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Grilled Hawaiian BBQ Chicken is quick and easy and the flavor is amazing! Serving it over grilled pineapple makes the presentation colorful and impressive. This meal is sure to be a hit!
Hawaii is such a special place to me and I love preparing meals that remind me of the amazing food there. Grilled Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken Skewers or Grilled Hawaiian Barbecue Chicken in Foil are two Hawaiian recipes that I never seem to get tired of!
Grilled Hawaiian BBQ Chicken
Yessssss! It’s officially grilling season and I could not possibly be more excited about it, grilling is my jam. This grilled hawaiian barbecue chicken is a dish I make all the time at my house. It is so dang easy, has amazing flavor, and HELLO there is grilled pineapple involved! No brainer right??
The barbecue sauce mixture is used as both a marinade and a topping, and I always want to lick the plate clean because the flavor is so good. The great thing is that you can use your favorite bbq sauce as the sauce for the base – homemade or store-bought – whatever you love the most! This meal is healthy, yummy, and easy, so why not give it a try, too!
What do I need to make Grilled Hawaiian BBQ Chicken?
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts: Pounded to even thickness for even cooking.
- BBQ sauce: Use your favorite!
- Pineapple slices: Use the juice for the marinade and grill the slices.
- Soy sauce: Strong salty flavor.
- Garlic: Doesn’t garlic seem to go with everything? Its just so good and pairs really well with the soy sauce and pineapple.
- Oil: Used to help the flavors penetrate through the chicken when marinating.
- Cilantro: Add a little bit of fresh, chopped cilantro when the chicken is finished cooking.
It’s Easy to Make Grilled Hawaiian BBQ Chicken!
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Make Marinade: In a bowl, whisk together bbq sauce, juice from the can of pineapple slices, soy sauce, and garlic. Pour half of the mixture into a large resealable bag and reserve half in the bowl for later use (keep chilled).
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Marinate chicken: Add oil and chicken to the bag of sauce. Seal bag and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.
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Prep grill: Grease and preheat grill to medium heat.
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Grill chicken and pineapple slices: Remove chicken from bag, discard bag and marinade, and grill chicken for 6-8 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Grill pineapple slices along with the chicken, 2-3 minutes on each side til heated through and just beginning to char.
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Garnish chicken: When chicken is finished cooking, brush with reserved sauce, top with chopped cilantro and serve with grilled pineapple slices.
Is Grilled Hawaiian Barbecue Chicken healthy?
Yes! Grilled BBQ chicken is a healthy dinner choice. Just be careful when choosing your ingredients, and read labels! For example, choose barbecue sauce with lower sugar content that is made without high fructose corn syrup and with all-natural ingredients. Or make the sauce at home so you have complete control over all the ingredients. The chicken itself is super low fat and is packed with protein, so that is fantastic for a super lean meal! Choose healthy sides such as steamed veggies and you have a delicious healthy meal!
Barbecue Grill Skills:
Using a grill can be intimidating. For many years I avoided it. It seemed like it would be hard to know when food was done or how to cook food evenly. However, I finally conquered my fears and you can too!
- Properly prepare the meat! Do not skip pounding the chicken and marinating it! I know it seems like an extra step but pounding the chicken will help it cook evenly on the grill, so that there is not one side that is overcooked and dry and one side that just won’t seem to cook through. The marinade will keep it moist while cooking so it is mandatory too!
- Clean your grill! Turn the grill on and let it cook off any food that is still on the grill. Then turn the grill off and use a grill brush to clean the grates. Finally, add oil to the grates so that your chicken will not stick.
- Keep a good grill heat: Hover your hand 5 inches above the grill, if you can hold it there comfortably for about 5 seconds, it’s at medium heat. To keep the heat in close the lid of your grill while the chicken is cooking. Open only to flip the chicken halfway through cook time.
- Know when its done: Use a meat thermometer to know for sure when the chicken done. It is ready when it reaches 165 degrees.
More Hawaiian Inspired Dinner Recipes to try:
- Hawaiian Pork Chops
- Baked Sweet Hawaiian Chicken
- Hawaiian Fried Rice
- Easy Hawaiian Haystacks
- Hawaiian Style Garlic Shrimp
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Grilled Hawaiian BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts pounded to even thickness
- 1 cup bbq sauce
- 1 15- ounce can pineapple slices including juice
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic
- 1/4 cup oil
- fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together bbq sauce, juice from the can of pineapple slices, soy sauce, and garlic. Pour half of the mixture into a large resealable bag. Add oil and chicken. Seal bag and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight. Reserve remaining sauce mixture and chill until ready to use.
- Grease and preheat grill to medium heat. Remove chicken from bag, discard bag and marinade, and grill chicken for 6-8 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Grill pineapple slices along with the chicken, 2-3 minutes on each side til heated through and just beginning to char.
- When chicken is finished cooking, brush with reserved sauce, top with chopped cilantro and serve with grilled pineapple slices.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thanks for the great recipe!! How would you make this for a party? I have about 18 adults coming and I was wondering the ingredient ratio.
This recipe serves 4 which is giving each person one chicken. You will want to make at least 20 pieces since they are adults and some may want second helpings. I would make the marinade and place the chicken in it over night. If you have a large bowl or tub that has a lid that would fit all the chicken you are going to use, that would be best or lots of ziplock bags work great too. Then on the day of the party you just have to grill the chicken. Hope you enjoy it and all your friends coming over! XOXO
I am going to try this with skin on, bone in chicken thighs. Only had chuck pineapple so skewered them to grilling. Will let you know how it turns out! C
Nice food!I like it.
This is really excellent BBQ chicken! looking Yammee
Is the garlic in the recipe referring to minced fresh garlic or garlic powder?
It is minced garlic. Hope that helps!! Happy Cooking! XOXO
Nice food!I will bring this idea to do this food with my son birthday,thank for sharing.
That is great to hear! It will be a great birthday dinner! Happy cooking! XOXO
Could you use canola oil? Would adding brown sugar be a terrible idea?
Grilled Hawaiian BBQ Chicken.
I used to try this food when I was in Indonesia. It was so yummy. And now I know how to make it via your recipe and instruction.
Thanks for this. gonna make one for my dearest love. Thumb up.
That is awesome!! I am so glad it brings back memories and tastes similar! Thanks so much for following along with me!!
Have to make this it looks delicious.
It does look delicious but it tastes even better! This chicken is amazing and has so much flavor! Happy cooking!
NO GRILL! Can this be made in an oven?
Yes, of course! I would cook it at 375* for 40 to 45 minutes until chicken is 165* in the center. I hope that helps!
I made this last night and my family LOVED it! Thanks for the recipe!
Yum! Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks for this recipe, tried it a few weeks ago and it was a hit. Making it again tonight.
This was excellent!
OMG this looks so tender and juicy! I have to try this Hawaiian BBQ Chicken this summer ;–)
hey girl this looks oh so tasty!
We made this tonight for dinner. It was super quick and easy to put together and so, so tasty. We will definitely be making it again!!