Grocery Basket
chicken breasts, pineapple chunks, mushrooms, soy sauce, olive oil, red wine vinegar, onion powder, garlic salt, bacon, jalapeños
Method
Grill, Grill pan, Skewers, Ziploc bags, Mixing bowl
Category
Finger Foods
Servings
3-4
Cook Time
25 minutes
If you’re just looking for something tasty to munch on, we’ve got a delicious treat in mind. Whether it’s hot out or cold, sunny or raining—and hopefully you have an awning if it’s raining—it’s never a bad idea to get grilling. Plus, wrapping anything in bacon is just plain awesome.
These shish kebabs are a dynamite snack to serve up for friends and family. They’re citrusy, savory, damn satisfying sticks of happiness, and they are perfect for any occasion. Don’t believe us? Give them a try.
Ingredients
2 chicken breasts
¾ cup pineapple chunks*
8–10 mushrooms, cut in half
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper*
6 pieces bacon or turkey bacon
2 whole jalapeño peppers, cut into slices with seeds removed*
Directions
Cut the chicken into cubes and place the chicken, pineapple, and mushrooms into a Ziploc bag.
Add into the bag the soy sauce, vinegar, oil, onion powder, garlic salt, and pepper.
Seal the bag and squeeze, making sure the chicken and veggies are mixed and coated.
Place the bag in the fridge to marinate for 45 minutes. Feel free to also let marinate overnight, if it’s easier for your schedule.
While the chicken is marinating, cook the bacon. You’re going to want to not get it really crispy just yet—just cook it just enough that it’s not raw, but still pliable. The easiest way to do this is to line a plate with paper towels and place the bacon on that. Stick it in the microwave and zap in 20 second intervals, checking the bacon each time. Remember, you want it beyond raw but still able to wrap around your chicken. (It will crisp up in the oven later).
While the chicken is marinating, you can also prep your skewers. How many you will need truly depends on how large of a chunk you cut your chicken. With the skewers you’re using, be sure to soak them in water and cover for 10 minutes. Then drain.
Once the meat is done marinating, it’s time to grill up the chicken. Because you’re also going to cook the chicken in the oven once you’ve wrapped it in bacon, you don’t need to cook the chicken all the way through at this step. You just want to give it some grill marks and that woody flavor from the grill. If you don’t have a grill, you can always do this on your stovetop with a grill pan.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and position a rack to allow for cooking in the upper third of the oven.
Once you’ve browned/grill-marked up the chicken, let it cool a bit (so you can hold it), and then place a jalapeño piece on each side of a chicken chunk. Wrap them in a slice of bacon.
Secure the meat with skewers, alternating with mushrooms and pineapple chunks.
Place the skewers on a large baking sheet or pan lined with parchment paper and drizzle the remaining marinade to amp up the flavor.
Pop in the oven and let cook for 5–8 minutes, and then turn the skewers over. Let cook for another 5–8 minutes.
For extra crispy bacon, you can then turn on your broiler and broil the skewers for another minute on each side.
Recipe Note
Pro Tip 1:
If you like sweet shish kebabs, pineapple is ideal. If you’d rather keep things savory, switch out the pineapple for bell peppers cut into square pieces.
Pro Tip 2:
You can also kick things up a notch by using red pepper flakes. But start with only a small amount!
Pro Tip 3:
Use a knife or other kitchen instrument to remove the jalapeno seeds. Do not use your fingers! They will burn for hours!