Grilled Pineapple Chicken
Published 6/18/2023 • Updated 12/4/2024
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This grilled pineapple chicken recipe is sweet, savory, and grilled to absolute perfection. Marinated juicy chicken and fresh pineapple slices are combined for the ultimate summer BBQ meal. It’s finger-lickin’ good!
Juicy Pineapple Chicken Fresh Off the Grill
Sick of your same chicken breast recipe routine? Same! This grilled pineapple chicken breast recipe will restore your faith in making chicken fun again. The healthy pineapple chicken marinade is full of tropical flavors that will be like a party for your tastebuds. Plus, it makes for a super easy lunch or dinner requiring little prep and a short grill time.
Serve this delicious pineapple chicken with white or coconut rice, macaroni salad, or roasted bell peppers for a complete meal the entire family will be drooling over. Happy grilling!
Why you’ll love it!
The marinade gives the chicken such amazing flavor.
It’s just as nutritious as it is delicious!
A great option for summer cookouts.
Can be cooked on the grill, stove, or in the oven!
Pineapple Chicken Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken breasts: we used boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe, but chicken thighs would work just as well!
- Soy sauce: use a low-sodium variety, or go with coconut aminos if you’re gluten-free.
- Ketchup: just a tablespoon of ketchup adds some sweetness and helps thicken the marinade.
- Pineapple: this great recipe uses pulverized pineapple, pineapple juice, and 1 large sliced pineapple.
- Honey: use real honey for the best taste and nutrition.
- Rice vinegar: for a mildly acidic flavor.
- Sriracha: adds some heat to kick this dish up a notch!
- Chili powder: gives a nice smoky flavor that really deepens the flavor profile.
- Salt: just a pinch of kosher salt helps bring out all the flavors.
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How to Make Grilled Pineapple Chicken
PREPARE MARINADE
Transfer the chicken breasts to a large gallon-size bag or a baking dish.
Then add the soy sauce, ketchup, pulverized pineapple, pineapple juice, honey, vinegar, and sriracha to a bowl and whisk the ingredients together until combined.
MARINATE CHICKEN
Next, pour half of the marinade over the chicken and set the rest aside for later. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
PREP GRILL + SEASON PINEAPPLE
When ready to grill, remove the chicken from the fridge and let it rest for 10-15 minutes.
Preheat the grill to 450ºF and clean the grill grate off, or lay a piece of aluminum foil on the grill.
Season the pineapple with chili powder and salt.
GRILL CHICKEN + PINEAPPLE
Transfer the marinated chicken to the grill over direct heat and grill for 8 minutes per side.
Then grill the pineapple for 2-3 minutes per side over direct heat or until the pineapple develops grill marks. Remove from the grill.
COOK MARINADE
While the chicken is grilling, pour the remaining chicken marinade into a saucepan along with the rest of the marinade you set aside earlier.
Bring to a boil over high heat and turn the heat to low and allow the marinade to simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
SERVE + ENJOY
Remove the chicken from the grill when the internal temperature reaches 165ºF.
Then serve the pineapple over the chicken and pour the remaining marinade over the chicken and pineapple.
Serve immediately and enjoy!
Top Tips for Grilled Pineapple Chicken
You can pulverize the pineapple in a food processor or use a sharp knife to cut the pineapple into very small pieces.
Keep in mind that the grilling time may vary by what type of grill you use. We used a charcoal grill.
If you like a saucier chicken, feel free to double the marinade ingredients.
Alternative Cooking Methods
What’s great about this grilled pineapple chicken recipe is that you can also make it in the oven or stove. The cook time will vary depending on the cooking method and size of the chicken breasts, but we tested all three, and they all yielded delicious results.
Stove Top
- Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken breast and sear for 3-4 minutes on the first side. Flip the chicken and turn the heat to medium.
- Cook the chicken for an additional 4-6 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF.
- Repeat step #7 above and serve the seared chicken with the sauce. Sear the pineapple in a separate pan.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a separate skillet. Add pineapple and sear for 2-3 minutes on each side.
- Serve and enjoy!
Oven
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Transfer the pineapple, chicken breast, and marinade to a baking dish.
- Cook chicken breasts at 375ºF for 20-25 minutes.
- Use an instant-read thermometer to make sure the chicken breast reads 165ºF.
- Remove from the oven and serve. Enjoy!
Storage
Store any leftover grilled pineapple chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To reheat, we recommend placing it in the oven at 350°F until warmed through. Note that the pineapple may heat up faster, so be sure to take the pineapple slices out first.
Can you freeze grilled pineapple chicken?
Yes. Although the pineapple will taste better fresh, you can still freeze your pineapple chicken without tarnishing the quality. Simply store the chicken and pineapple in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Grilled Pineapple Chicken
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, 4 breasts
Marinade
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup ketchup
- ½ cup pulverized pineapple*
- 2 tablespoons pineapple juice
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 4 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sriracha
Pineapple
- 1 large pineapple, cored and sliced into round or sticks
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Transfer the chicken breasts to a large gallon-size bag or a baking dish.
- Prepare the marinade. Add the soy sauce, ketchup, pulverized pineapple, pineapple juice, honey, vinegar, and sriracha to a bowl and whisk the ingredients together until combined. Pour half of the marinade over the chicken and set the rest aside for later. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
- When ready to grill, remove the chicken from the fridge and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. Preheat the grill to 450ºF. Clean the grill grate off or lay a piece of aluminum foil on the grill.
- Season the pineapple with chili powder and salt.
- Transfer the marinated chicken to the grill over direct heat and grill for 8 minutes per side.
- Grill the pineapple for 2-3 minutes per side over direct heat or until the pineapple develops grill marks. Remove from the grill.
- While the chicken is grilling, pour the remaining chicken marinade into a saucepan along with the rest of the marinade you set aside earlier. Bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat to low and allow the marinade to simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Remove the chicken from the grill when the internal temperature reaches 165ºF.
- Serve the pineapple over the chicken and pour the remaining marinade over the chicken and pineapple. Serve immediately.
Tips & Notes
- Pulverize the pineapple in a food processor or use a sharp knife to cut the pineapple into very small pieces.
- The grilling time may vary by what type of grill you use. We used a charcoal grill.
- Stove Top Instructions: Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat. Add the chicken breast and sear for 3-4 minutes on the first side. Flip the chicken and turn the heat to medium. Cook the chicken for an additional 4-6 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF. Repeat step #7 above and serve the seared chicken with the sauce. Sear the pineapple in a separate pan. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a separate skillet. Add pineapple and sear for 2-3 minutes on each side.
- Oven Instructions: Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Transfer the pineapple, chicken breast, and marinade to a baking dish. Cook chicken breasts at 375ºF for 20-25 minutes. Use an instant-read thermometer to make sure the chicken breast reads 165ºF. Remove from the oven.
- If you like a saucier chicken, double the marinade ingredients.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Photography: photos taken in this post are by Ashley McGlaughlin from The Edible Perspective.
This is so freaking amazing! I added more sriracha cause I like it spicy 😜 honestly it was perfect for summer and I’m obsessed. Sauce tasted great on broccoli!
Wahoo!
I unfortunately agree w/ Hannah. I love almost all of your recipes but this one unfortunately the flavors and texture were off. We wanted to try a new chicken marinade and love pineapple so gave it a go, but this one was a miss. We love your other chicken marinades we’ve made!
Unfortunately this was not a success. Must have been some chemical reaction with the pineapple that turned the texture of the chicken pasty. Marinated for 1.5 hours.
Thank you for sharing!