste the delicious lamb and herb mixture inside! Forming the meat around skewers is such a great idea, but this mixture would also work shaped into meatballs for party food, or burgers for a tasty AIP lunch. The choice is up to you!
