To me, Memorial Day is the official kick-off for grilling season. Burgers, chicken, steaks, and sweet corn will be on rotation from now until mid-September when the brisk fall air sweeps in to stay. Honestly, I’m not the biggest “griller”. We live in a chillier environment, so our summer nights are a little too cold to stand outside and grill. I usually just use my trusty grill pan any time I want the flavor of something from the grill. Works like a charm! But of course, I know the rest of you all love a delicious grilled summer dinner. Coming from the Midwest, where summertime is very hot and humid, I totally get it! This year I’m looking forward to sharing some of the dishes I used to make from our summers spent in Cleveland. We certainly adored making chicken skewers! Something about chicken on a stick is just better, you know? I’ve always enjoyed adding pineapple to anything grilled. So when I had this idea, I made it almost immediately. It is such a delicious flavor combination!
Here are the details
Step 1: Make the Chipotle marinade This is a very simple mix of extra virgin olive oil, tomato paste, tamari (or use soy sauce), honey, ginger, chipotle, and fresh thyme. To streamline the process of the marinade I whipped everything together in a blender, so it was ready in seconds. Next, take the chicken and cut it into 1 or 2-inch cubes. Add the chicken to a bowl and toss with the marinade. At this point, and if time allows, you can refrigerate the chicken for a day or two before grilling. It will develop an even more intense flavor the longer it sits. Step 2: Thread the chicken and pineapple onto skewers Now the fun part. Take the chipotle-seasoned chicken and the chunks of pineapple and thread them one after another onto metal or wooden skewers. I layer/thread 1 piece of chicken, then 1 pineapple chunk. If you want more pineapple, do 1 chicken piece, then 2 pineapple chunks. Heat your grill and cook each skewer until light grill marks appear. Step 3: Make the bang bang sauce Mix mayo in a bowl with Thai chili sauce tamari, 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! The sweet Thai chile sauce is the secret to the deliciousness. To Sum it all up! The chicken is spicy and just a smidge smoky, but at the same time a little sweet too. It’s such a wonderful marriage of flavors. The sauce is creamy and tangy with a touch of heat. Putting everything together turns into the most delicious grilled chicken dinner. Serve with rice and you’ll have a complete meal with so much (really) good flavor! Looking for more recipes? Here are a few to try: Coconut Chicken Fingers with Bang Bang Sauce Baked Crunchy Hot Honey Chicken Sheet Pan Honey Garlic Chicken and Feta Potatoes Sheet Pan Buffalo Chicken Pizza Buffalo Cauliflower with Spicy Tahini Ranch Lastly, if you make these Chipotle Pineapple Bang Bang 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!
