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This post is all about how to make air fried Garlic Parmesan Chicken Skewers; juicy chicken pieces that are basted in the most delectable garlic parmesan butter sauce.
Looking to steal the spotlight at your next gathering? These garlic parmesan chicken skewers are the perfect party appetizer or equally amazing for an easy weekday dinner and they’re bound to be one of the best chicken dishes you’ve ever had!
Basted throughout the cooking process, these garlic parmesan chicken skewers are so tender they just fall right off the skewers.
After my Hot Lemon Pepper Chicken Skewers went crazy on social media, I had to give ya’ll with another incredible flavor using the same easy and fail-proof method.
You can easily make these in the air fryer (method used for the photos) or you can bake or grill them. I paired my skewers over warm rice and added some of the leftover garlic-parm butter into the rice for the most incredible meal.
This recipe post is all about how to make air fried Garlic Parmesan Chicken Skewers.
Key Ingredients in Garlic Parmesan Chicken Skewers
- Chicken Tenders – you can use breast or thighs but I prefer how moist tenders are.
- Butter – one stick of butter is used.
- Garlic – lots of garlic is used, about 8-10 cloves
- Parmesan – grated parm is the best for this recipe as it easily incorporates in the butter sauce.
- Hot sauce – just a tablespoon to give this chicken a little kick without adding too much heat.
- Seasonings – paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes
- Fresh Parsley – the fresh parsley adds the perfect herbiness to balance the savory butter sauce.
- Don’t forget the wooden skewers!
How to Make Garlic Parmesan Chicken Skewers
Step 1: Soak wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes.
Combine spice mixture in a small bowl and set aside. Prep your chicken by cutting in 3″ pieces. Place them in a bowl and toss in olive oil and the spices, coating well on all sides.
Step 2: Pack the chicken onto each skewer, making sure they are tightly packed with no space in between to ensure maximum juiciness. If needed, snip the top few inches of the skewers to fit in the air fryer after the chicken is skewered
Step 3: Make the garlic parmesan sauce by combining all ingredients into a saucepan over low heat. Scoop out 1/3 of the sauce and use that for basting the chicken as it cooks. Reserve the remaining sauce for basting the cooked chicken so you don’t cross contaminate.
Step 3: Cook 2-3 skewers at a time in an air fryer at 400 degrees for 5 minutes. Remove and flip the skewers and baste with sauce, returning to cook an additional 2 minutes at 400 degrees.
Baste with more sauce and cook another 5-6 minutes or until the internal temp reaches 165 degrees. A total cook time of 12-14 minutes. Once they are finished cooking, hit them with a final pass of the garlic sauce (the reserved sauce) and sprinkle with some parmesan and serve.
Tools I Use:
Air-Fryer Sized Skewers
Metal Air Fryer Sized Skewers
Stainless Steel BPA-Free Air Fryer
Looking for More Delish Recipes?
Easy Chicken Tetrazzini
Fried Chicken Elote Tacos
Hot Lemon Pepper Chicken Skewers
Smothered Chicken & Gravy
Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Rolls
I hope you enjoy this easy Air Fryer recipe for Garlic Parmesan Chicken Skewers. Be sure to comment below with any questions or feedback! If you make these or any other recipes, don’t forget to tag me on IG @BadBatchBaking to be featured on my story. Seeing your recreations makes my day!
Garlic Parmesan Chicken Skewers
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken tenders, thighs or breast
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Garlic Parmesan Butter Sauce
- 1 stick butter
- 8-10 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup parmesan, grated
- 1 tbsp hot sauce more if desired
- 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley, minced
Chicken Seasonings
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
Prep and Skewer Chicken
- Before you start, make sure to soak your wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes.
- Start by combining your chicken seasoning mixture in a small bowl and set aside. Prep your chicken by cutting in 3" pieces. Place them in a large bowl or ziptop bag and toss in olive oil and the spices, coating well on all sides.
- Pack the chicken onto each skewer, making sure they are tightly packed with no space in between to ensure maximum juiciness. If needed, snip the top few inches of the skewers to fit in the air fryer after the chicken is skewered.
Make the Garlic Parmesan Butter Sauce
- Add the butter and garlic in a microwave-safe bowl and heat until partially melted. Add in red pepper flakes, hot sauce, parsley, and parmesan. Whisk together until combined. (If sauce separates, add 1-2 tablespoons of softened butter and stir to re-emulsify.)
- Scoop out 1/3 of the sauce and use that for basting the par-cooked chicken. Reserve the remaining sauce for basting the cooked chicken so you don't cross contaminate. Be sure to wash your basting brush in between.
Cook The Chicken
- Cook 2-3 skewers at a time. Place in an air fryer and cook at 400 degrees for 5 minutes. Remove and flip the skewers, baste with sauce, return to cook an additional 2 minutes at 400 degrees.
- Flip them back, baste with more sauce and cook another 5-6 minutes or until the internal temp reaches 165 degrees. Total cook time of 12-14 minutes. This time will vary based on your air fryer.
- Once they are finished cooking, hit them with a final pass of the garlic sauce (the clean reserved sauce) and sprinkle with some extra parmesan and serve.
Notes
Here are some additional photos for your Pinterest boards:
My Goodness. Speechless! This is a flavor explosion to be reckoned with. My third time making these. Thank you so much for this amazing and easy recipe!
I’m so thrilled to hear that Margie! I still think this is one of the best things I’ve made in a long time!! Thank you for trusting me with the recipe ❤️
How do you think these would freeze?
I just frozen another chicken skewer recipe I made. I used a food saver bag with the extra air removed (I’m sure a freezer ziplock would work just as well). To reheat, I put them in the air fryer for ~7 minutes at 370 and spread them with a little butter before reheating. They turned out perfect.
Very good chicken. I made them on the grill. Very juicy and packed with flavor. The garlic butter sauce was amazing!
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed them
These were so good! I never comment or review anything and I just had to let you know how much we enjoyed these!
Thank you so much Chelsea – that means SO MUCH to me!!!
Made this last night and I cant stop thinking about how fantastic they were, amazing flavor combo, easy technique, quick to get on the table. YUM!!
That’s wonderful! Not all recipes linger with us in memory, so this is such a nice compliment.
Hands down the best ever. The whole family wants it every week now.
Hi Dawn – I love that you are as passion for this meal as we are! These could be my death row meal haha how have I lived so long without them? 🙂
Fair to okay. Glad I tried them, but won’t be in a hurry to make them again.
Made these tonight and they were delicious. So flavorful and juicy. Will definitely make these again soon.
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed them. Thank you for trusting me!
I used grated parm cheese and it immediately clumped up into a melted ball of cheese. What did I do wrong??
This looks amazing! I would love to cook this for a backyard party I’m having this Saturday and was wondering if you ever cooked these in advance and heated them up on the grill before serving? Would you happen to know how I could do this without drying them out??
I made these for dinner last night and the whole family loved them! After they were all done cooking I piled them all in the air fry and coated them with the butter and let them go for 4 more minutes to get a little crispier and really let the butter melt in. Absolutely will be making avian.
Amazing! My family decided this will be added to the rotation!
That’s so great to hear! You must be an awesome cook to bring these to life so well. Thank you for trying them 🙂
What sides can you recommend with this meal? I’ve added it to the dinner list this week!
Hi Lindsey – one of my favorites is warm rice and then add a few spoonfuls of the garlic parmesan butter to it – next level!! We also serve that with roasted veggies like green beans and cauliflower, sweet potatoes, etc. One of my IG followers added them to chicken alfredo pasta and others serve theirs over mashed potatoes with veggies. If you want a lighter version, they are so flavorful over salad!
I’m so trying these tonight! They look amazing and low carb! Thanks
Amazing!! Report back 🙂
I can’t figure out how to follow your blog? Can you send a link?
My husband, who is on a don’t-like-chicken kick LOVED this chicken. Great recipe. I can definitively see adapting the flavors and protein for other recipes.
Sooo delish!! I made them in the oven but I will try the air fryer next time for added crisp. I served them with microwaved yellow potatoes and roasted asparagus. I made extra parm/garlic sauce for the potatoes. Mmm!😋
Made these last night with thighs. They were so freaking good. Thank you for sharing!!
Also trying these tonight! They look delish!
Hope you enjoyed them!! Thank you for trying 🙂
I am making this tonight, 1 stick of butter is 4 ounces. Please clarify is it 1 stick or 8 ounces (2 sticks)?
Hi there! This was a typo and I will fix immediately. It needs to read, 8 tablespoons (1 stick). Fixing now. Thank you so much for finding this error. Hope you enjoy!!
Thank you for your quick response. Cannot wait to eat these tonight!
My family loved these. Going in our rotation. Easy to make and simply delicious!
Is it possible to cook it in the air fryer without using the skewers?
So good! It was a big hit during my husbands’s birthday party. Definitely going to keep with my favorite recipes.
These were so good! Tender and flavorful. Too many advertisements. Got in the way of the directions. Hard to read.