These tender, juicy, oven-broiled lamb kabobs are an easy 15-minute weeknight meal. Lemon and garlic-marinated lamb chunks are skewered between onions (or vegetables). These lamb shish kabobs don't need a grill or much 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 with a side of toum Lebanese garlic sauce.
Oven Lamb Kabobs
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
For this exact recipe, I use boneless lamb shoulder and cube the meat. Other optional lamb cuts are lamb loin (known for its tenderness) or boneless lamb leg.
How To Make Broiled Lamb Kabobs
Although this is a simple and quick recipe, it's important to prep the lamb kabobs ahead of time so they can marinate.
Marinate the Lamb Chunks
Mix the mashed garlic, ground pepper, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and salt.
Chop the boneless lamb shoulder into 1" kabob chunks. Marinate the lamb kabob meat for at least 2 hours or overnight (preferably). The acidic nature of the garlic and lemon juice change the marinated lamb chunks to more of a brown color as they marinate.
Broil the Lamb Kabobs
If using wooden skewers, soak the lamb skewers in water for 10 minutes, so the wooden skewers will not burn quickly while the lamb kabobs are broiled. Personally, I prefer metal skewers.
Peel and quarter the onions. Set the oven to broil. Skewer the kabobs alternating between lamb and onion sliced.
Place the lamb kabobs on the top rack of the oven. Ovens are different! Also, depending on your preference (well-done, medium, rare), the lamb cook times will vary. For my oven setup, the lamb is medium with a total cook time of about 10 minutes (2.5 minutes per side).
Set a timer for 1.5 minutes, and check the kabobs. Depending on your setup, the kabobs might need a little extra time per side (anywhere from 1.5 minutes to 3 minutes total). Rotate a quarter turn. Continue to broil each side (four sides total).
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 2 hours is needed to marinate the lamb; however, overnight is preferable.
- Use metal skewers (first preference) or thick wooden skewers soaked in water.
- Flip the kabobs! The only way to get the charred "grilling" effect from the oven broiler is to ensure 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.
📋 Recipe
Oven Broiled Lamb Kabobs
Ingredients
- 2 lbs 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
Instructions
Marinate the Lamb
- Squeeze the lemons. Mash the garlic. Mix the lemon juice, mashed garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Cut the lamb roast into lamb kabob chunks about 1" thick.
- Add the marinade to the lamb kabob chunks and coating each piece well. Cover with a plastic wrap and set in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours, or preferably overnight. Alternatively, marinate the lamb in a gallon plastic storage bag.
Skewer The Meat
- If using wooden bamboo skewers, soak the skewers for 10 minutes so they don't burn when broiling. Turn on the broiler while skewering the lamb chunks and onions.
- Peel and quarter an onion. Separate the onion pieces. Skewer the marinated lamb chunks and onion petals alternating lamb and onion.
- Place the skewers on a broiling pan.
Broil the Lamb Kabobs
- Place the broiler pan with the lamb kabobs in the top rack of the oven.
- Set a timer for 1.5 minutes to check on the progress. Each side may need anywhere from 1.5 minutes to 3 minutes. Ovens are different and cook times vary. Monitor the lamb kabobs carefully.
- Pull the lamb kabobs out of the oven and turn the kabobs a quarter turn in the same direction. Repeat for a total of four sides.
Notes
- I bought my boneless lamb shoulder roast from Costco. The entire roast weighed 4.5 lbs, but I used 2 lbs for this recipe.
- Storage: Once the lamb kabobs are cooked, store them 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.
- Use a broiling pan if possible- it's designed for high temperatures in the oven. Also, a two level broiling pan allows the drippings to drop below the meat. This ensures the meat doesn't steam in its juices, so the lamb chunks and vegetables can char.
- Shish kabob skewers: Use metal skewers preferably. If using wooden skewers, use thick diameter skewers and soak them in water for at least 10 minutes so they don't burn.
Loulou
12 minutes, or even 9, turns the kabobs into overcooked lumps. Terrible. Use another recipe, one that tells you how long to cook the kabobs so that they will be cooked to your taste. This ruins the meat.
Lily
Loulou, it pains me to know a recipe didn't turn out- overcooked lamb lumps sound AWFUL. I went back through the recipe and made notes to account for different oven set ups and desired doneness (medium, rare, well-done). With my oven setup, the lamb chunks are medium with a total cook time of about 10 minutes. American lamb has some guidance on lamb cook times as well.
Jen
I made these with a boneless lamb leg from Costco and turned out perfect… also used a metal skewer instead of wooden.
Lilian
Yummy way to make lamb shish kabobs!