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Fire up the grill and makes these sweet & delicious Pineapple Chicken Kabobs for dinner. Chunks of marinated chicken, bell peppers, fresh pineapple, and red onion is all it takes. The simple marinade consists of bbq sauce, teriyaki sauce, and pineapple juice for the best flavor!
Marinated Chicken Kabobs Recipe with Fresh Pineapple
These easy to make chicken kabobs with fresh pineapple have a simple marinade, made with store-bought ready to use ingredients, that is so delicious! Teriyaki sauce + bbq sauce + pineapple juice is the perfect marinade for these kabobs.
The sweeter taste of teriyaki sauce and bbq sauce makes this a family-friendly recipe that everyone loves. For more like it be sure and try these Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs or these dinnertime favorite Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls.
This is a dinner that you can prep ahead of time by cutting up the bell peppers and onions (store in the fridge), and then letting the chicken marinate for up to 6 hours.
Ingredients Needed
- BBQ Sauce – Use your favorite kind! I love the Sweet Baby Ray’s but any brand will work just fine. You can also use a sweeter bbq sauce like honey or brown sugar, or use a spicier bbq sauce.
- Teriyaki Sauce – This is usually labeled as teriyaki sauce & marinade. Some are thicker and others are more sauce, any of them will work as it’s just for the marinade. You will find it by the other Asian ingredients like soy sauce.
- Pineapple Juice
- Garlic Cloves – Use fresh garlic cloves that have been minced or pressed, use garlic paste, or chopped garlic from a jar.
- Freshly Grated Ginger – For the best flavor use fresh ginger but you can also substitute with the ginger paste (which is found in the refrigerated area by the herbs in the produce section).
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts – You will need about 2-3 chicken breasts for this recipe. Anywhere from 1 pound to 1.5 pounds will work just fine.
- Fresh Pineapple Chunks – Most grocery stores have these pre-cut but you can also buy a pineapple and cut it into chunks.
- Red Onion – Cut into 1 inch pieces
- Green Bell Pepper – Cut into 1 inch pieces.
- Red Bell Pepper – Cut into 1 inch pieces.
How To Make Marinated Pineapple Chicken Kabobs (Step-by-Step Directions)
- Chicken Marinade : In a gallon size Ziploc bag, add the bbq sauce, teriyaki sauce, pineapple juice, garlic, and ginger. Add the chunks of chicken. Close the bag securely and then shake it, using your hands to really mix everything together, until the chicken is well coated. Place the bag in the fridge for at least 1 hour or up to 6 hours to marinate.
- Skewers : If using wooden skewers, be sure and soak them in water for 20 minutes prior to cooking. This prevents the wooden skewer from burning while grilling the chicken kabobs.
- Make The Kabobs : Arrange the chicken, onion, and bell peppers onto the skewers. Brush some of the remaining marinade (from the bag) over each kabob.
- Grill : Grill the skewers, about 375 degrees to 400 degrees, about 4-5 minutes per side or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F.
Recipe Tips
- Use Fresh Pineapple : Fresh pineapple tastes much better when grilled so I highly recommend using fresh. If you don’t want to mess with an entire pineapple, check the produce section at the store for the pre-cut packages of fresh pineapple.
- Make It Spicy : This recipe as is, is pretty mild with more sweeter tones to it. To spice it up try these options; add hot sauce, add chili powder or cayenne pepper into the marinade, or use a hot & spicy bbq sauce.
- Serving Suggestions : We love these pineapple chicken kabobs over some Coconut Rice (made easy in the rice cooker) and then with a drizzle of teriyaki sauce. There will be extra teriyaki sauce (from the bottle NOT the marinade) that is perfect for drizzling over the kabobs or rice for serving.
- Similar-Sized Cuts : When chopping the chicken breast, red onion, pineapple, and bell peppers make sure that they are all similar in size so everything will cook evenly and in about the same amount of time. If the chicken is in really large chunks, it needs a longer cook time, which could make the veggies overcooked.
Is It Best To Use Wooden Skewers or Metal Skewers?
You can use either wooden skewers or metal skewers when making kabobs. I prefer using metal skewers because I can wash them and they’re re-useable. If using wooden skewer sticks, make sure to soak them in water (fully submerged) for 20 minutes. This prevents the wooden skewer stick from burning and charring during the grill time.
Chicken thighs can be used in this recipe but make sure to chunk them into bite-sized pieces. Chicken thighs may take longer to cook so watch them closely and check the temperate for doneness.
Can I Use Canned Pineapple Instead of Fresh Pineapple?
For the best taste and texture use fresh pineapple only. Canned pineapple is much softer which makes it hard to grill, and more than likely the canned pineapple will fall apart or break apart during the grill time.
If you don’t want to mess with an entire pineapple, try buying a package of pre-cut pineapple chunks or spears at the grocery store. If the pineapple are in spears you will want to cut them into chunks for the kabobs.
Use any combination of bell peppers that you want! If you want more bell peppers then try adding another color into the mix.
How Do I Grate Fresh Ginger?
Use a spoon or vegetable peeler to scrape or peel the hard, woody looking exterior off of the piece of ginger. Use a grater or citrus zester to grate the pale, white inside flesh of the ginger piece.
Or make it real simple and buy a tube of ginger paste, in the refrigerated section of the produce area, next to all the fresh herbs.
If you want to use ground ginger then only use 1 teaspoon of ground ginger in the recipe.
Any onion can be used in place of the red onion – try a sweet Vidalia onion, white onion, or yellow onion. Or omit the onion entirely and use something else in it’s place like another bell pepper or more pineapple.
Pineapple Chicken Kabobs
Ingredients
Chicken Kabob Marinade
- 1/2 cup bbq sauce
- 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice
- 4 cloves garlic (minced or pressed)
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (or use ginger paste)
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1-inch chunks)
Pineapple Chicken Kabobs
- 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
- 1 red onion (cut into 1-inch chunks)
- 1 green bell pepper (cut into 1-inch chunks)
- 1 red bell pepper (cut into 1-inch chunks)
Instructions
- In a gallon-sized Ziploc bag, add the bbq sauce, teriyaki sauce, pineapple juice, garlic, and ginger. Mix together with a whisk or spoon.1/2 cup bbq sauce, 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce, 1/4 cup pineapple juice, 4 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- Add the chicken chunks into the marinade bag.2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Close the bag securely while letting out the extra air. Shake and massage the bag with your hands to mix everything together and make sure the chicken is well coated. Place it in the fridge for at least 1 hour or up to 6 hours to marinate.
- TIP : If using wooden skewers, be sure and soak them in water for 20 minutes prior to assembling the kabobs.
- Preheat the grill (375 degrees to 400 degrees F). Use either an outdoor grill or a grill pan on the stove top. Brush the grill with oil if needed.
- Assemble the marinated chicken, pineapple chunks, red onion, and bell peppers onto the skewers.2 cups fresh pineapple chunks, 1 red onion, 1 green bell pepper, 1 red bell pepper
- Brush each kabob generously with some of the leftover marinade from the bag before cooking them. * Discard the remaining marinade and don't use on the finished/grilled kabobs. Only brush the kabobs with the marinade before grilling them.
- Cook the kabobs on the grill, about 4-5 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165℉.
- If wanted, brush some leftover teriyaki sauce onto the cooked kabobs before serving. We love these kabobs served with coconut rice and an extra drizzle of teriyaki sauce over top the rice and kabobs.
Notes
Nutrition
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