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    TaraTeaspoon » Recipes » Chicken and Poultry

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    Tropical Chicken with Grilled Pineapple

    Published: Jun 9, 2023 · Updated: Jun 14, 2023 by Tara Teaspoon

    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe
    tropical chicken with grilled pineapple pin
    Tropical chicken
    Tropical chicken
    Tropical Grilled Pineapple Chicken
    Tropical Grilled Pineapple Chicken

    Tropical Grilled Pineapple Chicken is heaven from the BBQ! Make it for an easy dinner or cook it at the game or barbecue.


    Soy and ginger marinated tropical chicken with grilled pineapple on green cutting board
    Jump to:
    • Grilled Pineapple Chicken Ingredients
    • How To Make Grilled Pineapple Chicken
    • Tips For Making Grilled Chicken And Pineapple
    • Grilled Pineapple Chicken Frequently Asked Questions
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    I love grilled pineapple. It's pretty dreamy — the juicy, smokey flavor and the caramelized bits.

    It's so versatile as well, great for savory meals like this tropical chicken or sweet desserts like my Grilled Pineapple with Praline Caramel.

    This grilled tropical chicken and pineapple is so easy! It's great to pack up and cook when tailgating, make for a party, or even a simple weeknight dinner when you need to get out of a rut.

    A tropical chicken marinade using soy sauce and ginger makes this grilled pineapple chicken recipe extra delicious. It's the perfect tropical dinner idea that takes you right to the beach!

    Bonus: the chicken can be added to the marinade ahead of time, so you can prep the meal now and enjoy it later! That makes it nice for meal planning (Get my Meal Planning Starter Kit)

    Grilled Pineapple Chicken Ingredients

    This is an incredibly easy pineapple chicken recipe that requires few ingredients. You'll need bone-in, skin-on chicken as well as fresh pineapple.

    The marinade is made with soy sauce, garlic, fresh ginger, lemon juice, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes. It can be whisked together in just a few minutes!

    How To Make Grilled Pineapple Chicken

    The tropical chicken recipe is simple. I mince some garlic (try this garlic press!) and grate fresh ginger on a Microplane grater to get all the juice and pulp, then mix them with soy sauce, lemon juice, and brown sugar.

    I add some red pepper flakes for a little kick. It's really the best chicken marinade around!

    Let the chicken sit in the marinade for at least 3 hours, then throw on the grill and cook over medium heat for roughly 12 minutes.

    The pineapple gets sliced into rings and grilled alongside the chicken, but only for 3 minutes.

    Soy and ginger marinated grilled pineapple chicken on cutting board

    Should I Use Boneless Or Bone-In Chicken?

    Bone-in chicken is best here. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are one of the easiest ingredients to pull out of the freezer, season, and cook up for dinner. But sometimes those lean breasts are dry and get overcooked quickly on the grill.

    Unlike boneless breasts, the bone-in chicken won't dry out quickly. Legs, wings, thighs, and even breasts with the skin and bones actually come out really perfect on the grill.

    As the chicken cooks over the flame, the bones inside heat up and help cook the chicken evenly from the inside.

    Tips For Making Grilled Chicken And Pineapple

    • Grill the chicken over medium (not high) heat for the juiciest results.
    • You can buy your pineapple peeled and cored to save time. The slices cook quickly and are the perfect side to this tropical chicken.
    • Use skin-on chicken. The result is juicy chicken and flavorful, crisped skin. You can eat the skin or discard it and still have moist, tender chicken. The skin simply adds moisture and protects the lean meat from drying out over the hot coals.

    Grilled Pineapple Chicken Frequently Asked Questions

    Can this recipe be prepared in advance?

    Yes! Make the tropical chicken marinade ahead of time and add the chicken so it's ready to grill when you are!

    Or, throw the marinating chicken in the cooler and head to the game or backyard party. It needs time to soak up all the great flavors and you'll be ready to grill when you get there.

    How to make grilled chicken without drying it out?

    Be sure to use bone-in chicken breasts and thighs to prevent the chicken from drying out. The bones help to distribute the heat more evenly when cooking allowing moisture to remain in the meat.

    Also, buy skin-on chicken, the skin helps the meat retain moisture and is quite delicious too!

    Lastly, grill the chicken over medium heat, not high heat. This allow the chicken to cook slowly keeping it nice and juicy.

    Does grilling pineapple change the flavor?

    Grilling pineapple is incredible because the heat caramelizes the natural sugars in the the fruit and also infuses the pineapple with a smoky flavor. The final grilled pineapple has an amazing smoky and sweet flavor.

    More recipes like this:

    • Sweet Chili Pistachios Chicken Recipe
    • Flank Steak with Salsa Verde
    • Fattoush Chicken Salad

    Rate this recipe! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

    Scroll to the bottom of the page to rate and comment on this recipe. Leaving comments, questions, and ratings helps other too!

    📖 Recipe

    tropical chicken with grilled pineapple

    Tropical Grilled Pineapple Chicken

    Tara Teaspoon
    Tropical grilled pineapple chicken is heaven from the BBQ! Make it for an easy dinner or cook it at the game when tailgating.
    4.80 from 10 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Work Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 3 hours hrs 20 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Servings 4 servings

    Ingredients
      

    • 8 pieces bone-in, skin-on chicken ((breasts, legs, and thighs))
    • ½ cup soy sauce
    • 3 cloves minced garlic
    • 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
    • 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
    • 2 tablespoons canola oil
    • 1 peeled pineapple
    • 4 teaspoons granulated sugar

    Instructions
     

    • In a zip-top bag or a nonreactive bowl, combine soy sauce, garlic, grated ginger, lemon juice, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, and canola oil. Marinate chicken in the mixture in the fridge for 3 to 8 hours.
    • Heat grill to medium and discard marinade; grill chicken skin-side down over direct heat for 5 to 6 minutes. Turn and cook 6 to 8 minutes more until internal temperature of chicken is 170ºF on an instant read meat thermometer.
    • Slice pineapple into ½-inch rings and sprinkle each with ½ teaspoon sugar. Grill, turning once, until marked and just soft, about 3 minutes; serve alongside chicken. 

    Notes

    Make this ahead so the chicken has time to marinate. Then dinner is easy to throw together. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 243kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 5gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 1642mgPotassium: 364mgFiber: 4gSugar: 33gVitamin A: 430IUVitamin C: 112mgCalcium: 49mgIron: 2mg
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    Tara in kitchen making salad

    Tara Teaspoon

    I’ve been in food publishing for over 25 years, creating recipes & food-styling for magazines, books, television, food brands, & advertising. With two cookbooks under my belt and thousands of my recipes at your fingertips, I hope you'll be inspired to spend more time in the kitchen!

    More about Tara

    Recipe by Tara Teaspoon. Photography Peter Ardito. Food styling Cyd Raftus McDowell. Prop styling Paige Hicks. Originally published in LHJ 6/10. Updated June 2023.

    Comments

      4.80 from 10 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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    1. Bec says

      September 01, 2018 at 10:58 am

      I kid you not, grilled pineapple is the one food that I could eat every day for the rest of my life and not get tired of it!
      I'm so excited to have another recipe to make with it! Thanks, Tara!

      Reply
    2. Gina Kleinworth says

      September 04, 2018 at 9:05 am

      I swoon for grilled pineapple! So good!

      Reply
    3. Becky Tarala says

      September 04, 2018 at 10:35 am

      Some of my favorite flavors!

      Reply
    4. Rocky Mountain Woman says

      September 05, 2018 at 2:02 pm

      I'm all over anything that includes grilled pineapple!

      Reply
    5. Barbara Schieving says

      September 06, 2018 at 11:31 am

      My family loves grilled pineapple. I'll have to try this recipe!

      Reply
    6. Deb @ Cooking on the Front Burner says

      September 15, 2018 at 9:01 am

      I love this flavor combination!!

      Reply
    7. Mary Bench says

      May 06, 2019 at 10:49 pm

      These look amazing!!!

      Reply
    8. Tessa says

      July 10, 2019 at 11:24 am

      I'm loving this grilled pineapple! I love fresh recipe ideas that get me out of the plain dinner rut!

      Reply
      • Tara says

        July 12, 2019 at 10:06 am

        I'm so glad!

        Reply
    9. Kathy Hanley says

      July 21, 2023 at 3:17 pm

      I've made a similar recipe that used pineapple juice in the marinade but I love the thought of grilled pineapples! I can't wait to make this!

      Reply
    tropical chicken with grilled pineapple pin
    Tropical chicken
    Tropical chicken
    Tropical Grilled Pineapple Chicken
    Tropical Grilled Pineapple Chicken

    Hi, I'm Tara Teaspoon!

    I’ve been sharing my original ideas for years. What began as a passion, turned into a publishing career as Food Editor at Martha Stewart Living and Ladies’ Home Journal magazines.

    Now I write cookbooks, and share delicious recipes and expert cooking tips with you here! Thanks for stopping by Tara Teaspoon!

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