Grilled Chicken & Pineapple Skewers w/Homemade Ginger-Teriyaki Sauce {Gluten-free}

Summer = BBQ = Happiness.  It’s a fact.

I simply love BBQing.  And homemade sauce is definitely where it’s at… a much preferred method to store-bought when possible.  You know exactly what you’re getting… no weird secret ingredients no one can pronounce.  This sauce is a great versatile marinade or dipping sauce for meats, veggies, or just drizzled over rice.

I used to shy away from grilling pineapple with chicken.  Not because I don’t like the taste… I love it.   But because one day eons ago I made kabobs that turned out… well just plain weird really.  I quickly realized the mistake was marinating the pineapple in with the chicken.  The acids and sugars from the pineapple created a mushy starchy quality that kinda killed the chicken.  But marinate that chicken on its own and it’s amazing… trust me on this one.  Then that sauce is smothered over it all just at the end and it’s just oh so good.  Great eaten on the spot, great as leftovers.  Serve with rice and a small cucumber salad and you’ll have a meal bound to please any and all!

If you’re one of those who are intimidated by grills, this is a perfect way to get in there and try… you just lay them on there, close the lid, and then let them cook for about 12 minutes.  Turn them half way through… you’ll see beautiful grill marks that’ll make you so proud of yourself!  If you don’t have a grill, no worries… broil them instead.  Same concept, more or less.  Though I am always partial to grilling whenever possible 🙂

Makes 8-10 skewers

INGREDIENTS

for the sauce…

1/4 cup coconut aminos (use tamari instead if preferred)

2 tsp grated fresh ginger

2 tsp minced or grated fresh garlic (approx. 2 cloves)

3 tbsp coconut sugar (or use light brown, or 2 tbsp raw honey)

3 tbsp mirin

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 cup water mixed with 2 tsp arrowroot starch (a sub for cornstarch)

for the skewers…

8-10 skewers (soaked in water, if wood)

2 skinless/boneless chicken breasts

1/2 fresh pineapple

1/2 large red bell pepper

1/2 large green bell pepper

1/2 onion (yellow, sweet, red, etc)

DIRECTIONS

Grate ginger

Alternatively, you can mince if you prefer

Finely mince or grate garlic

Add ginger and garlic along with sugar, mirin, aminos, and sesame oil into a small saucepan

In a small bowl, stir together water and starch, until smooth and milky

Add the starch mix to the sauce (this helps to thicken it just slightly)

Turn heat to medium and let sauce come to a boil

Cook the sauce for a few minutes at a slow boil…

Then remove from heat to let cool

As it cools, the sauce will thicken

Let the sauce sit while you begin prepping the chicken…

Cut chicken into bite-size pieces (I like mine on the larger side of bite-size)

Place chicken pieces into a large ziploc bag or glass tupperware

Add approx 1/2 cup sauce to the bag

Let marinate while you prep the rest

Pour the rest of the sauce into a small bowl to use during the grilling process

For now, you can set it aside 🙂

Now to get the veggies and pineapple ready…

Chop the onion, red pepper, and green pepper into similar-sized pieces…

Chop the pineapple up into chunks that are about the same size as the peppers and onions

Now you can start assembling…

Get that chicken out and start skewering

Order them however you want… just get some of everything on each stick!

Keep skewering until everything is used up

Preheat your grill to medium heat- brush, clean, oil and do whatever else you need

Place the skewers directly over the heat

Cook them for about 12-15 minutes total, turning them about half way through

To get those nice grill marks, you want to let them grill without

moving them… besides the turning half way through 🙂

After you’ve turned them, get that sauce and slather it over the grilled

side of the skewers- you can wait until they’re done and then sauce them if you’d like,

but I prefer to do it while they’re still on the grill too

Give them one more brushing of sauce before taking them off the grill… one last coat of love