Pineapple Chicken Kabobs with Cilantro Lime Slaw
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read the full disclosure here.
Tender chicken is marinated in a sweet and tangy pineapple sauce, then grilled to perfection on skewers alongside colorful bell peppers, zucchini, squash, and juicy pineapple. Served with a refreshing cilantro lime slaw tossed in a zesty lime dressing with fresh cilantro.
Do you love to grill?  We do!  I wish we could grill all year round but because of the heavy amount of snow and ice we get we often don’t get to grill in the winter. It’s too cold, we can’t keep the grill outside, and it just isn’t practical in our climate.
One of the things I love best about grilled food is that it has a great flavor and it’s pretty healthy too.  I also like how easy the clean up is with grilling!
We cook a lot of different foods on the grill. One of our favorites are Grilled Chicken Wings because they get crispy and are less fatty than frying them. We also have Grilled Steak Fajitas often in the summer. For vegetables we really enjoy grilling our corn or making Grilled Greek Asparagus.
I decided to do a marinade with pineapple juice in it. I used pineapple juice, soy sauce, honey, and Sriracha so it made a sweet and spicy marinade with a bit of umami flavor to it.
As for the actual skewers, I wanted to use chicken and pineapple. I then added bell peppers, onions, and zucchini as well.
Can I use other vegetables?
Yes!  Use your favorite combination of vegetables that can be grilled.  Other good vegetables would be mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, squash, or even chunks of corn on the cob.
Instead of just serving it over top of rice like I normally do, I added a slaw for extra flavor.  This cilantro lime slaw is bright, fresh, and flavorful.
Ingredients:
- pineapple juice (you can use the juice from the can of pineapple or actual pineapple juice)
- rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
- Sriracha (use as much or as little as you would like for some heat)
- honey
- soy sauce
- garlic cloves
- chicken breasts (you could use thighs as well)
- bell peppers (using more than one color brightens up the dish)
- onion (I prefer sweet onions but you can use red onions as well(
- zucchini
- pineapple (either fresh pineapple or canned pineapple chunks)
To make the marinade combine the pineapple juice, vinegar, Sriracha, honey, soy sauce, and garlic. Pour over top of chicken pieces in a freezer bag and place in the refrigerator for 2-6 hours.
Heat a gas grill. Skewer the chicken, pineapple, bell pepper pieces, onions, and zucchini.  Cook on the grill for 8-10 minutes, turning the skewers occasionally, until the temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees.
Can I cook these in the oven?
You can!  The original recipe calls for the skewers to be broiler 6 inches from the heat source for 5 minutes per side.  Place the kabobs on a foil lined baking sheet before cooking.
We served the kabobs over top of rice with a side of the cilantro lime slaw.  The marinade was really tasty on the chicken and had a sweet, slightly spicy, and slightly Asian flare to it.
Do I have to make the slaw?
No, if you want to just serve the kabobs over rice go for it. The slaw adds a bright, fresh flavor which pairs well with the grilled veggies and chicken but you don’t have to have it.
The cilantro lime slaw was really good too.  I am not a huge fan of cole slaw so I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this slaw but I really liked it.  Since there isn’t much mayonnaise it isn’t too heavy and the lime adds a tartness while the cilantro adds a fresh flavor. It was really good.
How do you store the Kabobs?
Remove the chicken and vegetables from the skewers and store in an air tight container. Refrigerate for up to 4 days.  Heat before serving.
Pineapple Chicken Kebabs with Cilantro Lime Slaw
Equipment
- 1 gas grill
- 4 skewers
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup pineapple juice
- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 pound boneless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 bell peppers cut into 1 1/2 inch squares
- 1 onion cut into 2 inch pieces
- 1 zucchini cut in half then cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 c. pineapple cut into chunks
- 3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon lime juice
- 3 cups cabbage thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Combine the pineapple juice, vinegar, Sriracha, soy sauce, honey, and garlic in a bowl and mix well.
- Place the chicken pieces in a freezer bag or air tight container and dump the marinade over top of it. Refrigerate for 2-6 hours.
- Preheat a gas grill to medium heat.
- Sprinkle the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Skewer four skewers with chicken, peppers, zucchini, onions, and pineapple, alternating them as you put them on.
- Place the skewers on the grill and cook for 10 minutes, turning the skewers occasionally, until the chicken is 165 degrees.
- In a large bowl combine vinegar, mayonnaise, and lime juice. Whisk until smooth then add the cabbage and cilantro. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Serve kebabs with slaw.
Notes
