Memorial Day is all about celebrating with friends and family, enjoying great food, and honoring those who served. What better way to kick off the holiday than with a combination of smoky, savory grilled kabobs and a bright, berry-packed dessert?The Ranch Chicken Bacon Kabobs bring the perfect balance of creamy ranch, bold hot sauce, and crispy bacon—ideal for firing up the grill and serving with your favorite cookout sides. And to sweeten the celebration, the Berry Poke Cake is a refreshing, colorful treat that’s easy to make ahead and bursting with summertime flavor. Whether you’re hosting a backyard barbecue or attending a festive gathering, these dishes are guaranteed to be crowd-pleasers!

Ranch Chicken Bacon Kabobs

Courtesy of Butter With A Side Of Bread

40 min · 461 cals · 5 servings

Ingredients

•1 packet Ranch Dressing Mix

•0.33 cup Sour Cream

•Frank’s Red Hot Wing Sauce

•2 Boneless Chicken Breasts

•0.5 Red Onion

•12 slices Thick Cut Bacon

•Salt And Black Pepper

•5 Skewers

1. Make ranch dressing by mixing 1/3 cup of sour cream with the packet of dry Ranch mix.
2. Mix ranch dressing and Frank’s sauce. Add more than 2 tsp Frank’s sauce if you like things spicy!
3. Pour into a quart sized Ziploc bag. Add chicken pieces.
4. Marinate in the fridge for 2+ hours. I left mine overnight and it was incredible.
5. Microwave the bacon on a plate for about 1.5 minutes. With chicken pieces so small, I was worried the chicken would cook before the bacon and I didn’t want slimy bacon. It worked out beautifully.
6. Assemble your chicken kabobs, making sure that the bacon and chicken go next to each other. I threaded a piece of onion, then chicken, then a chunk of bacon, skewering the bacon folded in half if necessary. I ended up with 5 12″ long kabobs.
7. Preheat the grill and lay the kabobs out. If you close the grill, be sure you stay close by- bacon makes things sizzle and create flames. You don’t want to make charcoal out of these tasty kabobs.
8. Check the temp of the chicken if you have a meat thermometer. I like to take the kabobs off when the temp gets to 162°- 163° F. They will cook the final few degrees even off the grill. The chicken is tender and delicious and the bacon is crispy on out the outside and soft and flavorful in the middle

Berry Poke Cake

Easy, kid-friendly, and perfect for any gathering, this colorful berry poke cake is also a great make-ahead dessert. Adding vanilla pudding mix to heavy cream is an easy hack to stabilize the whipped cream.