Hawaiian Chicken Pineapple Kabobs
These Hawaiian Chicken Pineapple Kabobs are a fun and flavorful summer favorite, loaded with juicy marinated chicken, sweet pineapple, and colorful veggies all grilled to perfection. They’re easy to make, totally customizable, and guaranteed to be the star of your next backyard cookout!
Pineapple Chicken Kabobs
If you’ve been around here for a while, you already know that kabobs are a serious staple in our house! Steak, pork, chicken, and shrimp are our go-to proteins so far – and every single one has been absolutely delicious. But this Hawaiian version might just be our new favorite (spoken by a true food blogger)!
Grilling is one of our favorite weekend activities when the weather cooperates, and honestly it doesn’t take much of an occasion! Whether we’re gathering on the deck with friends, hosting family, or just enjoying a quiet evening as empty nesters, there is nothing better than firing up the grill and making something delicious together.
Why This Recipe Works:
- Bold and flavorful marinade – the combination of pineapple juice, soy sauce, fresh ginger, and garlic creates the most incredible sweet and savory flavor
- Sweet meets savory – juicy pineapple chunks caramelize beautifully on the grill alongside the tender marinated chicken
- Easy weeknight or weekend meal – simple to prep ahead and on the grill in minutes
- Colorful and festive – bell pepper and red onion make these kabobs as beautiful as they are delicious
- Served over rice – makes it a complete, satisfying meal the whole family will love
What You’ll Need:
- chicken breasts
- fresh pineapple
- red onion
- bell pepper – any combo of colors
- marinade – a simple combo of ketchup, pineapple juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, olive oil, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and seasonings
- rice to serve
How to make Hawaiian Chicken Pineapple Kabobs:
Step 1
Prep chicken. Slice chicken breasts into 1.5 inch cubes. Place in gallon sized freezer bag or airtight container.
Step 2
Make marinade. In a mixing bowl, combine ketchup, pineapple juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, olive oil, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, salt, and pepper.
Reserve 3/4 cup marinade in small bowl and set aside. Pour remaining marinade over cubed chicken breasts.
Step 3
Chill chicken. Place chicken in refrigerator for no more than two hours. If you marinate chicken in pineapple juice, it will start to change the texture of the chicken over time.
Step 4
Prep pineapple and veggies. Cube pineapple, onion, and bell peppers and store in refrigerator if prepped ahead of time.
Step 5
Prep kabobs. Add marinated chicken, pineapple, red onion, and bell pepper to skewers, rotating as you go.
Step 6
Grill kabobs. Light outdoor grill to 375 degrees. When hot, grill skewers until chicken is done, approximately 7-8 minutes per side.
Chicken is considered done when it registers 165 degrees F on a digital thermometer. We normally remove them at 160 degrees F allowing for a few degrees of carry-over cooking.
Step 7
Serve chicken kabobs. Serve over rice, and drizzle reserved marinade over the top for best results.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in your refrigerator for 3-4 days. I recommend that you store any leftover marinade in a separate container instead of in with the kabobs. Reheat rice and kabobs and drizzle leftover marinade then.
Recipe FAQs:
Chicken thighs are actually a great choice for kabobs because they’re a bit more forgiving on the grill and stay extra juicy. Just make sure to cube them into similar sizes for even cooking.
Fresh pineapple is always the best choice for grilling because it holds up better on the skewer and caramelizes beautifully. Canned pineapple works in a pinch – just make sure to drain it well first.
Both work great! If you’re using wooden skewers, make sure to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before grilling to prevent them from burning.
Yes, – zucchini, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, and baby potatoes (but precook the potatoes) all work beautifully and add even more color and flavor to the skewers.
Other Delicious Kabobs Recipes:
We love all the kabob recipes!
Kitchen Tools Used: (affiliate links)
- Global 7-inch Knife – Favorite kitchen knife.
- Kabob Skewers – Used to grill the steak kabobs.
- Stainless-Steel Grill Tongs 17-inch – Our go-to tongs for grilling all the things.
xoxo ~Sue
Hawaiian Chicken Pineapple Kabobs
Ingredients
- 2¼ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts – cubed
- 3-4 cups pineapple – cubed
- 1/2 large red onion – cubed
- 2 large bell peppers – any color, cubed
- rice – to serve
For the marinade:
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup pineapple juice
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger – minced
- 3 cloves garlic – minced
- salt and pepper – to taste
Instructions
- Prep chicken. Slice chicken breasts into 1.5 inch cubes. Place in gallon sized freezer bag or airtight container.2¼ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- Make marinade. In a mixing bowl, combine ketchup, pineapple juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, olive oil, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, salt, and pepper.Reserve 3/4 cup marinade in small bowl and set aside. Pour remaining marinade over cubed chicken breasts.1/3 cup ketchup, 1/3 cup pineapple juice, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, 3 cloves garlic, salt and pepper
- Chill chicken. Place chicken in refrigerator for no more than two hours. If you marinate chicken in pineapple juice, it will start to change the texture of the chicken over time.
- Prep pineapple and veggies. Cube pineapple, onion, and bell peppers and store in refrigerator.3-4 cups pineapple, 1/2 large red onion, 2 large bell peppers
- Prep kabobs. Add marinated chicken, pineapple, red onion, and bell pepper to skewers, rotating as you go.
- Grill kabobs. Light grill to 375 degrees. When hot, grill skewers until chicken is done, approximately 7-8 minutes per side.Chicken is considered done when it registers 165 degrees F on a digital thermometer. We normally remove them at 160 degrees F allowing for a few degrees of carry-over cooking.
- Serve chicken kabobs. Serve over rice, and drizzle reserved marinade for best results!rice
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in your refrigerator for 3-4 days. I recommend that you store any leftover marinade in a separate container instead of in with the kabobs. Reheat rice and kabobs and drizzle leftover marinade then.
- Using fresh pineapple is key to this recipe.
- Make sure you reserve some of the marinade for serving. So good!
The flavors in these kabobs were AMAZING!
Thank you!