Name: Oven Broiled Lamb Kabobs
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 2 lbs of boneless lamb shoulder roast (see notes); 2 whole large lemons (½ cup of squeezed lemon juice); 5 whole garlic cloves; 2 medium white onions; salt and pepper to taste

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

These tender, juicy, oven-broiled lamb kabobs are an easy 15-minute weeknight meal. Lemon and garlic-marinated chunks of lamb are skewered in between onions (or vegetables). These lamb shish kabobs don't need a grill or a lot of time.

Whip up a side shirazi salad or vermicelli rice to serve alongside these lamb skewers. Or, wrap these garlicky lemon lamb kabobs with charred onions in Lebanese pita bread. If you like quick lamb recipes, check out my famous grilled lamb chops.

What I Love About This Recipe

I love the convenience of broiling these lamb kabobs from my indoor kitchen all within 15 minutes. Not only are these lamb shish kabobs flavorful and tender, but they are also really easy to make. The perfectly charred onions and skewered lamb feel a little luxurious for a weeknight meal.

Ingredient Notes

Boneless lamb shoulder roast: The exact lamb shoulder I purchased was 4.5 lbs from Costco. I used about 2 lbs for these lamb kabobs.
Lemons: I recommend using freshly squeezed lemon juice for the marinade. Depending on how large and juicy your lemons are, you might need more or less lemons. The marinade needs about ½ cup of fresh lemon juice for every 2 lbs of lamb.
Fresh garlic: The best garlic is fresh garlic, especially for marinades. Fresh garlic is more potent and infuses its flavor into the meat while it's marinating.
Onion: I recommend white onion, red onion, or sweet onion for the skewers.

See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for quantities.

How To Make Oven Baked Lamb Kabobs

Although this is a simple and quick recipe to make, it's important to prep the lamb kabobs ahead of time so they can marinate.

Prepare and Marinate the Lamb

Squeeze the lemons, resulting in about ½ a cup of lemon juice. Peel and cut the ends off the garlic cloves. Mash the garlic cloves with a little bit of salt using a mortar and pestle. Alternatively, use a garlic press to crush the garlic.

mashing the garlic with a mortar and pestle

In a bowl, add the mashed garlic and ground pepper. Add the freshly squeezed lemon juice and salt. Mix everything together and set aside.

mashed garlic and black pepper in a bowl

fresh lemon juice with mashed garlic, salt, and pepper

Chop the boneless lamb shoulder into 1" kabob chunks. Place the lamb kabob meat in a bowl.

cutting the boneless lamb shoulder into lamb kabob chunks

a bowl of the lamb cut into kabob chunks

Pour the lemon and garlic marinade over the lamb kabob chunks. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Alternatively, add the marinade and lamb kabobs to a gallon storage bag. Seal the bag tightly.

Place the lamb in the fridge overnight (preferably) or for at least 3 hours.

adding the lemon and mashed garlic marinade to the lamb chunks

covering the marinating lamb with plastic wrap

Prepare the Shish Kabob Skewers

If using wooden skewers, soak the lamb skewers in water for 10 minutes, so the wooden skewer will not burn quickly while the lamb kabobs are broiled.

Peel and quarter the onions. Separate the onion layers to make skewering the lamb easier.

Hint: The lamb kabobs will change color (to more of a brown) as they marinate, which is to be expected due to the acidic nature of the garlic and lemon juice.

quartered white onions in a bowl and marinated lamb chunks in another bowl

Set the oven to broil. Skewer the kabobs alternating between lamb and onion sliced. Place the lamb kabob skewers on a broiling baking pan.

lamb kabobs on a baking tray prior to going into the oven

Broil the Lamb Kabobs

Place the lamb kabobs on the top rack of the oven. Set a timer for 2.5 minutes to 3 minutes. Pull the broiled lamb kabobs out of the oven and rotate a quarter turn. Continue to broil each side for 2 to 3 minutes.

The total broil time is about 10 to 12 minutes.

Hint: Every oven is different. Monitor the lamb kabobs closely while they are broiling.

Tips and Tricks

Marinate the lamb ahead of time. A minimum of 3 hours is needed to marinate the lamb, however, overnight is preferable.
Use thick wood skewers or metal skewers. Whether you grill or broil lamb, thick wood skewers or metal skewers are essential for not burning through.
Flip the kabobs! The only way to get the charred "grilling" effect from the oven broiler is to make sure the kabobs are flipped quarter turns until all sides are cooked.
Be careful when flipping the lamb kabobs. Use an oven mitt or tongs when turning the lamb kabobs a quarter turn throughout the broiling process.

Variations and Substitutions

Add a few other vegetables to these skewers to make these broiled kabobs a standalone dish.

Bell Peppers
Zucchini
Mushrooms
Jalapeños

close up view of roasted lamb and onion kabob skewers

Equipment

Broiling pan: A broiling pan is designed for high temperatures in the oven. Also, a two level broiling pan allows for the drippings to drop below the meat. This ensures that the meat doesn't steam in its own juices, so the lamb chunks and vegetables can char.
Shish kabob skewers: Use thick wooden skewers or reusable metal skewers. Thin bamboo skewers burn easily and can potentially break.

Storage

Once the lamb kabobs are cooked, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 or 4 days. It's possible to store uncooked marinated lamb chunks in the freezer for future use if desired.

lamb kabob skewers with roasted onion wedges

Quick Weeknight Dinners

More Lamb Recipes

Hungry For More?

Subscribe to The Matbakh Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Pinterest pages. We also have a saucy newsletter.