Grilled barbecue chicken kabobs with pineapple and bacon are an easy, family friendly entree that uses just 5 ingredients. With almost no prep time and tons of flavor, you’ll be grilling up these chicken skewers all summer long!
You all know how much we love to barbecue.
Multiple that love times a million when dinner is so easy to make.
And that’s what these barbecue chicken kabobs are- so unbelievably easy.
Plus between the sweet, tangy pineapple and bacon along with the barbecue sauce, everyone goes crazy for these each and every time I make them.
The kids fight over them if we don’t make enough.
It’s great for a pool side lunch or dinner, or an appetizer for barbecues or tailgating.
Ingredients
To make these skewers you only need a handful of ingredients:
- Chicken– Boneless skinless breasts cut into chunks.
- Salt and pepper
- Barbecue sauce– Use your favorite kind, but I do recommend a tangy, vinegar based sauce to pair well with the sweet pineapple.
- Bacon– Thick cut
- Pineapple– Cut into 1-2″ chunks.
How to Make
To make this, microwave 2-3 strips of bacon at a time on a paper towel lined plate until it’s slightly crisp but still pliable, about 2 minutes.
Transfer the lightly cooked bacon to a separate plate to cool and repeat this with all the bacon.
Then add the cut up chicken and one cup of the barbecue sauce to a mixing bowl and toss to coat.
Cover the mixing bowl tightly and marinate the chicken in the fridge for between 30 minutes and one hour.
After the chicken has marinated, remove it from the fridge and give it a good toss.
Then thread a piece of marinated chicken followed by a piece of bacon and then a piece of pineapple onto metal skewers.
Repeat this until the skewers are full or you run out of ingredients.
Grill the skewers until the chicken has cooked through, turning a few times so the skewers cook evenly.
Transfer the cooked skewers to a waiting plate and brush on the remaining sauce.
Tent the platter with foil and let the kabobs rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
We like to eat these straight off the skewer.
To turn them into a meal, pair them with a simple side salad or serve them over a bed of steamed white rice.
Storing Leftovers
Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat them in the oven until warmed through.
Do not microwave them to reheat them unless you remove the metal skewers first.
Tips and Tricks
- While you can use any barbecue sauce you like- I recommend a tangy, vinegar based sauce for this recipe. It will pair well with the sweet pineapple and also act as a perfect tenderizer for the meat during the marinade.
- Don’t want to slice a whole pineapple? Buy fresh pre cut pineapple chunks from the grocery store. Just be sure to use fresh and not frozen.
- Use THICK CUT bacon, and do not overcook it beforehand. The only reason we’re microwaving is to make it easier to thread and so that it doesn’t melt off the skewer during grilling. You don’t want to actually cook it in the microwave.
- Not sure if your chicken’s cooked through? Use a meat thermometer to check it- anywhere in the 150-155 degree F region is considered safe for consumption.
Other Kabob Recipes You’ll Love
These barbecue chicken kabobs with pineapple are a family favorite. Make them and enjoy!
Looking for other kabob recipes? Try these:
- Thai Chicken Satay Skewers
- Greek Chicken Kabobs
- Grilled Lemon Herb Salmon Kebabs
- Grilled Fruit Kabobs
- Bang Bang Chicken Kabobs
- Grilled Nam Prik Shrimp Skewers
If you’ve tried these BARBECUE CHICKEN KABOBS WITH PINEAPPLE, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Barbecue Chicken Bacon & Pineapple Kabobs
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1" chunks (roughly 2 large breasts)
- salt & pepper
- 1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce
- 8 strips thick cut bacon
- fresh pineapple cut into 1-2" chunks
Instructions
- On a paper towel lined plate, microwave 2-3 strips of bacon at a time for roughly 2 minutes- until slightly crisp but still pliable.
- Set the slightly cooked bacon aside to cool, and continue until you've finished with all the bacon.
- To a mixing bowl, add the chicken chunks and one cup of barbecue sauce. Toss to coat evenly.
- Cover the mixing bowl tightly with cling wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to an hour to marinate the chicken.
- Remove the chicken, uncover, and give it a good toss.
- On metal skewers thread pieces of chicken, folded bacon, and pineapple in an alternating & repeating pattern. Repeat until all your skewers are filled or you run out of ingredients.
- Grill the kabobs for roughly 5-7 minutes on each side, or until the chicken's cooked through and pineapple has caramelized. Transfer to a waiting serving platter.
- Using a pastry brush, brush on the rest of the barbecue sauce.
- Tent the platter with foil, and let the kabobs rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- While you can use any barbecue sauce you like- I recommend a tangy, vinegar based sauce for this recipe. It will pair well with the sweet pineapple and also act as a perfect tenderizer for the meat during the marinade.
- Don't want to slice a whole pineapple? Buy fresh pre cut pineapple chunks from the grocery store. Just be sure to use fresh and not frozen.
- Use THICK CUT bacon, and do not overcook it beforehand. The only reason we're microwaving is to make it easier to thread and so that it doesn't melt off the skewer during grilling. You don't want to actually cook it in the microwave.
- Not sure if your chicken's cooked through? Use a meat thermometer to check it- anywhere in the 150-155 degree F region is considered safe for consumption.
The pictures scream YUMMY! Thanks a bunch for sharing at Fiesta Friday party! I hope to see you next week.
Anything with bacon has got to be good! This reminds me of BBQ chicken, bacon, and pineapple pizza. Great idea. Thank you for bringing it to FF.