Honey Chipotle Chicken Skewers
on Jun 12, 2023, Updated Jul 03, 2024
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Honey chipotle chicken skewers with pineapple are a must for summer grilling! Tender marinated pieces of sweet and spicy chicken are skewered with chunks of fresh juicy pineapple. Serve with a side of rice and enjoy this easy and flavorful meal.
If you love chicken skewers then you need to try these Greek lemon chicken skewers with tzatziki sauce!
Why you’ll love them
Sweet and spicy – These chicken and pineapple skewers are the perfect balance of sweet and spicy. The marinade has a kick of heat from the chipotle chiles, but is balanced out with the honey. It’s the same marinade that I used when I made these popular honey chipotle chicken rice bowls.
Meal prep – Chicken skewers are great if you meal prep because they hold up well for 4-5 days. I like to portion out one skewer with a serving of rice for a quick lunch or dinner. Add some healthy fat into the mix by throwing in diced avocado.
Summer grilling – No one wants to heat up the house in the middle of summer, so cooking dinner on the grill is ideal. Theses chicken skewers aka chicken kabobs are great for a weeknight dinner or serve them at your next barbecue.
The ingredients
- Chicken – I generally use chicken breasts when I make these or any of my chicken skewer recipes, however you can use boneless skinless chicken thighs if you prefer.
- Chipotle chiles in adobo sauce – smoky, spicy, and tangy.
- Lime – Fresh squeezed lime juice pairs perfectly with the chipotles and honey.
- Cilantro – Fresh and flavorful. Omit if you don’t like cilantro.
- Chili powder, cumin, garlic powder – The spice blend for the marinade. A classic combo in southwest and Mexican cooking.
- Honey – Used to sweeten the marinade and tame the heat of the chipotle chiles.
- Pineapple – If you can use fresh pineapple I like that best, however canned works too.
How to make honey chipotle chicken skewers
Marinate the chicken – Combine the ingredients for the chicken marinade in a bowl or measuring cup and whisk them together. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and add them to a resealable freezer bag along with the marinade and a little salt and pepper.
Seal the bag and massage the marinade into the chicken. Let it marinate in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours, but preferably no longer than that or the texture of the meat may change.
Assemble the skewers and grill – Thread the marinated chicken and cubes of pineapple onto skewers. You can either alternate the chicken and pineapple like I’ve done or keep the chicken and pineapple on separate skewers.
Preheat your grill to about 425° F. or medium-high heat. Clean the grill grates and oil them well so the chicken skewers don’t stick to them. Place the skewers on the grill and let them cook until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165° F.
Depending on the size of the pieces of chicken this will take approximately 10-12 minutes. Rotate the skewers about halfway through the cooking time .
What to serve with chicken skewers
My favorite thing to serve with chicken skewers is rice. White rice, brown rice, or cilantro lime rice like I made for these ground chicken taco bowls.
Other side dishes that would pair well with these chicken and pineapple skewers are, this strawberry watermelon feta salad, southwestern bean salad, black bean and corn salsa salad, or this tomato corn pasta salad.
Storage and reheating
The chipotle chicken skewers will keep for 4-5 days in the refrigerator. To reheat them, simply microwave for 30 second intervals until heated through.
The grilled chicken can also be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Let it defrost in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat before eating. I don’t recommend freezing the grilled pineapple because it will be much softer after being frozen and defrosted.
Chipotle chicken skewers FAQ
To ensure that the chicken is cooked through and that you don’t overcook it, I recommend using a meat thermometer. When the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165° F. the chicken skewers are done.
With recipes that use citrus, I prefer not to marinate the chicken overnight. The texture of the meat changes. I suggest keeping the marinating time between 1-2 hours.
If you plan to thread the chicken and pineapple on separate skewers you can assemble them a few hours ahead of time. If you plan to alternate chicken and pineapple on the same skewer like I’ve done I don’t recommend assembling ahead of time. The acid from the pineapple can affect the texture of the chicken.
More skewer recipes
Did you make these Honey Chipotle Chicken Skewers? I’d love if you’d leave a recipe rating and review below.
Honey Chipotle Chicken Skewers
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 1/2 – 2 inch chunks
- 1 pineapple cut into 1 1/2 – 2 inch chunks
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce + 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce finely chop the chipotle
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the oil, chipotle chile, adobo sauce, honey, lime juice, garlic powder, cumin, cilantro, salt and pepper.
- In a large freezer bag add the cubed chicken and the marinade, seal the bag removing all of the air, and massage the marinade into the chicken. Refrigerate the chicken in the marinade for an hour.
- Preheat the grill to 425° F. or medium-high heat. Thread the marinated chicken and pineapple onto skewers.
- Spray or oil the grill grates then place the skewers on the grill and cook for 5 minutes. Flip them over and grill another 4-5 minutes or until the chicken has an internal temperature of 165° F. Remove the skewers from the grill and serve with rice or a side dish of your choice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.