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These Pineapple Adobo Chicken Skewers are spring and summer go-to’s; we just love these! Chicken marinated in tamari, vinegar, honey, jalapeños, and fresh chopped garlic. Add chunks of pineapple to each skewer for a tropical flare. Serve these chicken skewers with spicy, tangy, creamy sesame chile sauce, it never disappoints. Add extra limes and green onions, plus a bowl of coconut or cilantro rice (or cook up some baked french fries). Such a yummy and fun family dinner.
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I had a quick trip to New York this week, and while there, I couldn’t help but notice the blooming trees and flowers. It’s really looking like spring (despite the rainy days). With flowers beginning to bloom, I think we’re all envisioning those warm spring and soon-to-be summer days.
I made these skewers a couple of weeks ago and have been anxiously waiting to share them. This recipe recipe excites me so much.
Ingredients
- Toasted sesame oil
- Tamari or low sodium soy sauce
- Rice or apple cider vinegar
- Honey
- jalapeños
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Chicken breasts or skinless chicken thighs
- Fresh pineapple chunks
- Green onions and basil
Sesame Chili Sauce
- Mayo
- Sweet Thai chili sauce
- Ketchup
- Tamari/ soy sauce
- Jalapeño
- Garlic
- Lime zest
- lemon juice
- Toasted sesame seeds
The idea actually came from my brother’s long-time girlfriend, Hailey. She is Filipino, and one of her all-time favorite dishes that her mom makes is adobo chicken or pork. Hailey’s mom does hers with brown sugar. I don’t believe she uses pineapple, but Hailey quickly approved this idea via text and said it sounded so delicious.
She was excited, which, of course, had me excited!
I used a simple adobo-inspired marinade with some jalapeños for spice. It came out so good!! Serve this up with rice or french fries. Yum!
Alight, here are the details
Step 1: make the marinade
This is a very simple mix of extra virgin olive oil, tamari (or use soy sauce), vinegar (I like to use rice vinegar), honey, jalapeños, and fresh cloves of garlic. Mix it all in a bowl and add the chicken.
At this point, and if time allows, you can refrigerate the chicken for a day or two before grilling. The longer it sits, the more intense its flavor will become.
Step 2: thread the chicken and pineapple onto the skewers
Now the fun part. Take the seasoned chicken and the chunks of pineapple and thread them one after another onto metal or wooden skewers.
I like to layer/thread one piece of chicken and then one pineapple chunk. If you want more pineapple, do one chicken piece and then two pineapple chunks. Or divide things up and separate the pineapple skewers and the chicken skewers. Whatever you prefer will work!
Heat your grill and cook each skewer until light grill marks appear.
Step 3: reduce the marinade
While the skewers are cooking, take the marinade and simmer it on the stove until it reduces, about 5 minutes.
Then brush the reduced marinade over the skewers.
Step 4: the sesame sauce
Mix mayo in a bowl with some kind of chili sauce. I use a green verde salsa or sweet Thai chili sauce. Then add a couple of tablespoons of ketchup, some garlic, and lime zest. You can add a pinch of salt and pepper or even more chili flakes, too!
This is one of my favorite sauces! And you always need a great dipping sauce for recipes like this, so feel free to make extra. The sauce makes the chicken even more delicious.
Step 5: for serving
Now serve the skewers warm with the sesame dipping sauce on the side. I love these fun adobo skewers with baked french fries, but coconut rice would be really good too!
A little fresh green onion, basil or cilantro, and a pinch of salt at the end makes everything just perfect.
Everyone in my family has agreed, they could easily eat this once or twice a week. The chicken is tender, and the sauce is everyone’s favorite – spicy, sweet, and tangy.
Pineapple Adobo Chicken Skewers | halfbakedharvest.com
Looking for other skillet recipes? Here are my favorites:
Skillet Chicken Adobo with Coconut Rice
Lemon Butter Dijon Chicken and Orzo
French Onion Tater Tot Casserole
Greek Meatballs and Lemon Butter Orzo
Lastly, if you make these Pineapple Adobo Chicken Skewers, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Pineapple Adobo Chicken Skewers
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil or olive oil
- 1/2 cup tamari or low sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 cup rice or apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1-2 jalapeños, seeded, if desired, and sliced
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-size chunks
- 3 cups fresh pineapple chunks
- green onions and basil, for serving
Sesame chile sauce
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/3 cup sweet Thai chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon tamari/soy sauce
- 1 jalapeño, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 2 teaspoons lime zest
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- 1. In a bowl, mix the olive oil, tamari/soy sauce, vinegar, honey, jalapeños, garlic, ginger, and a pinch of pepper. Add the chicken and toss. If time allows, let sit for 10 minutes to deepen the flavor.2. Take the skewers and thread the chicken with the pineapple chunks. Reserve the marinade.3. Set your grill, grill pan, or skillet to medium-high heat. Grill the skewers until lightly charred and cooked through, turning them occasionally throughout cooking, about 10 to 12 minutes total. 4. Meanwhile, pour the reserved marinade into a small pot. Bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes, until reduced. Brush the sauce over the skewers after grilling. 5. To make the sesame sauce: combine all ingredients in a bowl. 6. Serve the chicken and pineapple with limes, green onions, and sesame sauce for dipping. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Loved this easy recipe. Will continue to rotate it through the summer meal plans.
Hey Judy,
Awesome!! Love to hear that this dish turned out well for you, thanks for making it and your comment! xT
Holy cow! These are SO good. I marinated for a few hours and the chicken was so flavorful, loved the spice and the sauce complimented the flavors so well. We served over rice. Will 10000% be making again. Thanks, T!
Hey Katie,
Happy Sunday! I’m so glad to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for trying it out! xT
I’d like to try this but had a question about boiling the marinade after the chicken was in it and using it. I’m assuming that it is safe to use after the raw chicken was in when it’s boiled?
Hi Christina,
Yes, that is correct:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Is ginger an ingredient? It’s in the picture of the marinade at top of post.
Making for dinner tonight with Coconut Rice. Can’t wait!
Hi Deborah,
You can use 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh pickled ginger in this recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
I just came from your instagram post that directed me here for the answer for the ginger. The recipe doesn’t have ginger but your video says “lots of fresh ginger”. So is the video or recipe right? One is wrong and it needs to be corrected.
Hey Julie,
Sorry for any confusion here! You can use 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh pickled ginger. I hope this helps! xx
We have made these every week now. So yummy! I added the ginger and it was perfect.
Thanks so much, Deborah!!
wow this was GOOD. out of curiosity what makes this considered “adobo”? 10/10 will make it again. Followed instructions exactly. Almost didn’t feel like boiling the marinade but that would have been a big mistake. Add red bell pepper to the skewers for a little veg
Hey Meredith,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and your feedback, I’m so glad to hear it was enjoyed!! The adobo comes from the seasonings and way in which the chicken was cooked. Thanks again, love the red bell pepper idea! xx
We really loved this recipe! It was perfect for us getting our grilling season started. I don’t like the flavor of jalapeno, so I used poblano peppers and added cayenne pepper flakes to the marinade to replace the lost heat, but next time I will either use a hotter pepper or use more cayenne.
When I cooked the marinade down on the stove, the peppers soaked in the wonderful flavors and developed a fantastic crisp tender consistency to eat with the jasmine rice I served with the dish. Overall, this was a great weeknight meal, and with a little experimentation to get the right amount of heat with the different chile peppers since my personal preference is not for jalapenos, this will be a frequent go to!
Tieghan, I am actually growing several different varieties of chile peppers this season to experiment with flavors and heat profiles. Do you have suggestions for a few that would give the flavor of a poblano or anaheim but a better heat similar to a tiny touch of cayenne for this dish?
Hey Sarah,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! I’m so glad to hear it was enjoyed! How fun you are going to do some veggie planting this summer. I would try Fresno and Serano peppers, they should give a similar heat like the jalapeño. I hope this helps! xT
Thanks for the suggestion! We went to Wegmans yesterday and surprisingly found some fresno peppers there! I didn’t get any, though, since I didn’t have any plans for any dishes with them, and I have never used them before. I will get some soon and make this again with them! I also think I will try pork tenderloin in place of chicken to see how that does. Have you done that before? I have an excellent source of pastured pork.
I’ve not tried pork tenderloin with this recipe, but you certainly could:)
absolutely delicious! Everyone in the family loved it! Has moved into my recipe box for future dinners!!!
Thanks so much Monica! So glad to hear this recipe turned out nicely for you, I appreciate you trying it! xT
This was DELICIOUS!!! I will definitely be making this again and again. Followed the instructions 100% and everyone raved about it! Thanks for a great recipe Tieghan!
Thanks so much Dennis! I appreciate you making this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it was a hit! xx
Excellent, I’m sure to use it often in the future
Hey Neil,
So glad to hear this recipe turned out nicely for you, thanks for making it and your comment:)
I am a big fan Teighan! I am always inspired by her recipes!
Thanks so much Margaret:)
Made this tonight here in the UK and it is delicious. The chicken, pineapple, sauce and coconut rice all together is delicious! I was a bit dubious about the sauce when I first made it I could taste/smell the ketchup quite strongly but it really worked with the whole meal. All recipes we have made of yours so far have always been amazing and never disappoint!
Hey Hannah,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad to hear it was a hit! xT
My husband and I made this for dinner last night, and our whole family absolutely loved it! Our 20-year-old, 18-year-old, and 15-year-old raved about it and all said they want it again. It was so easy to make, too, so that’s a plus.
Hey Erin,
Love this!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
I made this tonight and it was very good. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks so much Melissa! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! Have a great Friday! xT
I don’t see chipotle in the ingredients, but you say to thread the chipotle seasoned chicken onto skewers.
Hi Ellen,
There’s no chipotle seasoning in this recipe, you can follow the instructions and ingredients as written:) I hope you love this! xx
Take the chipotle-seasoned chicken and the chunks of pineapple and thread them one after another onto metal or wooden skewers.
(This is copied directly from your instructions.)
But theres no chipotle in the ingredients
Sorry for any confusion:) I edited that portion of the instructions to no longer include “chipotle”!
I did this today as I had the ingredients in my pantry. It was very easy to put together. We were not very convinced at first BUT you have to take a bite of the chicken, pineapple and sauce at the same time and it is perfect! The flavors work together SO well. I would leave the chicken marinating for a few hours next time.
I used pickled jalapeños as that was what I had and skipped the sesame seeds + lemon zest since I realized I was out mid recipe haha but we really enjoyed it and it was a nice and easy way to change the usual weekly rotation. The sauce is a keeper! I stored what was left in the fridge for dipping literally anything else tomorrow. Thank you! 💕
BTW- I always scroll to the comments looking to find tips and suggestions from other readers and answered questions but I always find a bunch of mean girls in a chat room. Honestly, It’s recipe blog, why do you take it so seriously? If it didn’t work for you, move on with your life, it’s not a big deal. Also, not one recipe will give the same results to everyone as well as not everyone likes the same flavors! If you don’t like what you see why are you here? My god….. every rude comment should be deleted, comment section should not be for bickering.
Hey Isabella,
Happy Friday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out nicely for you! Love that you shared your notes on what worked well for you, I know this will be helpful for other readers! Xx
Hi! In the written description, you mentioned ketchup for the sauce. Is that actually supposed to be sesame seeds? I don’t see ketchup in the recipe ingredients just, haha
She hasn’t gotten a recipe right yet. Errors ALWAYS.
Yet here you are with your 100th false screen name to continue to point that out like you’ve won some lottery of life and your prize was brilliant superiority. If it bothers you that much, disappear permanently. Nobody will miss you.
Whoa – are you really coming on to a FOOD BLOG wishing death on someone over someone having an opinion about a recipe? Like are you that triggered over this to the point that you’d endlessly defend it by wishing someone would die? Please seek therapy if that’s how you truly feel. Maybe spend less time on a food blog if it gets you fired up this much. The comments here are truly insane and I can’t believe HBH allows this. I come here to read recipes and I’m always appalled at the comments here. It’s not that deep.
Kind of harsh, but everyone is entitled to their opinions!
I not only enjoy her recipes, but I love the inspiration I get from her gorgeous photos and stories that describes where her passion for each recipe comes from. There is more to cooking and baking than ingredients and directions. I get heart and soul from her recipes, and that means a lot to me. Some recipes are better than others, but I enjoy experimenting with new ones.
Keep posting your recipe blogs Tieghen! Since I just retired, I just love my daily email recipe!!! 💗
Then why do you bother reading her blog?
Hey Lori,
Yes, you are correct! You’ll want to use 2 tablespoons of ketchup in the sesame chile sauce! I hope you love this recipe! xT