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Chicken Sosaties

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Chicken Sosaties are delicious barbeque chicken kabobs from South Africa. These marinated chicken thigh pieces are grilled with dried apricots and onions for a flavorful and easy meal.

These easy grilled chicken skewers with onions and apricots are easy and flavorful!
grilled skewers of chicken, onion and dried apricots on white platter with small glass bowl of glaze beside
grilled skewers of chicken, onion and dried apricots on white platter with small glass bowl of glaze beside

Looking for an easy way to change up your grilled chicken game? These chicken sosaties from South Africa are exactly what you have bene looking for.

Tender chicken thighs are marinated in a spiced but sweet marinade (thanks to the apricot preserves!) and then skewered and grilled with onions and dried apricots. They are tender, flavorful, perfectly cooked, and just so good. (Psst – interested in how to use those leftover preserves? Try them in slow cooker apricot chicken – its so easy and so good!)

Interested in adding more flavors inspired by African cuisine into your daily meal plan and how you can help your children learn to enjoy these new flavors? Check out my kids guide to African food to learn all the tips and tricks you need.

These grilled chicken skewers are a great weeknight meal. You can make the marinade a few days in advance, marinate the chicken all day, and then just quickly skewer and grill the meat when it is time to eat. 

grilled chicken sosaties skewers on white platter

How to make chicken sosaties

This recipe is simple to make! For the full set of directions, please scroll down to the recipe card below. This is just a general overview on how to make it to help you plan.

ingredients for sosaties marinade

Make the marinade

  1. In a small saucepan, saute onion until it is soft.
  2. Add in the garlic and ginger and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  3. Deglaze the pan by pouring in the vinegar and stirring to remove any bits of caramelized stuff on the bottom of the pan.
  4. Stir in the remaining marinade ingredients.
  5. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes, until slightly thickened.
  6. Transfer to a shallow bowl and cool completely. This will probably take 15-20 minutes.
  7. When the sauce is cool, remove 1 cup of the sauce to marinade the chicken in. The remainder needs to be saved and used as a glaze while grilling.
marinade for sosaties in saucepan with wooden spoon

Marinate the chicken

  1. Cut the chicken thighs into 2” pieces and place in a container or plastic bag. 
  2. Add 1 cup of the marinade to the chicken and toss to coat. 
  3. Marinate for at least 20 minutes, or up to 24 hours.
  4. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 20 minutes.
ingredients for sosaties

Assemble the skewers

  1. Slice the onion and gather your dried apricots and skewers. 
  2. Arrange the chicken, onion slices, and dried apricots on the skewers in alternating pattern.

Grill

  1. Heat grill to medium-low heat.
  2. Grill the skewers low and slow, rotating every 5-7 minutes and basting with more glaze, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 F, about 20-25 minutes.
  3. Allow to rest for 5 minutes, and serve.

Timing of this recipe

This recipe doesn’t take long to make and is a great addition to your weekly meal plan. 

  • The marinade takes about 10 minutes to make, and then needs about 20 minutes to cool. (You can make this ahead of time)
  • The chicken then needs to marinate for about 15- 20 minutes.
  • The assembly of the skewers takes 5-10 minutes.
  • Grilling the chicken takes about 15-20 minutes.

In total, this recipe will take less than an hour and a half.

Prepping ahead of time

Need this recipe to fit into your schedule? To prep this ahead of time, you can make the marinade up to 3 days in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use. 

The chicken can marinade for up to 24 hours.

How to serve this to your family

These chicken skewers are great to serve to your family. To make a complete meal, serve this with mealie bread (a cornbread recipe from South Africa) and a simple side salad.

Other kid friendly grilled kabobs from around the world:

chicken skewers with onions and apricots stacks on white platter

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grilled skewers of chicken, onion and dried apricots on white platter with small glass bowl of glaze beside

Chicken Sosaties Recipe

These easy grilled chicken skewers with onions and apricots are easy and flavorful!
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: African
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 4 serving
Calories: 667kcal
Author: Jenni

Ingredients

Marinade

  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion diced small
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 Tablespoon minced ginger
  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
  • ½ cup apricot preserve
  • 1 ½ Tablespoons curry powder
  • 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
  • 2 bay leaves (affiliate link)
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Chicken Skewers

  • 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 2 cups dried apricots
  • 1 yellow onion sliced

Instructions

Make the marinade

  • In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
  • Saute onion until it is soft, stirring frequently.
  • Add in the garlic and ginger and stir until just fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  • Deglaze the pan by pouring in the vinegar and stirring to remove any bits of caramelized stuff on the bottom of the pan.
  • Stir in the remaining apricot preserves, and all the spices.
  • Allow to simmer for 10 minutes, until slightly thickened.
  • Transfer to a shallow bowl and cool completely. This will probably take 15-20 minutes.
  • When the sauce is cool, remove 1 cup of the sauce to marinade the chicken in. The remainder needs to be saved and used as a glaze while grilling.

Marinate the chicken

  • Cut the chicken thighs into 2” pieces and place in a container or plastic bag.
  • Add 1 cup of the marinade to the chicken and toss to coat.
  • Marinate for at least 20 minutes, or up to 24 hours.
  • If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 20 minutes.

Assemble the skewers

  • Slice the onion and gather your dried apricots and skewers.
  • Arrange the chicken, onion slices, and dried apricots on the skewers in alternating pattern.

Grill

  • Preheat a grill to low.
  • Grill the skewers over low heat, turning every few minutes and basting with remaining glaze until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 F, about 20-25 minutes.

Notes

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave until warmed through (removing skewers before heating).

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 667kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 215mg | Sodium: 1391mg | Potassium: 1520mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 50g | Vitamin A: 2512IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 134mg | Iron: 6mg

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