If you love visiting the islands but haven’t had a chance to go in a while, these might fix that craving! You might also want to try our Macadamia Nut Sticky Buns, Virgin Piña Coladas, and Papaya Seed Dressing!
Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken Skewers
When it comes to grilling season, I’m a sucker for anything on a stick, grilled fruit (hello grilled peaches!), and all the fresh veggies (try these grilled summer veggie quesadillas! they are amazing!). These Hawaiian teriyaki chicken skewers check all the boxes. My beef kabob marinade is one of my most popular recipes every summer, and I have a feeling these marinated chicken skewers are going to join them. The homemade teriyaki sauce is super easy to throw together, and the prep isn’t bad either since you are just chopping peppers, onions, pineapple, and chicken into large chunks and threading them onto skewers. And the flavor is out of this world! The chicken is marinated in the teriyaki sauce, then brushed with even more teriyaki sauce after grilling, and the pineapple gets extra sweet and caramelized from being on the grill. Is it just me or is this summer flying by? I need it to slow down! I have so much more grilling I want to do before it’s time to move on to soups and crock pot meals! One of the weird things in my job as a food blogger is that we tend to think ahead by season, so I’m already feeling the need to move on to Fall content. I’m resisting that urge with these Hawaiian teriyaki chicken skewers since it’s only mid-July!
What’s the difference between teriyaki sauce and marinade?
Teriyaki is one of our favorite Asian-American flavors and making a teriyaki marinade or sauce is easy with ingredients that are probably already in your pantry. It’s a sweet and savory sauce made with soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and sesame. I read an article claiming that teriyaki actually originated in Hawaii where it was created by Japanese immigrants. I’m not sure how true that is since you see teriyaki on almost every Japanese restaurant menu here in the U.S.A., but I’ve never been to Japan so I can’t say for sure. Regardless, this classic flavor needed to be part of my line-up of flavors that Hawaii is known for as part of my American Eats series where I am visiting the best known foods of each state, one at a time. There are a couple of differences between teriyaki marinade and teriyaki sauce though. Teriyaki marinade is a thin liquid that is absorbed into meat better and is used to flavor food BEFORE cooking. Teriyaki sauce has been thickened with a cornstarch slurry and is used to flavor meat AFTER cooking. We give our Hawaiian teriyaki chicken skewers a double hit of teriyaki flavor by mixing up the teriyaki sauce and setting aside part of it to use as a marinade, while thickening the remaining sauce to use as our glaze for brushing on the finished skewers after they come off the grill. For this Hawaiian version, we are adding flavor and sweetness to the teriyaki sauce by using pineapple juice. You could just use water in place of the pineapple juice and still have a wonderful teriyaki marinade and sauce, but I highly recommend trying it. I like to buy the six-pack of small cans of pineapple juice so I only have to use one at a time instead of opening a large bottle of the stuff.
This teriyaki marinade and sauce recipe can be used in lots of ways beyond just these skewers.
Chicken: Marinate chicken breasts in it for up to two days and grill them whole then top with slices of grilled pineapple and melted cheese for a teriyaki chicken burger. Beef: Make teriyaki beef by marinating for up to 24 hours. Fish: Fish shouldn’t marinate for longer than 30 minutes or it will start to break down, so I tend to prefer to just brush teriyaki sauce on fish after it’s done cooking. Grilled salmon brushed with teriyaki sauce is heavenly stuff, you guys! Stir Fry: Combine all of the sauce ingredients, including the cornstarch, in a bowl. Then add the teriyaki sauce to stir-fried meat and veggies and it will thicken as it cooks and flavors the rest of the dish, coating each piece of meat and vegetable.
How to Make Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken Skewers
Tips for Making the Best Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken Skewers
You could even make these Hawaiian teriyaki chicken skewers smaller by cutting your sticks in half to serve as an appetizer at a summer luau! Switch up the proteins by using beef instead of chicken, and add whatever vegetables you like. Bad weather got you down? You can make these skewers on an indoor grill or even in the oven under the broiler if you need to.
What to serve with Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken Skewers
These skewers go great with so many grilling side dishes, but since they are already filled with veggies and protein, we tend to enjoy carby, filling sides with them. Hawaiian macaroni salad is a favorite. You could also serve them with coconut rice or just a loaf of french bread with butter. And don’t forget a delicious tropical beverage to complete the meal! Hawaiian punch or virgin pina coladas are both excellent options!
More Summer Grilling Recipes
Perfect Grilled Pork Chops with Sweet BBQ Pork Rub Grilled Chicken Shawarma Wraps Grilled Whole Fish Grilled Thai Pork Tenderloin with Coconut Lime Peanut Sauce Grilled Santa Maria Tri-Tip Rhubarb BBQ Sauce Grilled Chicken Grilled BBQ Chicken Pizza And see all of my GRILLING RECIPES here!
More States I Have Visited in my American Eats Series
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • New Jersey • New York • Oregon • Puerto Rico • South Carolina • South Dakota • Texas • Utah • Wisconsin Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
