Teriyaki Chicken Skewers

With Easter being this past weekend, I couldn't decide whether I should cook something or if we should go out for brunch.  Being just the two of us, I really didn't see the sense in cooking a huge Easter dinner (we did that for Thanksgiving and it was a lot of work for just two people)!  The weather was absolutely gorgeous (I am seriously getting used to living in the South) and instead of the traditional Easter fare of ham, we decided to grill out!  So I put together a wonderful little menu including these babies, Spring Asparagus, Cilantro Potato Salad and Southern Deviled Eggs (by Chris' request)!

I can't even begin to tell you how good these were!  The entire meal was an absolute success and while I'll only toot my own horn on a rare occasion, I am definitely going to toot on this one - Toot, Toot!  I also gave myself a healthy pat on the back!  Everything was so good and the words, "This dinner is the bee's knees" came right out of Chris' mouth!  I've never gotten that kind of compliment before, so I knew this was serious stuff! I even made mention that this is now my favorite meal. Ever.

Back to the skewers (I'll be posting about the other items at a later time)....They're a little time consuming to put together, but what kabob isn't?!  I mean, the rigorous task of cutting the meat and veggies, skewering them so there's enough of everything on each one and then seasoning and/or marinating them before grilling... This one also had the added difficulty of wrapping bacon around each piece of chicken, which was definitely an issue in and of itself!

People, if you're going to make this dish, don't make the same mistake I did and buy cheap bacon.  Normally it's fine when you're cooking it but the stuff kept falling apart and not staying on, which added on to my time!

But in the end, it was all worth the blood, sweat and tears....they came out perfectly!  The meat was tender and the pineapple was caramelized just right.  They had the perfect combination of sweet teriyaki glaze coupled with the smoky flavor from the grill!  They were absolutely delightful!

Teriyaki Chicken Skewers

Ingredients - Skewers
1 lb. Chicken Breasts, cut into 1" chunks
1 lb. Bacon, cut into 3" pieces
1 lg. Pineapple, cut into 1" chunks

Ingredients - Teriyaki Sauce
1 Tbsp. Cornstarch
1 Tbsp. Cold Water
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tsp. Garlic, minced
1/2 Tsp. Ground Ginger
1/4 Tsp. Pepper

Directions
To make skewers, take one piece of chicken, wrap it in one piece of bacon and slide the skewer through the seam of the bacon holding both pieces of meat on. Follow with two chunks of pineapple. Repeat until there are three pieces of bacon-wrapped chicken and six pieces of pineapple chunks on the skewer. Repeat process with remaining skewers and place in a deep baking dish.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the cornstarch, water, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger and pepper over medium-high heat; mix well. Bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Carefully spoon the teriyaki mixture over the skewers in the baking dish until they're well covered with the sauce.

Cover and refrigerate at least an hour before grilling.

Preheat grill. Grill the skewers over low-medium heat for 10-15 minutes (or until juices run clear from chicken).

Note: If using bamboo skewers, be sure to soak them in water for at least 1 hour before placing on the grill.

Yield: 4-6 Servings
Source: Adapted from Our Best Bites