Sheet Pan Chicken Kebabs

These sheet pan chicken kebabs are an easy and delicious way to turn simple ground chicken into a flavorful, protein-rich meal. Instead of shaping individual kebabs by hand, the seasoned chicken mixture is spread onto a sheet pan, scored into strips, and baked until juicy and tender. A blend of cumin, coriander, paprika, garlic, parsley, and allspice gives the kebabs their savory, aromatic flavor, while a touch of turmeric adds warmth and a beautiful golden hue. Perfect for meal prep or a quick weeknight dinner, these kebabs are easy to serve with salads, vegetables, rice, flatbreads, or your favorite sauces.

Chicken Kebabs: The OG Protein Bars

It took me a while to try this viral trend, but now I absolutely love making sheet pan chicken kebabs. The process is incredibly easy, and the hands-on time is less than 30 minutes. I do recommend preparing the meat mixture in advance and allowing it to chill for an hour or two before baking. Not only does this make the mixture easier to work with, but it also gives the flavors time to meld together.

Made with lean ground chicken, fresh parsley, aromatics, and a fragrant blend of spices, these kebabs are juicy, flavorful, and packed with nutrients. My husband and I jokingly call them the OG protein bars because they are such an easy way to get a substantial amount of protein from real food. They are delicious served hot from the oven, but the leftovers are just as good the next day. Store them overnight in the refrigerator for a quick snack or meal, gently reheating them in a skillet or the oven if desired. For longer storage, freeze them and reheat straight from frozen in a warm oven.

How to Serve Chicken Kebabs

While there are countless ways to serve these chicken kebabs, my favorite pairing is a generous pile of sumac-marinated red onions mixed with fresh parsley. The tangy, bright flavors balance the warm spices beautifully and transform a simple kebab into something that feels worthy of a restaurant platter.

For a more substantial meal, I love serving them over millet or alongside a gluten-free millet tabbouleh salad. They are also fantastic tucked into a cassava tortilla for a gluten-free wrap. And if you’re simply looking for a post-workout protein boost, one or two kebabs will do the trick far better than most protein bars or shakes. As it happens, I cooked this batch and took these photos right after a workout, so that theory was thoroughly tested.

This recipe makes 11 kebabs, which works out to about five servings, depending on your appetite. Based on my portioning, each serving contains a little over two kebabs and provides approximately 28 grams of protein for about 260 calories.

I bake these on my favorite stainless steel sheet pan and prefer not to use parchment paper, which helps develop a better crust on the bottom. Just be sure to brush or spray the pan with olive oil before adding the meat mixture. Once baked, the kebabs release easily with a metal spatula and can be separated along the scored lines.

Ingredients

• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tablespoons onion purée (from 1 medium yellow onion)
• 800 g ground chicken (preferably organic or pasture-raised)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 1/4 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 6 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

How to Make Sheet Pan Chicken Kebabs

Start by roughly chopping the onion and processing it in a food processor until completely smooth and puréed. Don’t skip this step. The onion should look almost like a paste, with no visible pieces remaining. This helps keep the kebabs tender and juicy while also making the mixture easier to shape.

Transfer the onion purée to a large mixing bowl and add the ground chicken, minced garlic, spices, chopped parsley, and olive oil. Mix everything thoroughly with a spoon or your hands until the mixture becomes smooth, sticky, and cohesive. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. Chilling helps the flavors develop and makes the mixture easier to work with.

When ready to cook, preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F). Lightly brush or spray a large sheet pan or baking tray with olive oil.

Transfer the chicken mixture to the prepared pan. Using lightly oiled or wet hands, spread it into an even rectangle measuring approximately 23 x 28 cm (9 x 11 inches) and about 1.25 cm (1/2 inch) thick. Don’t worry about making it perfectly precise — just aim for an even thickness so the kebabs cook uniformly.

Using a bench scraper, dough scraper, or spatula, divide the rectangle into 11 long strips by pressing straight down through the mixture all the way to the pan. Each strip should be about 2.5 cm (1 inch) wide. This creates the individual kebabs without having to shape each one separately.

To give them a more traditional kebab appearance, use the edge of the scraper, a spatula, or even your fingertips to make shallow indentations across each strip at regular intervals. These grooves don’t need to be perfect; they simply mimic the look of hand-shaped kebabs and create a little extra texture on the surface.

Lightly brush or spray the top with olive oil and bake for about 12 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked through.

Remove the pan from the oven and let the kebabs rest for a few minutes. Using a spatula, gently release them from the pan and separate them along the scored lines.

Serve warm with sumac onions, fresh parsley, a yogurt sauce, or a simple salad. Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one day, or frozen for longer storage.

Enjoy!

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