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These Hawaiian chicken kabobs are stacked with tender, juicy chicken, pineapple, red onion and pepper. Brush the sweet Hawaiian sauce on top and serve them with fluffy coconut rice.
Table of Contents
We love the combination of chicken, pineapple and rice in our house. It’s healthy, fun and packed full of flavor. These Hawaiian chicken kabobs pack protein, veggies and tons of flavor all onto one little stick.
Ingredient notes
- Coconut aminos: this is a soy and gluten free alternative to soy sauce. If you aren’t particular about either of those things, you can use soy sauce if you have that on hand.
- Pineapple juice: buy the pineapple chunks in 100% juice for the kabobs and use the juice for them in the marinade.
- Honey: this adds a little sweetness to the kabobs and the sugars in the honey helps char some of the chicken and veggies for extra flavor.
- Spices: ground ginger and kosher salt
- Garlic: fresh garlic adds so much depth. You can see the little pieces of garlic on the chicken when you skewer them.
- Chicken breast: cut them into 1 – 1.5 inch chunks. Do your best to cut them the same size so they cook evenly.
- Tapioca flour: save this until the end to thicken the sauce for topping the kabobs. You could also use cornstarch.
- Veggies: Red pepper, red onion and pineapple chunks
How to make Hawaiian chicken kabobs
- Marinade: add all of the marinade ingredients to a medium bowl then combine half of it with the diced chicken. Cover and chill for at least one hour or up to 24 hours. Cover and store the other half of the marinade to make the sauce later.
- Soak the skewers: 30 minutes before cooking, place the skewers in warm water.
- Assemble the kabobs: alternate piercing the chicken, pineapple, onion and red pepper onto the skewers. Transfer them to a plate or cooking sheet until they’re all done.
- Cook: air fry at 400°F for 12-15 minutes. Our cafe oven has an air fryer setting so you’ll see that in the video below! We also broiled them in the oven for 2-3 minutes to char them.
- Make the sauce: while the kabobs are cooking, pour the reserved marinade into a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Dissolve the tapioca starch in a small dish with warm water. Add it to the sauce and allow it to come to a boil again. Cook until the sauce is thicken and coats the back of a spoon. Brush the sauce on the Hawaiian chicken kabobs when they’re done.
How long to bake chicken kabobs in the oven
Bake these Hawaiian chicken kabobs at 425°F for 12-15 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Our Cafe oven can bake, air fry or grill these Hawaiian chicken kabobs and we love that we can choose any option!
Prefer to watch instead of read?
Why do you soak kabob skewers in water?
Wooden kabob skewers can cook and char in the air fryer, oven or on the grill. Soaking kabob skewers in water softens the wood and keeps them from burning. They will still get a little black on the ends, but that’s ok! We like to place ours in a tall glass with warm water.
Pro tip: soak a few extras incase they break or you have more ingredients than you thought.
What to serve with Hawaiian chicken kabobs
- Our favorite kabob side dish is coconut rice. It pairs perfectly with the Hawaiian chicken. You’ll never make rice the same again!
- Another great option is any form of pasta salad or veggie salad. We love thick caesar pasta salad, avocado pasta salad, summer corn salad, or cucumber tomato avocado salad.
- You can never go wrong with a green salad. Some of our favorites are sweet potato kale salad, brussels sprout salad, kale and goat cheese salad or strawberry spinach salad.
- Potatoes or sweet potatoes are always a crowd pleaser. Some ideas are roasted sweet potatoes, pesto roasted potatoes or air fryer baked potatoes.
- Finally, one of our other favorites is just adding more veggies! Try air fryer asparagus, garlic roasted mini peppers or roasted brussels sprouts.
This post is sponsored by Cafe Appliances. All thoughts and opinions are mine. I’m so grateful to brands like them who believe in me in our recipes so we can keep sharing free ones with you!
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
More easy healthy chicken recipes:
- One pot Hawaiian chicken with tropical coconut rice
- Crispy garlic chicken bites
- Instant pot greek chicken and rice
Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs
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Ingredients
For the marinade
- 1/4 cup aminos or soy sauce if you aren’t gluten free
- 1/4 cup 100% pineapple juice use the juice from the canned pineapple below
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch or tapioca flour reserved until the end
For the kabobs
- 2 red bell peppers cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1 medium red onion cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks in 100% juice
- 12-15 wooden skewers
Instructions
- Whisk together the coconut aminos, pineapple juice, honey, ginger, garlic, sesame oil and and salt in a medium. Place the diced chicken in another medium bowl and pour half of the marinade over the chicken. Cover the leftover marinade and store it in the fridge to use later as a sauce. Stir the chicken and seal with a lid or plastic wrap. Marinate in the fridge for at least one hour or up to 2 days.
- Before you’re ready to cook and serve, place the skewers in warm water and soak for 30 minutes. You can chop all of the veggies while they’re soaking to make the best use of time.
- When you’re ready, remove the chicken from the fridge then alternate adding the diced chicken, onion, pineapple and red pepper to the skewers, leaving an inch or so on either end to pick them up. Discard any remaining chicken marinade from the bowl.
- Air fry at 400°F for 12-15 minutes, turning halfway through. Our Cafe air fryer has an air fry setting so that’s what we used. Place them on a baking sheet and broil on high for 2-3 minutes to char. Watch them closely to avoid over charring.
- While they’re cooking, make the sauce. Heat the second half of the marinade in a sauce pan over medium-high heat. Whisk the tapioca flour in 1 tablespoon of water and add it to the pot. Bring to a boil and stir frequently until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
- Brush the kabobs with the thickened sauce. We love to eat them with coconut rice.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi! I’m curious as to how to do this in the oven? I do not have an air fryer.