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Summer is almost here!! Kick off the summer grilling season this Memorial Day with these super delish BBQ Chicken Kebabs. They’re sweet, savory, and tangy with a little tropical pineapple twist. 🍍 They’re super easy and you can get all the ingredients plus some fresh summer sides to make it a meal in one quick and efficient trip to ALDI, so you can spend more time out enjoying that summer weather. 😎
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What Are Chicken Kebabs Made Of?
These BBQ Chicken Kebabs are made with just a few super simple ingredients. They’ve got seasoned chunks of chicken breast, fresh-cut pineapple, red onion, BBQ sauce, and a few fresh green onions for garnish. They’re light, fresh, and perfect for the summer BBQ season!
What to Serve with Chicken Kebabs
I served up my BBQ Chicken Kebabs with all the classic summer BBQ sides like potato salad, macaroni salad, potato chips, and ice-cold beer, all of which I was able to pick up at ALDI along with the ingredients for the kebabs in one quick shopping trip. I also spotted some mango pico de gallo and had to grab that, too, because I thought that would go great with the pineapple on the kebabs!
When all was said and done, I was able to get all the ingredients for this summer BBQ feast at ALDI (minus a couple of pantry staples) for only $34.60! Now do you see why I’m so obsessed with ALDI?? And if you are up for making your own sides, ALDI has the high-quality ingredients to make those from scratch, too. But hey, it’s summer, so I’m taking it easy and buying a couple of those pre-made items. 😉 Here’s a breakdown of what I bought (prices may vary by location):
- Simply Nature Organic Chicken Breasts $8.21
- Fresh Pineapple $1.99
- Red Onions $2.29
- Green Onions $0.95
- Burman’s Original BBQ Sauce $0.95
- Park Street Deli Mustard Potato Salad $3.69
- Park Street Deli Macaroni Salad $3.69
- Park Street Deli Mango Pico de Gallo $3.19
- Clancy’s Kettle Chips $1.65
- Holland Lager 1839 $7.99
And I have so many leftovers! 🙌 Seriously, don’t sleep on ALDI. They’ve got you covered for summer with high-quality ingredients, low prices, and a streamlined shopping experience.
Do I Need a Grill?
You can cook these chicken kebabs on an outdoor grill or inside using a grill pan. Cast-iron grill pans that sit on top of your stove’s burners make a really great alternative to outdoor grills, but they can get smoky, so make sure to turn on your exhaust fan! :)
What Kind of BBQ Sauce is Best?
I used Burman’s Original BBQ Sauce from ALDI, but you could have fun and change up the flavor of these kebabs by using just about any flavor of BBQ Sauce. ALDI also had some great regional Burman’s BBQ sauces (Memphis, Texas, Kansas City, and Carolina), or you could opt for a different flavor like a honey BBQ sauce, smoky BBQ sauce, or even a spicy sauce.
BBQ Chicken Kebabs
Servings 5 two kebabs eachIngredients
- 2 small red onions (or one large) ($0.76)
- 1 fresh pineapple ($1.99)
- 1.3 lbs. Simply Nature Organic Chicken Breasts ($8.21)
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil, divided ($0.08)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika ($0.10)
- 1 tsp sweet paprika ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 1/2 cup Burman's Original BBQ Sauce ($0.21)
- 2 green onions, sliced ($0.12)
Instructions
- Cut the red onions into 1-inch squares. Place the red onion in a bowl, drizzle with 1 Tbsp cooking oil, and toss to coat.
- Cut the pineapple into 1-inch cubes.
- Cut the chicken breast into 1-inch cubes, then place the chicken pieces in a bowl. Drizzle 1 Tbsp cooking oil on top, then add the smoked paprika, sweet paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Toss the chicken until it is well coated in oil and spices.
- Build your kebabs by adding pineapple, onion, and chicken to skewers, alternating as you go. I got ten skewers, but the yield will vary depending on the length of your skewers and size of your pieces.
- Heat a grill or grill pan over medium. Once hot, add the kebabs and cook for a few minutes on each side.
- When the kebabs are almost cooked through, brush them on all sides with BBQ Sauce. Cook the chicken kebabs for a minute or two more on each side, or until the chicken is cooked through and the BBQ sauce is slightly caramelized.
- Sprinkle the sliced green onions over top just before serving.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Lodge Grill Pan
Nutrition
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How to Make BBQ Chicken Kebabs – Step by Step Photos
Cut one large or two small red onions into 1-inch pieces. Place them in a bowl, drizzle with 1 Tbsp cooking oil, then toss to coat.
Cut one pineapple into 1-inch chunks. If you need help learning how to cut pineapple, check out my tutorial on How to Cut a Pineapple.
Cut two boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.3 lbs. total) into one-inch pieces.
Drizzle 1 Tbsp cooking oil over the chicken, then add 2 tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper. Toss until the chicken is well coated in oil and spices.
Build your chicken kebabs on skewers by alternating between the pineapple chunks, onion, and seasoned chicken.
Heat a grill or grill pan over medium. Once hot, add the kebabs and cook for a few minutes on each side. Once the kebabs are mostly cooked through, brush them on all sides with BBQ sauce. Cook for a minute or two more on each side, or until cooked through and the BBQ sauce is caramelized.
Sprinkle sliced green onion over the kebabs just before serving. Enjoy with all your favorite BBQ Sides! …And don’t forget, ALDI has everything you need to keep you eating good all summer without breaking your budget!
We are a small household, so I take every opportunity to keep my ingredients fresh. Fresh pineapple freezes easily. Just cut it as you like, lay it on a tray and freeze. Put the frozen spears or chunks in a zipper bag and toss it back in the freezer. A fresh pineapple costs $2.50 and has held that price well (Midwest/2024). That is comparable to canned pineapple. If you need it crushed, just put in the food processor.
These were great! I used a red bell pepper in place of one of the red onions.
These were a hit!! So delicious! Thank you!
Soooo good!! This one will be on my summer bbq meal rotation for sure! I added green pepper to the kabobs because I like that combo with chicken and pineapple. Served on a bed of rice. Fantastic!
I just love your menus.
The food you make is amazing!!
The best so far.
Made this for memorial day and wow, so good. I could do this meal with various meats every week and never get tired of it.
Our meal planning minds must be thinking alike -Just two days ago I made chicken Kebabs and used pineapple chunks, onion, and red grapes. They were delicious. I love most of your ideas and I do a lot of shopping at Aldi’s.
Thanks for the recipe. My husband loved it!
Those are some EXPENSIVE onions! Yikes!
Just saying–I’ve been buying delicious fresh pineapples from Aldi’s at the best prices anywhere for years, and they’ve been $1.99 for months now. I pick one up every couple of weeks. This recipe would be equally spectacular with pork or shrimp, which are also great partners with pineapple.
Can you post a link to the wooden skewers you used ! Love they they have a flat side to them !
I don’t know if they’re available online. I just had them leftover in my kitchen from a previous year… probably just picked them up a the grocery store. 😬
Could you use canned pineapple if no fresh is available?
Hi Eric, I answered you on FB but I’ll answer here too just in case anyone else is wondering. :) I’d be worried that the canned pineapple chunks would be too small and too soft for this. In a pinch I’d try frozen (thawed) as they’ll likely be a bit more sturdy, but probably still too small.