Colorful Chicken Skewers | Oven-Baked Skewers with Vegetables

Cut the chicken breast across the grain into 2.5 cm cubes. Keeping the cubes close in size is essential: smaller pieces will dry out before larger ones reach a safe temperature. Wash the cutting board and knife with hot, soapy water after handling raw chicken.

Whisk the strained yogurt, olive oil, tomato paste, lemon juice, dried thyme, sweet paprika, and salt in a bowl. Add the chicken cubes and mix until each piece is coated. The marinade should leave a thin layer on the chicken that does not run off when lifted with a spoon. Cover the bowl and refrigerate.

Cut the bell peppers and zucchini into 2.5 cm pieces, and the onion into wedges with four layers each. Cutting the vegetables to about the same size as the chicken helps them cook in the same amount of time; thinly cut pepper can char and turn bitter before the chicken reaches a safe temperature.

Thread the chicken and vegetables alternately onto eight skewers, dividing the chicken so each skewer has three cubes. Do not pack the pieces tightly; leave 2 mm between them so heat can reach the surfaces and cook them through. Arrange the skewers on a wire-rack baking sheet.

Bake on the middle rack of an oven preheated to 200°C / 390°F for 22–25 minutes, turning the skewers at the twelfth minute. Insert a food thermometer into the center of the thickest chicken cube; the chicken is safe when it reaches 74°C / 165°F. Do not take it out early just because the juices run clear; color is not a reliable measure of doneness.

Take the skewers out of the oven and let them rest for 3 minutes. Use a fork to slide the pieces onto a plate, and leave the skewers in the kitchen; do not hand a child a skewer with its sharp tip. Cut the chicken cubes in half on the plate before serving.