This recipe for Chicken, Pineapple and Snow Pea Kebobs was born out out of my frustration over not having an outdoor barbecue. For years, I’ve watched my friends grill outside. My husband and I are sort of “vetted and bonded” professional guests. We don’t have a summer house. Many of our friends do. Over the last 30 or so years, we keep returning to the same homes. A lot of grilling happens over the Summer. What I’ve noticed is that most people, when doing chicken, marinate it and pre-cook it almost all the way through in the oven; then put it on the grill to get those great char marks and smoky flavor. For grilling stovetop, I reverse the process. I grill the Chicken, Pineapple and Snow Pea Kebobs til the grill marks can be seen and the pineapple is caramelized by the direct heat; then put it in the oven to finish cooking. You can stand at the oven and keep flipping the kebobs around and around. That’s okay for kebobs for two. Once you have a crowd, grill, bake and enjoy your company!
For your vegetarians, make Grilled Tofu and add it to your skewered pineapple and snowpeas.
Hint: Wear gloves to keep the oil from the garlic and ginger from permeating your skin-particularly if you wear contacts. Remove the gloves before grilling. You don’t want the latex to stick to the grill pan by accident!
Prep time: 30 minutes plus marinating several hours or overnight
Chicken, Pineapple and Snow Pea Kebobs
By Published: May 25, 2016
Yield:
- 30 kebobs
Ingredients
- 1 cup teryaki sauce
- 1/2 cup pure sesame oil
- 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
- 8 large Cloves Garlic peeled and smashed
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 inches Fresh Ginger root peeled and minced
- 3 pounds chicken breasts
- 1 large pineapple peeled,cored and cut into one inch pieces
- 2/3 pound snow peas strings removed and trimmed
- vegetable oil spray
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- plastic wrap
- 30 8 inch bamboo skewers soaked in water for an hour before use
- 1 stove top grilling pan
- 1 pastry brush
- large pan with a lip and foil
Directions
- Mix first six ingredients in mixing bowl. Set aside. Rinse off chicken breasts. Remove tenders. I like to remove the white membrane from the tenders before marinating. Add tenders to marinade.
Remove any extraneous fat or bone chips from breasts. Cut them in half lengthwise; and then into about one inch cubes. Add all the chicken to the marinade. Mix well and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.
- To form kebobs: Arrange your chicken, pineapple and snowpeas in a row in front of you. Push a piece of chicken through the center onto a skewer; then add a piece of pineapple and then a snow pea. ( The tip of the breast is thinner than the middle. Try to choose chicken pieces of the same thickness for each kebob so that they cook evenly. ) You should be able to fit three sets of ingredients on each skewer. Repeat until all your ingredients are skewered. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate if you're not grilling them right away. Reserve marinade for basting and refrigerate that as well.
- To grill: Spray grill pan with oil and heat pan over medium high flame.
Preheat oven to: 400° F.
Brush 3-4 kebobs (depending on the size of your pan) with marinade. Remember that the more crowded the pan, the slower the kebobs will cook.) Carefully, place kebobs on grill pan. Grill 4-5 minutes on one side before turning the kebobs over. Baste them again and grill another 4-5 minutes. You should see significant grill marks on the chicken and pineapple. The kebobs should look shiny and caramelized. At this point, I like to place grilled kebobs in an oven to table pan, cover them with foil and finish them off in the oven. After 15 minutes, check one to be sure it's fully cooked. Serve hot or at room temp.
