PINEAPPLE CHICKEN STICKS

When our food budget is very limited, we sometimes get stuck in the rut of believing we cannot afford to make anything more than mac ‘n cheese and hot dogs.  This could not be further from the truth.  The quantities used in the recipe of this fun tasty meal cost about $7.00 in total and makes 6 skewers.  Assuming each person will consume 2 skewers each, you are feeding 3 people for $7.00.  You can’t even go to a fast food restaurant for that price.  And putting food on a stick and grilling or broiling it seems to be something almost anyone will eat regardless of what is on the stick.

I use chicken thighs for this recipe only because I prefer the dark meat of chicken.  You can definitely use chicken breasts instead, but if you do keep costs down by buying split breasts that have the bone and skin and remove the bone and skin yourself.  If you have a nice pair of kitchen shears it is very easy to cut the bone away from chicken meat.  Also keep the cost down by buying your store’s brand of canned pineapple instead of a national brand like Dole.  And if you are fortunate enough to have space to grow your own peppers, you will definitely reduce the cost of this meal.

What You Need

6 10” Bamboo Skewers, soaked in water for a minimum of ½ hour

1 ½ Lbs. Chicken, skinned and deboned and cut into 1” pieces
20 oz. Can Pineapple Chunks in Natural Juice, drained, juice reserved
1 Sweet Green Pepper, cored and seeds removed, cut into 1” chunks
¼ cup Teriyaki Sauce
½ cup Pineapple Juice (from reserved canned pineapple chunks juice)
¼ cup Honey

Preparation

Whisk together honey, teriyaki sauce and pineapple juice in a medium bowl.  Cut chick into 1 inch pieces and put into marinade sauce in bowl.  Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.

Once chicken has marinated as long as you desire, remove chicken to a plate, reserving marinade.

Starting with and ending with a chunk of pineapple, put pineapple, chicken and green pepper chunks onto skewer, alternating pieces.  You should have enough quantity to fill 6 skewers three quarters full.

Cooking

Put skewers on grill or broiler pan and cook for 5 minutes.  Brush with marinade, turn and cook for 5 minutes.  Brush with marinade, turn and cook for 5 more minutes or until chicken is done but not dry.  Discard any unused marinade.

Serve over rice pilaf.