Sweet and Spicy Grilled Chicken and Pineapple Skewers will be your go-to dinner all summer long! Flavored with chili garlic sauce and sweetened with honey, these paleo and gluten-free chicken skewers are perfect for a protein packed, healthy dinner!
Thanks to my friends at Just BARE Chicken for sponsoring this post. As always all opinions are my own.
Summer is finally here! Although, it feels like summer started about a month ago. Once Memorial Day hits I have a hard time remembering that it’s still spring.
Hands down, summer is my favorite season here in Colorado. The weather in the morning and sometimes in the afternoon is perfect for running, hiking and biking. I’ve been taking full advantage this year and doing all of them. Of course, running is by far my favorite!
For many parts of the country, Colorado included, summer is racing season. All those cold training runs or bike rides in the winter and spring finally pay off. Training runs/rides are only part of what it takes to have a good race; nutrition is another big factor.
Healthy dinners like these Sweet and Spicy Chicken and Pineapple Skewers are a go-to for me when I have a long run the next day. They’re loaded with protein and when served over rice, it’s a perfectly balanced meal.
These Sweet and Spicy Chicken and Pineapple Skewers are made with one of my favorite brands of chicken, Just BARE Chicken. In the last few years, I’ve become rather particular about the meat I buy and consume. Just BARE is a brand that I trust and don’t have to think twice about buying or using in my cooking.
My preference is to buy organic chicken and the Just BARE Organic Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts are what I used for this recipe. The chicken is USDA Organic Certified and the taste is great!
Their chickens are raised on organic family farms and have access to the outdoors. Throughout their entire lives they are only fed 100% organic feed and are never given hormones or antibiotics at any point, which differs from antibiotic-free chicken.
The hand-trimmed chicken is packaged in transparent, recyclable plastic trays, offering a 360 view of the product so you can see exactly what you’re getting. Surprises are not something you want when you’re buying chicken.
Just BARE’s chicken is available at select retailers and if you can’t find it at a store near you, it’s also available through Amazon Fresh. I love how easy it’s become to get high quality, good tasting chicken!
Making the Sweet and Spicy Chicken and Pineapple Skewers is so easy, but plan ahead and make sure you allow the meat to marinate for at least 6 hours or overnight for the best results. The marinade is savory, spicy, sweet and a little smoky too. It pairs wonderfully with the sweet, fresh pineapple.
For an extra hit of flavor, I recommend adding lime juice and cilantro to your rice (or cauliflower rice if you’re following a paleo or low-carb diet). This is one of those dinners that I enjoy making for dinner on a weekly basis and I like it even more because of the leftovers I get to have for lunch the next day. Enjoy!
Sweet and Spicy Grilled Chicken and Pineapple Skewers
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (2 packages) Just BARE Organic Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons low sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar may also be used
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 lime, juiced (approx. 2 tablespoons)
- 3/4 teaspoon smoked Spanish sweet paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 small pineapple, cut into approx. 1 inch cubes
Instructions
1. Whisk together all of the ingredients minus the chicken and pineapple in a bowl. In a resealable freezer bag add in the cubed chicken and pour in the marinade, reserving 1/4 cup of it for brushing on the skewers while grilling. Massage the marinade into the chicken and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight if possible.
2. After the chicken has marinated, preheat the grill to approximately 400° F. Thread the chicken and pineapple onto metal or wooden skewers. (I alternated between 2 pieces of chicken and then a piece of pineapple).
3. Grill the skewers for approximately 3-4 minutes then flip them over and grill another 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Brush the remaining 1/4 cup of marinade over the skewers during the last 1-2 minutes of cooking.
4. Serve over rice or cauliflower rice topped with cilantro and lime wedges if desired.
Notes
The skewers are delicious with cilantro lime rice or cauliflower rice. After cooking mix in 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro and squeeze in the juice of 1/2 of a lime. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 390Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 154mgSodium: 669mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 1gSugar: 14gProtein: 57g
