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Loaded with marinated chicken, veggies and pineapple, these Hawaiian chicken kebabs are the perfect meal to utilize the grill.
Ahh grilling season! Tis the time of year where the grill gets used weekly. There is nothing better than grilling and eating outside, just as long as it's not 100°F! And if you are wanting a healthy grilled meal, kebabs are a great choice, including these BBQ chicken kebabs.
While there are times I would love to have a gas grill just for the ease of it, I'm old school and use a charcoal grill. The flavor is just better! PS if you don't have a chimney starter it makes life so much easier for charcoal grills. You can buy one on Amazon for less than $15.
For our family, when we grill it's normally on the healthier side surprisingly and one of our go-tos is kebabs. While you have to chop some veggies up, kebabs really couldn't be easier and are super quick to cook. You just have to wait for a marinade most of the time.
And these kebabs have become one of our favorites. I found it on another blog a few years ago, called Cooking Classy and honestly I haven't changed much from it. I make them so much I even bought metal skewers that are just for kebabs.
To me the most important thing when making kebabs is making sure you get a good char on everything. Obviously you can go overboard and kill it by burning everything so you need to be careful. Once you try these Hawaiian chicken kebabs, it will become a household staple. Hope you enjoy!
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Recipe Ingredients
- Ketchup - the base of the marinade.
- Dark brown sugar - gives the marinade some sweetness.
- Low-sodium soy sauce - adds some saltiness to marinade.
- Pineapple juice - adds acidity and fruitiness.
- Olive oil - helps cook the chicken.
- Rice vinegar - has a mild, slightly sweet rice flavor.
- Sesame oil - adds a rich, nutty, toasty taste.
- Garlic and ginger - brings out some of the Asian flavors.
- Pineapple, green bell peppers, red onion - can't have kebabs without some fruit and veggies.
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts - can also use chicken thighs.
- Salt and black pepper - enhances the flavors.
How to Make Chicken Kebabs
- Make the chicken kebab marinade by mixing together the ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, pineapple juice, 2 tbsp olive oil, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic and ginger in a medium bowl. Stir in some salt and pepper if needed.
- Put chicken in a gallon size resealable bag or container and pour the chicken kebab marinade over chicken, keeping about 1/2 cup marinade for later. Make sure chicken is coated. Seal bag and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
- Cut up peppers onions and pineapple into 1 inch cubes/pieces.
- Preheat grill to 400°F. If using wooden skewers, soak 10 skewers in water for at least 10 minutes. (This prevents them from catching fire on grill) Drizzle 2 tbsp olive oil over pineapple, peppers and onion. Season with salt and pepper. Skewer chicken, pineapple, peppers and onion onto skewers until all chicken has been used. (You can be pretty random with how you put everything together but I like to have some fruit or veggies separate the chicken)
- Brush grill grates with olive oil before placing skews on grill. Grill skewers for 5 minutes, brushing each with some of the remaining marinade.
- Rotate to the opposite side and brush with marinade, while cooking for an additional 4-5 minutes. At this point the chicken should be done, with you also getting a char on the pineapple and veggies. (If you are concerned about doneness, put instant read thermometer into chicken. It should read 165°F) Remove from the grill and serve the Hawaiian chicken kebabs immediately.
What If I Don't Have a Grill?
Not a problem. You can use your broiler. Just heat broiler to high and line a baking sheet with foil. Line up the kebabs and broil for 10-15 minutes, turning every 5 minutes. Base with the marinade and the broil for 1-2 minutes per side to caramelize. You can also use a stove-top grill pan, but it can get smoky.
I Don't Like Peppers and Onions
If it's certain peppers and onions you don't like then just switch them out. For example, if you prefer sweet onions to red onions, that's no problem. And if you're just not a fan of vegetables, the kebabs can be entirely chicken. However the pineapple is important!
Sides to Serve with Kebabs
Grilled kebabs go with quite a few different sides. It just depends on what you are in the mood for. Some options include:
- Rice
- Coleslaw
- Macaroni salad
- Corn on the cob
- Grilled potatoes
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Cut the chicken, vegetables and pineapple all the same size - 1 inch chunks. You want it to cook evenly.
- Marinate the chicken for at least an hour so the flavor meld together.
- If using wooden skewers, make sure you soak the skewers in the water for 10 minutes so they don't burn when on the grill.
- Brush the Hawaiian kebabs with the leftover marinade when grilling. Make sure you rotate the skewers every 5 minutes or so. You want to get a char but not completely burn everything.
- You know the chicken is cooked when it reaches 165°F with an instant-read thermometer or if you cut into the chicken and the juices run clear and there is no pink. Honestly, I always just cut the chicken to see when it is done. If it isn’t just cook slightly longer.
- Leftovers will store well in the fridge for 2-3 days in an air-tight container or be frozen for 3 months.
Other Grill Recipes
If you’ve tried these Hawaiian chicken kebabs or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Hawaiian Chicken Kebabs
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 cup pineapple juice (can use juice from canned pineapple)
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
- 2 lbs boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1" cubes
- 3 cups fresh pineapple, cut into 1" cubes
- 2 green bell peppers, cut into 1" pieces
- 1 red onion, cut into 1" pieces
- salt + black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix together the ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, pineapple juice, 2 tbsp olive oil, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic and ginger. Stir in some salt and pepper if needed. Put chicken in a gallon size resealable bag and pour marinade over chicken, keeping about 1/2 cup marinade for later. Make sure chicken is coated. Seal bag and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
- Preheat grill to 400°F. If using wooden skewers, soak 10 skewers in water for at least 10 minutes. (This prevents them from catching fire on grill) Drizzle 2 tbsp olive oil over pineapple, peppers and onion. Season with salt and pepper.
- Skewer chicken, pineapple, peppers and onion onto skewers until all chicken has been used. (You can be pretty random with how you put everything together but I like to have some fruit or veggies separate the chicken)
- Brush grill grates with olive oil before placing skews on grill. Grill skewers for 5 minutes, brushing each with some of the remaining marinade. Rotate to the opposite side and brush with marinade, while cooking for an additional 4-5 minutes. At this point the chicken should be done, with you also getting a char on the pineapple and veggies. (If you are concerned about doneness, put instant read thermometer into chicken. It should read 165°F) Remove from the grill and serve immediately.
Notes
- Cut the chicken, vegetables and pineapple all the same size - 1 inch chunks. You want it to cook evenly.
- Marinate the chicken for at least an hour so the flavor meld together.
- If using wooden skewers, make sure you soak the skewers in the water for 10 minutes so they don't burn when on the grill.
- Brush the Hawaiian kebabs with the leftover marinade when grilling. Make sure you rotate the skewers every 5 minutes or so. You want to get a char but not completely burn everything.
- You know the chicken is cooked when it reaches 165°F with an instant-read thermometer or if you cut into the chicken and the juices run clear and there is no pink. Honestly, I always just cut the chicken to see when it is done. If it isn’t just cook slightly longer.
- Leftovers will store well in the fridge for 2-3 days in an air-tight container or be frozen for 3 months.
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