BBQ Chicken Pineapple Skewers
These easy BBQ chicken pineapple skewers are fantastic! Moist, flavorful chicken pieces next to the sweet, juicy pineapple make it the perfect summer meal.
Not only are these tasty little BBQ chicken pineapple skewers perfect for a summer holiday cookout, but they are excellent (and easy enough) for a refreshing weeknight dinner. My family goes crazy for them!
A Simple Marinade
The secret to these easy BBQ skewers is the marinade. It is zesty and flavorful!
- ketchup
- honey
- vinegar
- worcestershire sauce
- garlic
- paprika + chili powder + salt + pepper
The frozen cubes in the bowl of marinade below is frozen garlic (courtesy of Trader Joe’s – one of my favorite things to buy there and gives all the fresh garlic flavor without any fuss).
Marinade the chicken pieces for at least two hours but up to 24 hours.
Chicken Breasts vs Chicken Thighs
For these skewers, I definitely think chicken thighs are just a touch better, but I’ve made them with both cuts of meat, and you can’t go wrong with either.
If using chicken breasts, take care not to over cook the skewers. The small pieces of meat will cook pretty quickly!
One of the great advantages to using chicken thighs is that they they don’t dry out like chicken breasts (unless vastly overcooked). Don’t be that person. 😉
To be honest, while I can appreciate that many people consider thighs to be the superior cut of chicken to use, and I also enjoy the flavor and juiciness, I only use them occasionally because I don’t love the fat-trimming process. Even pre-trimmed chicken thighs get an extra trimming in my kitchen.
Whichever cut of chicken you choose, the results will be spectacular if you keep an eye on the cooking time!
Grilling/Cooking Options
I exclusively use a pellet smoker/grill for all my grilling. For this recipe, I cook the skewers at 375 degrees F for a few minutes on each side.
A regular propane or charcoal grill will work just fine, too.
If you don’t have a grill, try broiling the skewers on a foil-lined and greased baking sheet for 3 to 4 minutes per side (watch closely).
I think the chicken, pineapple, pepper and onion pieces could also get tossed into an air fryer (sans the skewer) and cooked that way, too. It’s a very forgiving recipe!
There are few things I love in this life more than grilled pineapple, and while the flavorful, tender chicken is very, very good, it’s the juicy, caramelized pineapple that really gets me.
To be sure, the entire combination of zesty BBQ flavors, sweet/juicy pineapple, and crisp-tender veggies is an absolute winner.
We love these skewers and make them all the time. They are way too good to relegate to holiday BBQ’s and cookouts only!
What to Serve With This
One Year Ago: Cheesy Zucchini Spaghetti Casserole
Two Years Ago: My Favorite Chicken Salad
Three Years Ago: Jalapeño Cheddar Turkey Burgers
Four Years Ago: Crazy Good Korean Beef Tacos with Quick Slaw and The Sauce to End All Sauces
Five Years Ago: Steak Fajitas with Chipotle Sour Cream
Six Years Ago: The Best Zucchini Muffins {Whole Grain}
Seven Years Ago: BBQ Chicken Salad Cilantro Lime Rice Bowls
Eight Years Ago: Skillet Turkey Meatballs with Lemon Rice
Nine Years Ago: Brookies {Brownie + Chocolate Chip Cookies}
Ten Years Ago: Brazilian Lemonade
BBQ Chicken Pineapple Skewers
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup (180 g) ketchup
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon garlic, finely minced (or 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder)
- ½ teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon coarse, kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ to 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 medium pineapple
- 2 medium bell peppers, any color
- 1 medium red onion
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the ketchup, honey, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, paprika, salt, chili powder and black pepper.
- Place chicken pieces in gallon-size resealable bag or shallow dish. Pour the marinade over the chicken and toss to coat evenly. Seal the bag or cover the dish and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours.
- Preheat a pellet grill or regular grill to medium/medium-high heat.
- Cut the pineapple, peppers and onions into 1 to 1/2-inch pieces.
- Thread the chicken, pineapple, peppers and onions onto skewers. The order doesn't necessarily matter, but I thread as follows: onion, pepper, pineapple chicken (repeated about 4 times for 12-inch skewers). If any of the chicken pieces are really long, fold them in half before threading onto the skewer.
- Grill the skewers, flipping once, until the chicken is cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes per side for chicken breasts and 6 to 7 minutes per side for chicken thighs. Serve immediately.
Great weekend night dinner. Our family of four ate it all. Next time I’ll double for lunch leftovers.
These tasted delicious! Everyone in my family enjoyed them, thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Julie!! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I made this recipe using pork tenderloin (cut into chunks) instead of chicken. Really good recipe!
That’s awesome the recipe converted so well to pork!
This was delicious! Will definitely keep this meal in rotation for the rest of the summer. The marinade was one of the best I’ve tried and will use it on anything going on the grill from now on. Thanks Mel!
Love hearing that – thanks, Natalie!
This was such a yummy combination of flavors! I doubled the recipe for 4 grown-ups and 6 kids and everyone loved it. I made it with chicken breasts and it was tender and delicious! Hooray for a dinner win! This is the first time I’ve made BBQ skewers and as I was cutting the chicken, I started worrying if I was cutting the pieces the right size, and then I heard Mel’s voice saying, “Don’t stress.” I took a deep breath and reminded myself I can do this and it will be delicious. And it was! Thanks for being a positive, encouraging voice in this world, Mel!
I don’t know if I should be honored or worried for you that you are hearing my voice in your head. Haha. I DO feel as if my long lost talent is giving advice (my kids are not thrilled about this self-proclaimed gift) and you are right, I would have been saying “don’t stress” if I was sitting at your counter. So happy they worked out!
These are SO good! I honestly don’t think I’ve ever made kabobs in the 20 years I’ve been cooking for my family, and I’m so glad I did. They’ve always seemed time consuming, but these weren’t too difficult at all, and they were so worth it. Delicious! Everyone loved them.
Yay, Molly! So happy these first-time kabob/skewers/whatever you want to call them were a hit!
This was absolutely delicious and the whole family agreed. For some reason the thought of pairing chicken and ketchup freaks me out but I took a leap of faith because it is a Mel recipe. So glad I did.
Haha, I’m glad you took the plunge and tried it, Elena (and that it didn’t fail you!).
Deliciousness! The marinade was perfect. And one can never go wrong with grilled pineapple.
Amen to that. Grilled pineapple is the best, best, best.
Excellent flavor & chicken was SO moist! I did mine on a Blackstone grill & covered the skewers with a stainless pan while I used the leftover marinated chicken pieces & veggies with some steamed rice & made a great Fried Rice with that wonderful marinade instead of soy sauce. Great meal all on one grill at the same time! Yum!
Thanks, Barbara!
I did not follow this recipe whatsoever, so I’m not rating it.
As I read it, I felt overwhelmed by the thought of trying to make chicken skewers today. My crew is heading to the UP of Michigan on a 5 day camping trip tomorrow, so my brain has a lot going on in the way of food planning and prep right now. After thinking about it for a little while, I was inspired to make this recipe into a “hash” using bbq chicken I had in my freezer. I diced 5 potatoes and chopped up an onion and put that in the oven while I diced pineapple, mushrooms and red pepper. I threw them over the potatoes and onion and let them all cook together. Since my chicken was already cooked, I diced it and tossed it on top to let it warm through for a few minutes. I served this with cubed watermelon and bacon. I love bacon with bbq chicken.
This was so delicious. For me, it was much more manageable than firing up the grill and threading food onto skewers. I think I will definitely do BBQ Chicken Hash again. And, I will probably try your actual recipe someday. When I do, I will definitely give it a rating.
I love that you were able to use this recipe as inspiration for a much more doable meal! Sounds delicious, especially for a camping trip!!
Excellent flavor and chicken was SO juicy! I did it on a Blackstone grill which I thought would be a challenge since mine doesn’t have a cover, but I put a stainless pan over the skewers & it worked perfectly!
I used the extra pieces of chicken & veggies and marinade and did fried rice on the other side of the grill while the skewers cooked. Meal was a hit!
Thanks for the report, Barbara!
A keeper
My husband loved this
I used chicken breasts and very moist
Fresh Pineapple was yummy
Thanks for letting me know that, Susan! Glad it was a hit!
What smoker grill do you have?
I have a Traeger.
Oh Mel. This is the recipe of the summer! I didn’t have pineapple so I subbed apricot and mango slices. Cooked on the grill flat top! Thank you so much!
Yum, Cathi! Those fruit substitutions sound delicious!
Yum!! Looks amazing! I’m going to make next time pineapple is on sale!
I can’t wait to try this one! We make a similar version already, but I want to try this sauce! We put the meat and veggies on separate skewers to make it more flexible for serving my vegan mom in law.
This looks yummy and I can’t wait to try it. Also love having another marinade recipe to use for grilled chicken. I really appreciate it when you say what temperature you set your grill at, as you did here. Thanks, Mel!