There is a certain kind of late-autumn night where the wind drops, the sun sets early, and the only sensible thing to do is light a small fire, get the grill on, and feed everyone something a bit sticky and a bit charred. Honey-soy chicken skewers tick every box. The marinade does most of the work, the cook is fast, and they pack down to almost nothing in the Engel.
I have been making these for years on the back of the ute and they have never failed me — not for the kids, not for a group of mates rolling into camp late, not even for the in-laws on a cold Flinders night when I thought I was overselling them. Twenty-five minutes start to finish, and the kind of leftovers that taste even better cold the next day in a wrap.
What you need
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 1 kg boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 3–4 cm chunks
- 80 ml soy sauce (light, not dark)
- 3 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, finely grated or minced
- 1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger (or 1 tsp ground)
- 1 tsp sesame oil (optional but worth it)
- Juice of half a lime, plus extra wedges to serve
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds, to finish
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced, to finish
- Cracked black pepper
Gear
- 10–12 bamboo or metal skewers (soak bamboo in water for 30 minutes first)
- Cast iron grill grate set 8–10 cm above good red coals, or a portable gas BBQ on medium-high
- A lidded container or zip-lock bag for marinating
- Long-handled tongs
- Small enamel bowl plus basting brush (handy but not critical)
How to make it
- In a lidded container or zip-lock bag, mix the soy, honey, olive oil, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and lime juice until the honey dissolves. This is your marinade and your finishing glaze in one.
- Drop the chicken chunks in, seal, and give it a good shake. Marinate in the Engel for at least 30 minutes, ideally 2–4 hours. Overnight is fine if you mixed it before you left home.
- Get the fire down to glowing coals, or fire up the camp BBQ on medium-high. You want a steady, even heat — not raging flames. Set the grill grate 8–10 cm above the coals.
- Thread 5–6 chicken pieces onto each skewer, leaving a small gap between each piece so the heat gets in.
- Reserve about a third of the marinade in a small bowl before grilling — this becomes your glaze. Never reuse the raw-chicken marinade for brushing.
- Lay the skewers on the grill. Cook 3–4 minutes on the first side without touching them, until you see good colour and the edges start to caramelise.
- Turn the skewers and brush generously with the reserved glaze. Cook another 3–4 minutes.
- Turn once more, brush again, and cook a final 2 minutes. Total time on the heat is around 8–10 minutes. The chicken should be charred at the edges, the glaze should look sticky and lacquered, and the juices should run clear when you pierce a piece with the tongs.
- Pull the skewers off and rest on a board or warm plate for 2 minutes. Scatter with sesame seeds, spring onion and a crack of pepper.
- Serve with lime wedges, a pile of jasmine rice cooked on the camp stove, or stuffed into a warm tortilla with shredded slaw. A cold beer goes alright too.
Camp tips
- Prep at home for the lazy version: mix the marinade and pre-cut the chicken before you leave. Drop it all into a zip-lock and freeze flat — it will thaw in the Engel on the drive in and be perfectly marinated by the time you set up camp.
- Mix it up: thread some red capsicum chunks or pineapple between the chicken pieces for colour and a hit of sweetness. Both grill in roughly the same time.
- Bone-in works too: if you only have chicken drumsticks, skip the skewers and grill them whole. Add about 15 minutes to the cook time and turn every 5 minutes.
- Leftovers earn their keep: pull cold chicken off the skewers next morning, chop, and stuff into a wrap with slaw and a bit of mayo for a no-cook lunch on a long drive day.
- Wind matters: if it is blowing hard, build a small windbreak with a couple of stacked logs on the upwind side of your coals. Even gusts will char one side and undercook the other.
Make camp dinner easier
If you are sick of fishing around in a cluttered drawer for tongs every time you cook, take a look at how we set up our camp BBQ and grill kit storage — a proper bag keeps your grill, tongs, brush and skewers together and ready to go. Half the trick to good camp cooking is just having your gear where you can find it when the coals are hot.
