Hawaiian Chicken Pineapple Kabobs

This chicken pineapple kabobs recipe is the best of sweet and savory. Chicken is marinated in a Hawaiian BBQ sauce with pineapple and veggies on skewers and grilled to perfection. 

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Jump to:

• 📖Why My Recipe Works
• 🧾Ingredient Notes
• What kind of chicken should I use for chicken skewers?
• Vegetarian Hawaiian Kabobs
• ⏲️How to Make Chicken Pineapple Kabobs
• How to Make Chicken Kabobs in the Oven
• How do I keep my chicken kabobs moist?
• 👩🏻‍🍳 Expert Tips
• More Grilling Recipes
• 🌡️Storing Leftovers
• 📖 Recipe Card
• ⭐Reviews

These chicken kabobs with pineapple are a great alternative to typical grilled chicken skewers. Serve with chimichurri rice and or sticky sushi rice, garlic garden green beans, and a tall glass of blackberry lemonade for a summer BBQ that is out of this world. 

📖Why My Recipe Works

If you liked my lemongrass grilled pork recipe, then this recipe is going to be a big hit. What makes these pineapple chicken kabobs special is the homemade mariande and sauce that is inspired by the classic Hawaiian Huli Huli chicken. 

Huli Huli chicken is typically marinated in a sauce of pineapple, soy sauce, ketchup, and ginger and cooked over an open flame so I recommend grilling these kabobs but I provided oven directions as well. 

I typically make these Hawaiian chicken kabobs with green peppers and onion. But you can switch it up with red bell pepper, or go all out on the vegetable front with squash and zucchini. 

🧾Ingredient Notes

For this version, we chose to make the chicken marinade gluten and refined sugar-free. Plus a few substitutions to make it easier to throw together on a whim.

Fresh Pineapple- One small pineapple peeled and cored. I do not recommend using canned pineapple as it falls apart on the grill and often has extra sugar. Frozen pineapple can be used in a pinch but that is not my preference. I would skewer while frozen, no thawing.

Veggies- I used green bell peppers and red onion. Other options include any color of sweet bell peppers, white onions, zucchini, summer squash, and button mushrooms.

Huli Huli Sauce Ingredients

Soy Sauce- To keep this gluten-free we use tamari (gluten-free soy sauce) but you can use regular soy sauce if gluten is not a concern.

Tomato Paste- Ketchup is not a condiment we typically have on hand so I always have used tomato paste as a substitute.

If you want to use ketchup reduce the rice vinegar and the honey by 1 tablespoon.

Pineapple Juice or Orange Juice- To be honest, I rarely use canned pineapple juice. I typically use orange juice because I usually have juice or a fresh orange on hand.

The purpose of the juice is for the acid to tenderize this chicken. Because we have pineapple on the kabobs we get plenty of pineapple flavor. You can use either juice.

Honey- First off, we limit our intake of refined sugar so I started substituting honey. Now I am a convert. I think the honey has a more complex flavor. You can substitute an equal amount of brown sugar.

Rice Vinegar- The vinegar adds a sour note and a hint of tartness. If you do not have rice vinegar on hand try champagne, white wine, or red wine vinegar.

Aromatics- Fresh grated garlic and ginger. A lot of ginger. I do not recommend substituting dried powders.

Salt- I do not typically add salt because of the soy sauce. You can taste your marinade before pouring it over the chicken and add salt if you think it is needed.

What kind of chicken should I use for chicken skewers?

Most recipes for Huli Huli chicken are bone-in and skin-on and served with grilled pineapple. By combining the pineapple with the veggies onto the kabob skewers we are getting two dishes in one- a protein main and a veggie side.

You can use any boneless skinless cut of chicken for the kabobs. I typically use skinless chicken breasts, but tenders and skinless chicken thighs work as well. I always brine the chicken for the juiciest result.

Vegetarian Hawaiian Kabobs

Make vegetarian Hawaiian kabobs by substituting cremini mushroom caps for the chicken. Marinate the mushrooms for 30 to 60 minutes.

⏲️How to Make Chicken Pineapple Kabobs

Step 1: Marinade the Chicken Pieces

Hawaiian BBQ chicken needs to be marinated. Preferably overnight but for at least one hour.

To make the Huli Huli marinade you simply combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until combined.

Be sure to reserve a little bit of marinade for brushing on during grilling. The sauce can be kept in a separate container in the fridge for up to a week.

Step 2: Assemble the Kabobs

Cut the pineapple, bell pepper, and red onion into one-inch pieces. This recipe makes about 8 kabobs.

Alternate the veggies, chicken, and pineapple as you thread the pieces onto the skewer.

Step 3: Grill the Chicken Kabobs

Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Aim for about 400 degrees as you will lose a bit of heat when you put the kabobs on. You can use a gas or charcoal grill.

Place the chicken kabobs on the grill, turning the skewers every few minutes so that each side has grill marks. The kabobs are done when the chicken reaches 165 F degrees. This typically takes 12 to 15 minutes.

During the last few minutes of cooking brush on the reserved marinade. Allow to just barely caramelize. You do not want it to blacken.

How to Make Chicken Kabobs in the Oven

Preheat your oven to 375 F degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper, these kabobs get sticky!

Spread out your chicken kabobs and bake for 25-30 minutes until vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through, flipping every 7 minutes.

In the last few minutes of cooking brush on the reserved marinade. You can turn on the broiler for a few minutes at the end to caramelize the sauce.

How do I keep my chicken kabobs moist?

First start by cutting your chicken into even pieces for uniform cooking. Brine your chicken if you have time.

When using chicken thighs or tenders the pieces might not be thick enough causing the chicken to be done before the veggies. To prevent this from happening tightly fold the chicken pieces into a "C' shape and skewer.

Brushing on the reserved marinade will help keep the chicken juicy. 

👩🏻‍🍳 Expert Tips

Huli Huli chicken is typically marinated overnight but because we are using 1 in each piece of chicken the acidity of your juice can start to break down the meat. I think the sweet spot is about 2 hours but if you leave it overnight it will still be pretty tasty.

Tightly pack the ingredients on the skewers, you want the flavors to meld while grilling. This also helps with the stability of the kabob.

If you are using wooden skewers, soak them for at least 20 minutes to prevent them from going up in flames.

If you are using metal skewers let them cool before touching, the ends will be hot!

Turn the chicken kabobs every 2-3 minutes to ensure even cooking, nice grill marks, and caramelized sauce.

If you forget to reserve the chicken kabob marinade for brushing on your chicken kabobs you can take the excess marinade (after the skewers are assembled) and add ¼ cup of water. Bring to a boil in a small pan for at least 2 minutes, reduce to a ¼ cup.

Use an instant-read thermometer to ensure the chicken has reached 165 F degrees.

More Grilling Recipes

🌡️Storing Leftovers

First off, the marinated chicken can be stored in a Ziploc bag for up to two months in the freezer! Making this a meal prep dream come true.

Leftover chicken kabobs can be kept wrapped in foil (or stored in an airtight container) in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

I like to top a big bowl of mixed greens with my leftover chicken kabobs removed from the skewer (top it with a bit of our avocado dressing) or as part of a chicken poke bowl.

Hawiian chicken pineapple kabobs are the ultimate summer grilling recipe. Easy to double the recipe for a crowd or just make a couple of kabobs for yourself. Either way, enjoy!

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