These Pineapple Chicken Kebobs are made with a pineapple marinade, and the kabobs are brushed with a spicy pineapple glaze during grilling!
Chicken Hawaiian kabobs are the perfect summer dinner choice. You can assemble them earlier in the day and then cook them when dinner time rolls around!
What You’ll Find In This Post
Why We Love This Recipe
Summer and grilling go hand in hand. I love it when I’m driving in the car with the windows down or taking a walk, and I can smell someone cooking dinner on the grill. We aren’t one of those families that use our grill all year long. It is too cold here in Minnesota in the winter here to stand outside grilling! So when summer arrives, we pull out the grill and use it as much as we can.
These Hawaiian chicken kebobs were filled with tender pieces of chicken between juicy pineapple chunks, sweet bell peppers, and flavorful onions. The chicken is marinated before grilling, and the kabobs are brushed with a pineapple chicken glaze while they are cooking on the grill. It’s such a great combination of flavors!
Ingredients Needed For Pineapple Chicken Kebobs
The ingredients needed for this chicken & pineapple kabobs recipe are broken into three parts: kabobs, marinade, and glaze. Each of the steps includes pineapple in some way for the best flavor!
Pineapple Chicken Kabobs Ingredients
- Chicken: Two boneless, skinless chicken breasts are enough to make six pineapple chicken skewers.
- Peppers: Tri-colored mini sweet peppers add color to the kebobs! You can also use full-sized bell peppers.
- Onion: We used a red onion for the added color, but white onions would work too.
- Pineapple: We use canned, diced pineapple for this recipe since it also includes pineapple juice, which is part of the marinade and the glaze. You can use fresh pineapple but remember to buy pineapple juice too.
Pineapple Chicken Marinade Ingredients
- Pineapple Juice: We used pineapple juice as an acid in the marinade, and it also adds flavor.
- Honey: For a sweetener, we used honey, but you could also use brown sugar.
- Soy Sauce: The soy sauce adds flavor and helps tenderize the chicken.
- Olive Oil: This marinade recipe calls for olive oil as the fat, but you could also use canola or vegetable oil.
- Vinegar: We added distilled white vinegar as an additional acid and for flavor.
- Sesame Oil: You only need a little sesame oil to add a lot of flavor!
- Garlic: We used two cloves of minced garlic. You can use 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder if you prefer.
- Ginger: This marinade uses two teaspoons of fresh, minced ginger. You can substitute fresh ginger with 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger.
Pineapple Chicken Glaze Ingredients
The pineapple chicken glaze is a combination of more pineapple juice for flavor and tartness, honey for sweetness, olive oil to help spread the glaze, sriracha sauce for the heat, and soy sauce for flavor.
How To Make Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs
Start by making the pineapple chicken marinade. Whisk together the pineapple juice, honey, soy sauce, olive oil, vinegar, sesame oil, minced garlic, and minced ginger. Then, set the marinade aside.
Cut the boneless, skinless chicken breasts into cubes and place them in a gallon-sized ziptop bag. Pour the marinade over the cubed chicken, seal the bag, and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
While the chicken is marinating, make the Hawaiian chicken glaze. Whisk together the pineapple juice, honey, sriracha sauce, olive oil, and soy sauce. Set the mixture aside for later.
Once the chicken has finished marinating, transfer the chicken to a bowl and discard the marinade. Thread the chicken cubes, pineapple chunks, sweet pepper pieces, and onion slices onto six kabobs, alternating ingredients.
Tip: If you plan to use bamboo skewers, you need to soak them for 30 minutes before using them.
Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Lightly oil the grill grates and then place the kabobs on the grill. Brush them with the pineapple glaze.
Cook the pineapple chicken kebobs over medium-high heat, turning and brushing them with the pineapple glaze often until the last five minutes of cooking time. Discard any remaining glaze. Grill the kabobs for 12-15 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165˚F.
Remove the chicken pineapple kabobs from the grill and serve immediately. The combination of the sweet pineapple and honey with the spicy sriracha sauce is fantastic!
Other Ways To Make Chicken Pineapple Kabobs
Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Kabobs
You can add barbecue sauce to this recipe to make Hawaiian BBQ chicken kabobs!
- Marinate the chicken and assemble the kabobs as directed in the recipe.
- Add 1/2 cup of sweet barbecue sauce to the other ingredients when you make the pineapple chicken glaze.
- Baste the kabobs with the BBQ glaze while cooking them on the grill.
Chicken Kabobs In The Oven
Another option is to make these chicken kabobs in the oven. This is perfect for the winter months or for when a grill isn’t available.
- Marinate the chicken and make the pineapple glaze.
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F, assemble the kabobs, and place them on a rimmed baking sheet lined with heavy-duty foil.
- Bake the pineapple chicken kabobs for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked and the veggies are tender. Turn kabobs occasionally and baste them with the pineapple glaze until the final five minutes of cooking time.
- You can put them under the broiler for a couple of minutes to get a more charred finish.
Make Ahead and Leftovers
- Make Ahead Of Time: You can assemble the kabobs up to three hours ahead of time and store them in the fridge until you are ready to grill them!
- Leftovers: If you have any leftover pineapple chicken kabobs, slide the chicken and veggies off the skewers into a container. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to three months.
- Reheating: You can reheat leftovers in the oven on a rimmed baking sheet for 15-20 minutes at 350˚F, in a skillet over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes, or in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. If your leftovers are frozen, thaw them in the fridge overnight or add additional time while reheating them.
What Others Want To Know
All of them are correct! Different countries use different spellings. They all refer to broiled or grilled meat and vegetables on skewers.
We prefer boneless skinless chicken breasts. You can also use chicken thighs if you want more fat in your meat.
You should marinate it for a minimum of 15 minutes, and 30 minutes is preferable. But you can marinate it for up to two hours.
What To Serve With Pineapple Chicken Kebobs
Once the Hawaiian chicken kabobs have finished cooking, they are ready to eat, but what should you enjoy them with? You can serve them over coconut rice, fried rice, cauliflower rice, or couscous. They are also delicious in pitas and naan flatbread.
Similar Recipes
Although we love grilled chicken kabobs with pineapple, we also make them with zucchini, asparagus, and mangos! Here are some of our other kabob recipes to try:
- Hawaiian Steak Kabobs are made with an island teriyaki sauce!
- Garlic and Herb Chicken Kabobs include peppers, onions, zucchini, and a garlic and herb chicken marinade.
- Mango Chicken Kabobs have a tropical flavor with a coconut milk marinade.
- Lemon Pepper Chicken Kabobs feature asparagus and new potatoes!
Pineapple Chicken Kabobs
Ingredients
Pineapple Chicken Kabobs
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 lb mini orange, red, and yellow peppers
- 1 onion
- 20 oz can pineapple chunks pineapple juice reserved
Pineapple Chicken Marinade
- ¼ cup pineapple juice
- 3 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
Pineapple Glaze
- ½ cup pineapple juice
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
Instructions
Pineapple Chicken Marinade
- Start by draining the juice from a 20-ounce can of pineapple chunks into a container with a spout. Put the pineapple chunks into a bowl and set them aside. Pour 1/4 cup of the pineapple juice into a bowl for the marinade and 1/2 cup into a separate bowl for the glaze.
- Mix together 1/4 cup of the pineapple juice, honey, soy sauce, olive oil, vinegar, sesame oil, minced garlic, and minced ginger.
- Cut each chicken breast into cubes and place them in a gallon-sized ziptop bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken, seal the bag, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Pineapple Glaze
- Whisk together 1/2 cup of pineapple juice, honey, sriracha sauce, olive oil, and soy sauce. Set aside for later.
Pineapple Chicken Kabobs
- Cut red, orange, and yellow peppers into chunks and place them in a bowl. Slice the red onion into chunks and place them in a second bowl. Transfer the chicken from the marinade to a bowl and discard the marinade.
- Thread the chicken, peppers, onions, and pineapple chunks onto six kabobs, alternating ingredients. Don't overcrowd the kebobs, and remember that bamboo skewers need to be soaked for 30 minutes before using them.
- Heat the grill to medium-high heat, lightly oil the grill grates, place the kabobs on the grill and brush them with the glaze. Baste the kabobs with the pineapple glaze often while cooking them until five minutes of cook time remains. Grill the kebobs for 12-15 minutes, turning them often, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165˚F and the veggies are tender.
Video
Maggie says
I think the flavor is good. I only marinated for 30 minutes and I didn’t like the texture of the chicken. Next time I would just do the grill sauce, mixing the chicken in some before putting n the skewers. Also, this would be so much better with fresh pineapple!
Jane Davidson | Typically Jane says
YUM! I can’t wait to make these, the boyfriend is going to love them!
Abby says
I found and made this recipe a while ago and it has become my go to recipe! I recommend it to everyone and during the summer we make it at least once a week! I serve mine up with couscous and reserve some of the glaze to drizzle over the plate. Yum! Thanks for such a great one!
Tonia says
Awesome! It’s still a favorite of our too!
Brigitte says
Made these Kababs on the weekend, and they were to DIE for! 100% adding to the rotation! I even had all the ingredients on hand miraculously! As I had fresh pineapple, I didn’t have the juice to work with so I tossed a couple rings of pineapple into a blend/food processor to produce more of a pulpy frothy juice which thickened the sauces so nicely. Used fresh ginger paste. Will make again and again. Thank you!
Tonia says
Yay! I need to make these again soon. I love kabobs!
Sarah says
Those are gorgeous and look quite tasty! Did you use rice vinegar for the vinegar?
Tonia says
Thanks Sarah! I used distilled white vinegar. Enjoy! ~Tonia
Kari says
I know this may sound like a dumb question but I want to make sure first. Do you use fresh or dry ginger?
Tonia says
Hi Kari,
I used the dry/powdered ginger, but you can use fresh ginger as well! Best of luck!
~Tonia
Kari says
Thanks I did use dry because after thinking that measurement had to be dry but I wanted to make sure. My husband and I loved this recipe. Thanks for sharing be the way I found it on Pinterest!
Anne says
I made this last night and it was a big hit. Although, I forgot to add the ginger to the marinade and only had an hour to marinate it but it wasn’t missed. I also used thigh meat, which can be a little more work but pays off in that it doesn’t dry out as quickly. I also wouldn’t call this “spicy” but it had a great flavor. I too doubled the grilling sauce so we’d have some to add on our plates later.
For a side, I made this lime and cilantro rice and it was perfect with the kabobs: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Lime-Cilantro-Rice/Detail.aspx
Jaimee says
I made these last night, and added mushrooms. Really good!
I only found small cans of pineapple chunks at the store, and bought 2, but I was 1/4C short on pineapple juice for the basting sauce. I subbed 1/4C margarita mix and a little brown sugar (maybe 1.5tsp). It turned out good! My only regret is not having the extra pineapple juice to then continue and double the sauce recipe, as I felt it would have benefited from some extra sauce when serving.
I served these with a side of jasmine rice, with a little soy sauce on my own serving of rice, and it hit the spot!
Tonia says
Fantastic! I am planning to make it again this week. ~Tonia
Amber says
Oh my gosh. I made these tonight for dinner and everyone devoured them. I am just a teenager, so I have more time to cook in the summer, and this is a time I will remember. The grilling sauce was phenomenal!! I will have to double the recipe next time I make this. Thank you for sharing!
Kate says
Any idea how to do these inside? Our grill is out of commission right now. 🙁
Kate says
I made these last night and they were SO good! They didn’t even require a side, they were so satisfying on their own! Will definitely be making again! Though I made the marinade, then went to pour it into a freezer bag only to realize it wasn’t a freezer bag, but a produce bag, full of tiny holes to aerate, so ended up with a counter and floor full of the marinade on my first go! 😉 Haha, quite a mess. But still worth it!
Mary Smith says
Tonia, This looks delicious! Can t Wait to try this recipe this weekend.
Jerry says
Looks great ! I’m making it for dinner tonight. ..but using the oven and doubled the sauce .We are a family of sauces and love lots of it ..should be great over rice. .
Agnes says
I have a question – can you taste honey in the dish? The kabobs look so good but I hate honey…
Tonia says
I don’t remember tasting the honey, but since I like honey, I probably wouldn’t have noticed. I would suggest sweetening it with brown sugar or granulated sugar instead.
Angela {Mind Over Batter} says
I’m going to miss grilling season. These kabobs look fantastic!
Tonia says
Me too! Thanks Angela!
Shye says
These were delicious!! Thank you so much for the recipe! Five stars for sure!!!
Gael says
I made these for dinner last night and they were delish! I used two pounds of chicken, and there was enough marinade, and lots of colorful peppers and red onion. I also added in a jalapeño ring on each kabob since my family likes the spice. With that much chicken, I should of upped the basting sauce, but I had just enough to get by. Next time I’ll make a little more of that. I served them with a brown rice mix. Thanks for a great recipe!
Tonia says
Fantastic! Thanks for stopping back to let me know you enjoyed it.
Kristen Duke says
I love when it warms up and it’s grilling time! These kabobs look so yummy!
Nancy P.@thebittersideofsweet says
I absolutely love grilling season! These look pretty amazing!!!
Rhonda says
I am going to have to try these. They look so good. I usually try to buy gold n plump chicken.
Tonia says
Thanks Rhonda! We have chicken a couple of times a week!