Chunks of juicy chicken, fresh pineapple, bell pepper, and red onion are skewered and grilled in this easy recipe that’s equally perfect for weeknight dinners and pool parties. The Hawaiian chicken skewers are especially flavorful thanks to the soy and orange marinade.
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“THIS. WAS. DELICIOUS!!!! My 3 kids inhaled every piece of goodness … There wasn’t a speck of leftovers. My husband also REALLY liked this. I can see what we will be grilling all summer long.” -Felice, FoodieCrush reader
These Hawaiian Skewers Are Such a Time Saver on Busy Weeknights
Skewers and kebabs are some of my favorite things to grill. I love that they’re quick and versatile, and I love being able to easily grill fruit or veg along with my protein. I’ve got so many skewer recipes I love, like my pineapple shrimp kabobs, grilled Greek chicken kebabs, grilled caprese skewers, and garlic grilled shrimp skewers, to name a few.
These Hawaiian grilled chicken skewers come from food blogger Shawn’s Siphus’ (of the blog I Wash You Dry) cookbook, Express Lane Cooking. Much like Shawn’s cooking style, this recipe is simple, fuss-free, and to the point, which I love.
You only need 5 ingredients to make it: chicken, soy sauce, purple onions, bell pepper, and a jar of sweet orange marmalade, and these skewers are so full of sweet, fruity, savory flavor.
Enjoy!
The Key Ingredients
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Chicken — Shawn suggests using chicken thighs in her skewers, but I like using chicken breasts and they work just as easily here (use whichever you like, just make sure you cut your chicken into even chunks so they cook evenly on the grill).
- Chicken broth — A tip from Shawn is substituting pineapple juice for the chicken broth for an extra dose of Hawaiian flavor.
- Orange marmalade — You want the sweet stuff, not the bitter marmalade that makes your lips pucker.
- Soy sauce — Tenderizes the chicken and seasons it simultaneously.
- Seasonings — Shawn keeps things simple by using just ground ginger and garlic powder. You can swap in the fresh stuff, but minced garlic tends to burn on the grill.
- Veggies — I used red bell pepper and red onion, but you can thread zucchini, yellow squash, and other summer veg onto the skewers too.
- Fresh pineapple — Shawn’s recipe doesn’t call for pineapple, but I love the tangy, tropical flavor it lends to these skewers and the sweet contrast to the savory chicken.
How to Grill Chicken Skewers
- Marinate the chicken for at least 2 hours. Like all of the recipes that require a marinade, I use gallon freezer bags to marinade my meat in and never re-use the marinade after the chicken has been sitting in it.
- Assemble your skewers. Follow your heart when threading the chicken, pineapple, bell pepper, and onion onto the skewers. My key piece of advice is to really pack things on tightly because everything will shrink and move around as it grills.
- Ready, set, grill! Chicken skewers only need to cook over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes. Turn them periodically to ensure an even sear.
What to Serve on the Side
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Hawaiian Chicken Skewers
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons sweet orange marmalade
- 1 cup soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 purple onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ fresh pineapple, cut into 1-inch pieces
- Olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken. In a gallon freezer bag, add the chicken breasts. In a small bowl, mix the chicken broth, orange marmalade, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic powder. Pour into the freezer bag with the chicken. Marinate in the fridge for 2-4 hours.3 boneless skinless chicken breasts,, ½ cup chicken broth, 3 tablespoons sweet orange marmalade, 1 cup soy sauce, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Preheat your grill to medium-high heat. Scrape off any debris so nothing sticks.
- Assemble the skewers. Thread the chicken pieces onto the skewers, alternating with the onion, red bell pepper, and pineapple.1 purple onion,, 1 red bell pepper,, ½ fresh pineapple,
- Grill 8 – 10 minutes. Brush the grill lightly with olive oil and place the skewers on the grill. Cook turning occasionally until the chicken is cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.Olive oil
- Garnish and serve. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with rice or noodles if desired.1 tablespoon fresh cilantro,
Notes
Nutrition
More Grilled Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
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Deanna
This was amazing!! Just wondering if this meal could be prepped ahead of time and stored as a freezer meal? Between ALLLL of my activities, a pre prepped dinner from the freezer is always essential during the week!
Hayley
Thanks for commenting, Deanna–we’re so happy you enjoyed these! Yes, you can cook these and freeze them for up to two months.
Stacie
Just curious… Some of the pics don’t look like chicken… Did you make it more than once using a different meat? I’m curious if Pork would be a good chicken substitue for this?
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
Hi Stacie, You could definitely try this with different meats!
Larry
Oh those BBQs are delicious!
Lynn
This was fabulous! I had my BFF over for a girls float and lunch day and I impressed her with this dish!
My husband (who was not invited to the girls float day). Kept raving about it as well!
Felice
THIS. WAS. DELICIOUS!!!! My 3 kids inhaled every piece of goodness. One of my boys doesn’t really care for bell peppers and the other boy doesn’t really care for onions, but they said they tasted great grilled together with the chicken. I added mushrooms because I need as much filler as I can find for my growing boys. There wasn’t a speck of leftovers. My husband also REALLY liked this. I can see what we will be grilling all summer long. Would be great if we have company over for dinner.
Felice! So glad you all enjoyed it! Adding mushrooms is totally something I would do too.