Hawaiian Grilled Pineapple Chicken — 🍍🌺🍗Transports you to Hawaii with every bite of this tender, juicy chicken and the grilled pineapple seals the deal! EASY, HEALTHY, ready in 10 minutes, and perfect for summer parties, barbecues, and casual weeknight dinners!
Table of Contents
This pineapple grilled chicken recipe tastes like a trip to Hawaii minus the airfare. Okay kidding, sort of.
I called this recipe “Aloha chicken” because the chicken has notes of soy sauce but with hint of brown sugar to mellow the saltiness along with lemon juice and ginger. The chicken is so tender, juicy, and full of awesome tropical flavor.
This is perfect summer outdoor barbecue and hanging out with friends food. And it’s also perfect for casual summer dinners when anything more than 10 minutes sounds like too long or too much work. I can relate.
It’s naturally healthy and gluten-free (use GF soy sauce if this is important to you). Plus anything that has pineapple as a key element of the main course is bound to be popular with the kiddos or picky eaters.
The grilled pineapple chicken is where it’s at for me. This is not the first time I’ve grilled pineapple. This Grilled Pineapple Lemonade Sangria comes to mind and would be perfect with this meal!
Ingredients in Pineapple Grilled Chicken
You may just have everything in your fridge and pantry to make the Hawaiian chicken marinade because it’s so simple:
- Ketchup
- Soy Sauce
- Brown sugar
- Olive oil
- Lemon juice
- Ground ginger
- Salt and pepper
In addition to the Hawaiian marinade ingredients, you’ll also need:
- Chicken breasts
- Fresh pineapple
- Green onions, for garnishing
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Grill Pineapple Chicken
This is such an easy pineapple grilled chicken recipe! Here are the basic steps:
- Add the chicken breasts marinade ingredients to a zip-top bag and let that sit for about an hour in the fridge.
- Preheat the grill in the last 15 or so minutes that the chicken is marinating.
- Grill the chicken and pineapple. The thinly sliced chicken breasts will need to grill for about 5 minutes per side.
Top Tip for Super Juicy Grilled Chicken
As a shortcut, I used thin-sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts. Their thinner size makes for faster grilling times and much more even cooking — both of which contribute to this pineapple grilled chicken being SUPER juicy.
This recipe would be even faster with chicken breast tenders or sometimes called breast cutlets or medallions, but as it is with the thin-sliced breasts I only needed to grill them 5 minutes per side and they were done.
Many times with large chicken breasts on the grill, I struggle to keep the outside from becoming overly dark before the interior is fully cooked through but with either thin-sliced or breast tenders, you don’t have to worry about that. You can see that the inside is perfectly cooked, without being overcooked.
Grilling FAQs
I used a medium-sized fresh pineapple. Simply clean it, and in the coring process you should have long spears as a result of getting the core out. Cut the spears so that they’re about 1 to 1 1/2-inches wide. You don’t want skinny spears. They will fall apart or fall through the grill grates. Or burn. None of which would be good.
I have not experimented using canned pineapple rings. The issue is that it’s softer than fresh pineapple and I worry it may not stand up to the heat of the grill. Plus, it’s very juicy and all that juice (sugar) could burn more easily. I recommend using fresh pineapple.
Yes of course it’s possible to use an indoor grill pan that you place directly over your stovetop. Cooking times may vary, but cook until the pork is done (145F with a meat thermometer).
Yes, but of course it will lack the flavor you get from grilled chicken, the pineapple won’t be the same either, and visually you’ll be missing those love char marks. As long as you know that going in, you can try baking it in a 400F oven for about 20 minutes or until done.
Two great baked chicken recipes with similar flavor profiles is this Baked Teriyaki Chicken and Rice recipe as well as my 15-Minute Sheet Pan Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken.
I like to marinate my chicken overnight for the full and tenderizing effects, but if you’re running short on time then 30 to 60 minutes will do.
What to Serve with Aloha Chicken
Storage and Reheating Instructions
In the fridge: Let the chicken cool before storing in an airtight container. It will last up to 5 days in the fridge.
In the freezer: Grilled chicken can be frozen for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw overnight in the fridge and then reheat as instructed. I do NOT recommend freezing the grilled pineapple.
To reheat: Leftover grilled chicken can be reheated in 30-second bursts in the microwave.
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Aloha Grilled Pineapple Chicken
Equipment
- 1 indoor grill pan (if you don't have an outdoor gas grill)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds thin-sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts, I had 4 breasts
- ½ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 fresh pineapple, cleaned, cored, and sliced into about 8 one-inch wide long spears
- thinly sliced green onions, optional for garnishing
Instructions
- To a large zip-top plastic bag, add all ingredients except the pineapple and green onions, seal, and smoosh around to evenly coat chicken. Place bag in fridge for at least 30 minutes, or overnight, to marinate.
- Lightly oil grill grates and preheat grill to medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken, place chicken on grill, and dunk the pineapple spears into the bag with the marinade, and place them on the grill. Discard the bag with the marinade.
- Grill the chicken for about 5 minutes on the first side with lid closed, flip, and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes on the second side with lid closed, or until chicken is cooked through and as done as desired. The pineapple can be rotated every 2 to 3 minutes, making that all sides touch the grill grates at some point during the cooking process (ensures that you kill the bacteria associated with the raw chicken marinade).
- Optionally garnish the chicken with green onions and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Originally posted May 25, 2020 and reposted May 24, 2024 with updated text.
Made this chicken for Memorial Day cookout (first time ever). IT WAS FANTASTIC!! Chicken was tender, fresh pineapple grilled to go with it excellent and everyone loved it and took all my leftovers home. So I will be making more for Wednesday to eat with all my leftover salads I have. HIGHLY RECCOMEND THIS RECIPE- easy to make and awesome taste for chicken.
Thanks for the 5 star review, Donna, and glad this was fantastic and people even took the leftovers home with them! You’re one of many people who told me they made this over the weekend and I am glad it was a big hit and you’re making it again!
I tried this over the weekend and it was fantastic! We entertain a lot in the summer and it will definitely be in our rotation. It was delicious and simple. I served it with a side of fried rice and we all cleaned our plates!
Thanks for the 5 star review, Meegan, and I am glad this was fantastic and that it’ll go into your rotation! I am glad everyone cleaned their plates :)
I love this recipe. I cook it a little differently though. I marinate the chicken overnite. I then sous vide the chicken breasts which still have some coating of the marinade but this insures I get the chicken cooked perfectly. I cook at 156 degrees for 90 minutes in sous vide. I then take the breasts out (I use boneless skinless chicken breasts) and put them back in the marinade to get a fresh coating. I then grill until the chicken browns nicely and the marinade carmalizes. As for the pineapple. I dip in the marinade then I prepare another bowl with 1 cup of brown sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. I dip the pineapple into this and then grill. I am a huge sous vide fan and often use your recipes with sous vide when I can.
I have prepared this many times and always a family fave.
I love this recipe. I cook it a little differently though. I marinate the chicken overnite. I then sous vide the chicken breasts which still have some coating of the marinade but this insures I get the chicken cooked perfectly. I cook at 156 degrees for 90 minutes in sous vide. I then take the breasts out (I use boneless skinless chicken breasts) and put them back in the marinade to get a fresh coating. I then grill until the chicken browns nicely and the marinade carmalizes. As for the pineapple. I dip in the marinade then I prepare another bowl with 1 cup of brown sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. I dip the pineapple into this and then grill. I am a huge sous vide fan and often use your recipes with sous vide when I can.
I have prepared this many times and always a family fave.
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad you love this recipe and have found a way to make it your own! I don’t have a sous vide machine and don’t attempt it otherwise but sounds like it’s working wonderfully for you and it’s a family fave!
Made this tonight! Marinated the chicken overnight last night and popped on the grill and per your instructions! DELICIOUS!! We had a fresh pineapple and grilled those pieces until they melted in my mouth! YUMMY! Thank for an easy to follow and easy to enjoy recipe!
Made this tonight! Marinated the chicken overnight last night and popped on the grill and per your instructions! DELICIOUS!! We had a fresh pineapple and grilled those pieces until they melted in my mouth! YUMMY! Thank for an easy to follow and easy to enjoy recipe!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this was a winner and that you loved the grilled pineapple too!
How can I make this in the oven as I don’t have a grill?
Bake in a 425F oven for about 20 minutes. Follow this general concept. https://www.averiecooks.com/perfect-20-minute-oven-baked-chicken-breasts/
great
I’m loving the grilled hawaiian grilled chicken !
This recipe was fabulous.
We loved this chicken! The marinade is delicious–a little tangy, salty with a hint of sweet heat. The grill does amazing things to that pineapple–I think that’s what makes this recipe so special!
We loved this chicken! The marinade is delicious–a little tangy, salty with a hint of sweet heat. The grill does amazing things to that pineapple–I think that’s what makes this recipe so special!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you loved this! I agree, pineapple is just amazing when grilled and definitely helps makes this dish just taste so good!
The dishes r awesome
The dishes r awesome
Thanks for the five star review!