Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs July 17, 2009

I recently purchased skewers at a local garden store for the intention of trying my hand at some kabobs.  I left them on our kitchen counter, purposefully, so I would see them ever time I was in my kitchen, which, if you ask my husband, is quite often.  They sat and sat.  Finally, remembering them during a trip to the grocery store, I rambled my brain to decide what to poke with those skewers.  My husband loves grilled pineapple, so that was a must.  I enjoy red peppers (if only I had a red pepper ready to be picked from my plant) and red onions, so after the grocery store, I went to the Internet to find some kind of marinade, when I found this Hawaiian Chicken Kabob recipe posted recently by Rita over at A Pookie Pantry.  This couldn’t get any easier.  Although I didn’t have any cooking sherry, I didn’t think Vermouth would be a good substitute, so I went to the fridge where I found a bottle of Merlot, with about 3 drops of wine left.  One warning, soy sauce is usually very salty, unless you use some kind of less sodium kind, so when adding the ’salt and pepper to taste,’ be careful!  I think ours could have used a tad less salt, I believe I dumped in 1 tsp.

I highly recommend you making these things, and if you do, come back and let me know what you think!. 

Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks (I used two for my husband and I)

3 Tbsp soy sauce

3 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp cooking sherry (I used Merlot, which seemed to work fine)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 fresh pineapple, cut into chunks plus 2 Tbsp reserved juice

red pepper, cut into chunks

1/2 red onion, cut into chunks

In a small bowl combine soy sauce, brown sugar, sherry, olive oil, ginger, garlic powder, salt, pepper and pineapple juice.  Whisk to incorporate.  Pour into a large Ziploc bag or leave in a large container and add chicken chunks.  Shake to coat completely.  Cover and marinate for at least two hours.

Preheat grill to medium heat and lightly oil grill grates.  Alternately thread chicken, pineapple and vegetables onto skewers (if using wood skewers, be sure to soak them at least 1/2 hour before assembling kabobs).  Grill for 15 to 20 minutes or until chicken is done, turning occasionally

Recipe from Rita at A Pookie Pantry

Yeah, they were pretty good…