Grilled Honey Chicken Kabobs are made with yummy bites of tender marinated chicken, colorful veggies, and sweet pineapple. They can be made traditionally on skewers or, to make things extra easy, serve them off the skewer as a kabob platter. Enjoy with a side of rice for a perfect summertime meal!
Warmer weather means one good thing for all of us: grilling season! Every year I look forward to cracking open the grill for the first summertime meal. This year the first recipe on the list is none other than Grilled Honey Chicken Kabobs with veggies and pineapple.
This recipe has been a steady family favorite for many years (which tells you a lot from a large family with picky eaters). The original recipe is from AllRecipes, but we have found that we like to enhance the marinade slightly and add grilled pineapple (because it's DELICIOUS).
🧅 Ingredients
A full list of the ingredients is in the recipe card below, but here are a few noteworthy comments.
Honey: It's in the name, after all! I haven't found a substitute that adds the same level of flavor as real honey.
Bell peppers: Kabobs are always more stunning if you use a variety of colorful bell peppers. Any color will work, although I find that green bell peppers are a little too bitter for the sweet honey chicken.
Onions: Yellow or sweet onions have a bit of sweetness to them, which compliments the marinade. You can use white onions if that is all you have, but they won't be as sweet.
Pineapple: The best part of the whole meal! Make sure the pineapple is ripe so that it is sweet.
🔪 How to grill chicken kabobs
Grilled chicken kabobs are super simple to make. Start by marinating the chicken and chopping the veggies and pineapple. Then layer everything evenly on a skewer - no need for an exact order, just make sure to leave a little room on both ends of the skewer to make it easier to handle.
Full transparency here: Although traditional kabobs are great, I actually prefer to leave them off the skewers and cook everything separately on the grill (hence the "unkabobs" name). It's faster, hassel-free and tastes just as tasty! But you can choose whichever option you prefer.
Last, fire up the grill to medium-high heat. When grilling everything separately, the chicken takes about 3-4 minutes on each side. The veggies and pineapple take about 8-10 minutes, or until they are soft and have bits of char color throughout.
If you're cooking these on the skewer, cook the skewers for about 8-10 minutes, making sure to rotate it so each side cooks evenly.
Last but not least, if you like extra sauce on your chicken you do one extra step. Reserve some of the marinade and boil it on the stove for about 5 minutes until it thickens slightly. Super easy drizzling sauce. 😀
👨👩👧👦 For a crowd
If you are serving these to a large group, my suggestion is to stick to the unkabobs (no skewers) route. It's much faster and actually easier to cook it all on one grill. I also suggest making the honey marinade the night before (the chicken will be extra flavorful this way) and chopping the onions, bell peppers, and pineapple 1-2 days in advance. This will save you time and make cooking a breeze!
🙋 Questions & Answers
If you skipped the skewer step like me, you may run into the problem of your veggies slipping through the grates of the grill. An easy fix is to use a grill basket for anything small enough to fall through. There are many out there, but this one is similar to mine.
There are a few things you can do to prep this recipe ahead. First, you can cut and marinate the chicken overnight in the fridge or freeze it several months ahead. The veggies can all be chopped and refrigerated 1-2 days ahead. Then you can grill everything the day of serving.
Kabobs already include meat, veggies, and even fruit. All you're missing is a simple side or two. My favorite sides to serve alongside Grilled Honey Chicken Kabobs are Pineapple Lime Rice, Coconut Rice, and Easy Asian Slaw Salad.
This is a common problem with skewered kabobs - the meat takes longer than the veggies, so the veggies end up burnt. My solution is to grill everything separately and serve more of a chicken kabob platter. If you still want to skewer the kabobs, I suggest using smaller pieces of chicken to help them cook in the same amount of time as the veggies.
👨🏼🍳 Tips & Tricks
- The longer you marinate the chicken, the more flavorful it will be. I recommend marinating overnight for the best results.
- If you take the unkabob route, use a grilling basket for the onions and bell peppers. There are different sizes and brands, but mine is similar to this one.
📖 More grilling recipes
- This pineapple steak marinade will knock your socks off! It makes tender, flavorful flank steak with crispy edges and juicy slices.
- The ultimate chicken taco marinade is easy to make and ultra-flavorful! Works great on steak as well.
- For a simple grilled chicken, use this Best Grilled Chicken Marinade. You'll honestly never need another marinade.
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Recipe
Grilled Honey Chicken Kabobs
Ingredients
Marinade
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup honey
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch optional, only if reserving marinade to thicken as a sauce.
Kabobs
- 6-8 chicken breasts cut into 1½-2 inch cubes (about 3 lbs of chicken)
- 1½ onions yellow or sweet, cut into ½-2 inch pieces
- 3 bell peppers any color, cut into ½-2 inch pieces
- 1 pineapple peeled and cut into 1½ inch chunks
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Combine the first 4 ingredients into a small bowl. If you want to drizzle extra on later reserve ½ cup now in. a separate bowl. Pour over prepared chicken in a large zipper bag and marinate for 8-24 hours (the longer the better).¼ cup vegetable oil, ⅓ cup honey, ⅓ cup soy sauce, 1 tablespoon garlic, 6-8 chicken breasts
- Drizzle olive oil, salt, and pepper over the prepared onions and bell peppers and pineapple. Stir to coat evenly.1½ onions, 3 bell peppers, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, 1 pineapple
If Not Using Skewers (unkabobs):
- Bring grill to medium high heat. Grill chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side. Then grill veggies and pineapple (using a grill basket if needed) for 8-10 minutes (they should have bits of char and grill color).
If Using Skewers:
- Assemble skewers with even layers of chicken, veggies, and pineapple. Grill over medium high heat for 8-10 minutes, rotating skewers occasionally for even cooking.
Optional Sauce:
- To thicken reserved marinade for drizzling, first dissolve 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in 2 tablespoon of water. Then add that mixture to the reserved marinade. Bring to a simmer on the stovetop or in the microwave for 2 minutes, until the sauce has thickened slightly. It will continue to thicken as it sits. Drizzle over chicken and veggies before serving.1 tablespoon cornstarch
Notes
- The longer you marinate the chicken, the more flavorful it will be. I recommend marinating overnight for the best results.
- If you take the unkabob route, use a grilling basket for the onions and bell peppers. There are different sizes and brands, but mine is similar to this one.
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
Kimberly A Jones says
These look yummy. Perfect for a summer BBQ
Danielle says
Thanks!! They are perfect for the heat that is coming our way!
Karen says
Oo la la (squared, then x3). So good.