Grilled Pineapple Chicken

4.80 from 10 votes

Grilled Pineapple Chicken

Tropical grilled pineapple chicken is heaven from the BBQ! Make it for an easy dinner or cook it at the game when tailgating. Use bone-in chicken or boneless, skinless chicken* for a super flavorful meal.

Prep Time25

Cook Time35

Marinating Time3

Total Time4

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bbq, grilling, pineapple, tropical chicken

Servings: servings

Calories: 161kcal

Author: Tara Teaspoon

Ingredients

½ cup soy sauce
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons canola oil plus more for grilling
8 to 10 pieces (4 pounds) bone-in, skin-on chicken* breasts, legs, and thighs
1 pineapple peeled
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
3 scallions white and green parts sliced

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. Add the chicken and marinate in the fridge for 2 to 3 hours.
Heat grill to medium and pour marinade into a saucepan. While chicken grills, bring the marinade to a full boil and boil for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and reserve as a sauce to serve with the chicken.
If desired, use wooden toothpicks to secure skin to the chicken to prevent shrinking.
Brush chicken with extra canola oil, then grill skin-side down over direct heat for 10 to 12 minutes. Turn and cook 8 to 12 minutes more until internal temperature of chicken is 165ºF to 170ºF on an instant read meat thermometer, 25 to 30 minutes total.
While chicken cooks, slice pineapple into ½-inch rings and sprinkle the rings with the granulated sugar. When chicken is done, or there is room on the grill, grill the pineapple, turning once, until marked and just soft, about 3 minutes.
Serve chicken and pineapple, garnished with sliced scallions with the cooked sauce alongside.

Notes

* To swap bone-in chicken with boneless, skinless chicken breasts use 2 pounds 11 ounces (about 4 large chicken breasts). Place in a plastic bag and gently pound to ¾-inch thickness (so they cook evenly). Proceed with marinating as recipe states.

Make ahead: You can prepare the marinade up to 2 days ahead. Store it in the fridge. When you are ready to use it, add the chicken (2 to 3 hours before cooking).

Nutrition