These chicken skewers are perfect for summertime grilling- moist, tender, sweet and tropical! The chicken marinade is full of exciting flavors that has become my family’s favorite! It all starts with the coconut oil which is one of my ALL TIME favorite ingredients. I utilize coconut oil in many of my recipes and love baking and cooking with it. (If you are curious to find out why I love coconut oil so much there are some fun facts about it HERE.)
We eat A TON of chicken in my home! I buy all natural, or organic chicken, as it’s a great healthy way to get lean protein into your diet. When I was a vegetarian I never was able to incorporate enough protein into my diet, and my energy level and health suffered. Now that I eat meat (responsibly) again, I feel much more balanced energy-wise. (Vegetarianism works great for some, just not for me.) When I say I eat meat “responsibly” this is what I mean:
- I eat meats that were raised without hormones and fed as close to a natural diet as possible. My CSA delivers pasture-raised beef, and I buy chicken that states it has not been raised with hormones. Whole Foods sells free-range and pasture-raised chicken, which is the best choice.
- I try to be aware of how the animals were raised, again opting for the free-range/pastured option and avoiding the packages that don’t state how they were raised because that often means not to well 🙁 I am an animal lover afterall…..)
So with that in mind, choose your chicken wisely! Let’s make these Chicken Pineapple Skewers!
I would like to note if you are using wood skewers, you should soak them in water first so they don’t go “POOF” on the grill 🙂
Coconut-Mustard Chicken & Pineapple Skewers {Gluten Free, Paleo} with Sweet Cilantro Lime Dipping Sauce
- 5-6 chicken breasts (cut breast when partially thawed-much easier!, cut into 2-3” chunks)
- 1 cup pineapple (or you can cut shapes with a cookie cutter as I did, 2×1” cubes)
- 1 green pepper (cut into 1 ½” squares)
- 1 red pepper (cut into 1 ½” squares)
Marinade:
- 2 tablespoons dijon or stone ground mustard
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil (melted)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Dipping Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil (melted)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons chopped cilantro
- Combine the marinade- mustard, honey, coconut oil (melted), apple cider vinegar, and salt and pepper.
- Combine the chicken and marinate in a large zip lock and marinate overnight or for at least few hours.
- Cut the pineapple, red and green peppers into 2” chunks (you can use a cookie cutter to make shapes too!)
- If you are using wood skewers make sure to soak them first, then place the chicken, pineapple, and peppers, alternating, onto the skewers. (You can also put all the chicken on the same skewer, and do the same for the pepper and pineapple to make the grilling a bit easier as chicken can take the longest depending on the size of your pieces.)
- Grill on medium-high, about 4-5 minutes each side(flip carefully), or until cook through with nice deep brown grill marks. Make sure your grill grate is oiled to prevent sticking.
- In a small blender (I used my bullet-perfect for making dressings and sauces!) combine the melted coconut oil, honey, lime juice and cilantro, blend and place in a small dipping bowl.
