BBQ Chicken Pineapple Skewers – Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

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!

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BBQ Chicken Pineapple Skewers

Yield: 8 12-inch skewers

Prep Time: 45 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Marinating Time: 2 hours hrs

Total Time: 3 hours hrs

• 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

• 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.

Pineapple: depending on the size of the pineapple, you may have some leftover so take care to keep it uncontaminated during the threading process (with the raw chicken); the leftover fresh pineapple can be served alongside the grilled skewers, if desired. I haven’t tried this recipe with canned pineapple chunks but I’m guessing they should work ok if you don’t have fresh pineapple.
Veggies + Onions: the bell peppers and onions add great flavor (plus they are really delicious grilled), however, they can be left off, if desired. 
Chicken: the chicken marinade is really tasty and would also be delicious for whole grilled chicken breasts or thighs. 

Serving: 2 skewers, Calories: 388kcal, Carbohydrates: 50g, Protein: 39g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 109mg, Sodium: 824mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 37g

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