Fire up the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill and tantalize your taste buds with these succulent Grilled Pineapple BBQ Chicken Skewers. Enjoy a delicious Summer BBQ appetizer that everyone will love!
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Locking the plate in place inside the brining bucket keeps every piece of chicken fully submerged in the pineapple-BBQ marinade, so nothing sits half-exposed and under-seasoned
- Straining the used marinade and simmering it down turns liquid that touched raw chicken into a safe, thickened glaze, rather than discarding it or reusing it raw
- Grilling the pineapple separately before dicing it lets the rounds pick up real char and grill marks, something diced pineapple tossed straight onto the skewers wouldn't develop
- Brushing the glaze on immediately after the chicken comes off the grill uses the residual heat to help it set onto the surface right away
Grilled Pineapple Barbecue Chicken Skewers
Tom Jackson
Rated 5.0 stars by 6 users
Category
Appetizer
Cuisine
American
Servings
12
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Calories
253
Chef Tom fires up the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill for these Grilled Pineapple BBQ Chicken Skewers, a perfect appetizer for a Summer barbecue!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lb chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
-
1 cup Smoke on Wheels KC Bootleg BBQ Sauce
- 1 cup pineapple juice
-
R butts R Smokin’ Honey Chipotle Rub
- 1 pineapple, sliced into 1/2” thick rounds, rind removed
Directions
- Slice the chicken thighs in half length-wise.
- Combine the Smoke on Wheels KC Bootleg BBQ Sauce and pineapple juice in a Briner Mini 4 quart brining bucket and whisk to combine. Add the chicken to the Briner Bucket. Lock the plate in place to keep the chicken submerged. Marinate refrigerated for 2 hours.
- Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 500°F set up for direct grilling with GrillGrate grilling panels in place over the fire box.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade. Thread onto flat bamboo skewers. Season with R butts R Smokin’ Honey Chipotle.
- Strain the marinade to remove any solids, and transfer the liquid to a cast iron skillet. Bring the marinade to a simmer and cook for a minimum of 5 minutes, and until you achieve a thickened consistency for glazing the chicken.
- Grill your pineapple rounds briefly to get some nice grill marks. Remove from the grill and set aside.
Grill the chicken, flipping to get grill marks on all sides. Remove from the grill when the internal temperature reaches 165°F-175°F in the deepest part of the thigh.
- While the chicken is cooking, dice the pineapple, discarding the cores of the rounds.
- Remove the chicken from the grill and immediately brush with the glaze on all sides.
- Serve the chicken skewers family style on a platter with the diced grilled pineapple sprinkled over the top.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why lock the plate in place inside the brining bucket?
Keeping the plate locked down holds every piece of chicken fully submerged in the pineapple-BBQ marinade for the full 2 hours, so nothing sits half-exposed above the liquid and ends up under-seasoned.
Why strain and simmer the leftover marinade instead of discarding it?
Straining out the solids and simmering the liquid for at least 5 minutes cooks off any risk from it having touched raw chicken, turning it into a safe, thickened glaze rather than wasting it or reusing it raw.
Why grill the pineapple separately before dicing it and adding it to the platter?
Grilling the rounds whole first lets them pick up real char and grill marks across a larger surface. Dicing raw pineapple and tossing it directly onto the skewers wouldn't develop that same caramelized flavor.
Why brush on the glaze immediately after the chicken comes off the grill?
Applying it right away lets the residual heat help the glaze set onto the chicken's surface, rather than brushing it onto meat that's already cooled and let the glaze sit as a thin, unset coating.
What internal temperature should the chicken thighs actually reach?
This recipe pulls them at 165-175°F in the deepest part, comfortably above the USDA minimum of 165°F for poultry no correction needed here.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
4 out of 5 a hot cast iron grill pan or broiler on the stovetop can char the pineapple and cook the chicken skewers; the outdoor grill mainly adds char flavor a stovetop setup can't fully match.
Recipe Highlights
Locked-plate submersion: Keeps every piece of chicken fully covered in marinade.
Simmered marinade glaze: Turns used marinade into a safe, thickened finishing sauce.
Whole-round pineapple grilling: Builds char before dicing, rather than after.
Immediate post-grill glazing: Uses residual heat to help the glaze set.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 8.12 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 253
- Carbs
- 18 grams
- Protein
- 28 grams
- Fat
- 7 grams
- Sodium
- 331 milligrams
