Published by Best Fitness Routine. Editorial standards · Report a correction. Educational guidance; no individual clinical review is claimed unless a qualified reviewer is named.
About This Healthy Recipe
These chicken pineapple skewers cook in the oven with red onion and a measured honey-soy coating. Brown rice and a cucumber-lime salad make the plates complete. Fresh pineapple is threaded in firm pieces rather than blended into a long marinade, so its sweetness stays distinct and the chicken keeps its texture.
The 80-minute planning total allows 35 minutes for preparation and assembly plus the rice’s up-to-45-minute simmer. Its 10-minute covered standing time and the chicken bake overlap the wider preparation schedule; no separate marination is required.
All honey-soy coating is included in the estimate even though leftover raw-contact coating is discarded. Reduced-sodium soy sauce still contributes sodium and does not make this a prescribed low-sodium meal. For another preparation, see Sweet-and-Sour Pork Stir-Fry with Pineapple.
Why Readers May Like It
- 1Measured portions, clear cooking guidance and practical doneness checks.
- 2Clear dry, cooked and drained ingredient weights.
- 3Four measured meal portions with skewers, sauces and listed sides included.
Recipe Summary and Estimated Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated from the listed ingredient weights and the specific USDA records or manufacturer references linked below. Weights labeled dry, raw, cooked or drained must be matched to that state.
4 servings
One serving is one quarter of the base batch. Values are estimates rather than laboratory analysis.
Per one quarter of the base recipe
Per one quarter of the base recipe
Per one quarter of the base recipe
Per one quarter of the base recipe
Brands, drained weights, substitutions and final serving sizes can change these values.
Ingredient-by-Ingredient Nutrition Breakdown
Gram weights are the calculation basis; household measures are approximate. The table includes all listed oil, sauce and toppings. All listed marinades, oil, sauces and sides are included. The estimate counts the full measured amounts, even if some remain on cooking equipment. Discarded plain cooking water is not counted as food.
| Ingredient | Amount used | Weight | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skinless boneless chicken breast, raw, cut into 2.5 cm pieces | about 1 lb 5 oz raw | 600 g | 720 kcal | 135 g | 0 g | 15.7 g |
| Fresh pineapple flesh, raw, skin and tough core removed, cut into 2.5 cm pieces | about 2 1/2 cups | 400 g | 200 kcal | 2.2 g | 52.5 g | 0.5 g |
| Red onion, raw, peeled, cut into 2.5 cm pieces with 2 layers each | about 1 large; generic onion reference | 200 g | 80 kcal | 2.2 g | 18.7 g | 0.2 g |
| Long-grain brown rice, dry | about 1 cup | 200 g | 734 kcal | 15.1 g | 152.5 g | 6.4 g |
| Water for brown rice | about 2 cups plus 1 tablespoon; follow packet | 500 g | 0 kcal | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g |
| Cucumber with peel, raw, diced | about 2 1/4 cups | 320 g | 48 kcal | 2.1 g | 11.6 g | 0.4 g |
| Lime juice, raw: 20 g coating, 40 g salad | 1/4 cup total | 60 g | 15 kcal | 0.3 g | 5.1 g | 0 g |
| Reduced-sodium soy sauce made from soy and wheat, for coating | about 2 tablespoons | 32 g | 18 kcal | 2.9 g | 1.8 g | 0.1 g |
| Honey for coating | about 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon | 24 g | 73 kcal | 0.1 g | 19.8 g | 0 g |
| Fresh ginger, raw, peeled and grated | about 1 tablespoon | 12 g | 10 kcal | 0.2 g | 2.1 g | 0.1 g |
| Garlic, raw, peeled and grated | 2 cloves | 8 g | 12 kcal | 0.5 g | 2.6 g | 0 g |
| Olive oil: 12 g coating, 4 g trays, 8 g salad | about 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons total | 24 g | 212 kcal | 0 g | 0 g | 24 g |
| Table salt: 1 g rice, 1 g salad | about 1/3 teaspoon total | 2 g | 0 kcal | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g |
| Full recipe estimate | 4 servings | — | 2122 kcal | 160.6 g | 266.7 g | 47.4 g |
How This Nutrition Estimate Was Prepared
- Match each listed ingredient to its linked food record or stated label reference.
- Multiply the per-100-g values by the listed gram weight and add the unrounded ingredient values.
- Divide the full calculation by four servings, then round for the cards.
- Recalculate if you change the ingredient brand, amount or serving yield.
Ingredient cells are rounded independently. The footer sums displayed cells; per-serving cards use the unrounded calculation, so small rounding differences are expected. Final cooking yield and brands can change the estimate.
Ingredients
Measured ingredients
Step-by-Step Preparation
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Equipment links are paid affiliate links; use suitable tools you already own.
Equipment
- Oven-safe metal skewers (paid link)
- Thin-tip food thermometer (paid link)
- Two rimmed baking sheets (paid link)
- Digital kitchen scale (paid link)
- Lidded saucepan (paid link)
- Chef knife and board (paid link)
- Mixing bowls (paid link)
- Kitchen tongs (paid link)
- Oven gloves (paid link)
Before You Start
The 80-minute planning total allows 35 minutes for preparation and assembly plus the rice’s up-to-45-minute simmer. Its 10-minute covered standing time and the chicken bake overlap the wider preparation schedule; no separate marination is required.
Allow about 80 minutes for preparation, cooking all batches and any stated resting. Some tasks overlap; doneness checks take priority over the clock. Measure the listed oil before cooking and keep the sides within the stated four portions. Use the raw, dry, cooked or drained state specified for each ingredient.
Start the brown rice first
35–45 minutes simmer plus 10 covered; overlaps steps2–7Rinse the weighed dry rice if its packet directs, then bring it to a boil with 500 g water and 1 g salt in a lidded saucepan. Cover and simmer for 35–45 minutes as its packet directs, then stand covered off the heat for 10 minutes. The remaining preparation and skewer bake overlap this rice schedule. A digital kitchen scale (paid link) helps keep the measured quantities consistent.
Heat the oven and make the salad
10 minutes including oven heatingHeat the oven to 425°F / 220°C conventional, or 390°F / 200°C fan. Before handling raw chicken, dice the cucumber and toss with 40 g lime juice, 8 g oil and 1 g salt in a clean bowl (paid link). Cover and refrigerate. Cut the measured pineapple flesh and red onion into similarly sized pieces.
Mix the measured honey-soy coating
3 minutesCombine the soy sauce, honey, ginger, garlic, 20 g lime juice and 12 g oil in a large bowl. Set the remaining 4 g oil aside for the trays. No part of this bowl is a clean serving sauce once raw chicken enters it; extra honey or soy sauce would change the nutrition estimate.
Prepare and coat the raw chicken
7 minutesCut raw chicken breast into uniform 2.5 cm pieces on a separate board and weigh 600 g. Add it to the coating with pineapple and onion, folding gently. Thread and cook promptly rather than leaving the acidic pineapple mixture for an overnight marinade. Wash hands and clean any raw-poultry contact surfaces.
Thread eight metal skewers
8 minutesSpread 4 g oil over two rimmed baking sheets. Alternate chicken, pineapple and onion pieces across eight all-metal oven-safe skewers about 30 cm / 12 inches long, leaving small gaps. Place four skewers on each tray. All handles must fit inside the oven and be heat-safe. Discard coating remaining in the raw-contact bowl.
Bake without a broiler glaze
18–25 minutes within rice scheduleBake for about 18–25 minutes, turning the skewers and swapping tray positions halfway through. The honey can color quickly, so use the oven bake rather than a broiler flame. Do not brush cooked pieces with raw-contact coating; use a clean utensil for any handling after the initial cooking stage.
Confirm doneness and divide the rice
3 minutes within final cooking checkUse a thin thermometer in several thick chicken pieces on both trays, avoiding the metal; all checked pieces must reach 165°F / 74°C. Continue cooking any underdone skewers. Fluff the tender rice after its standing time and keep it hot at 140°F / 60°C or above if the chicken needs longer.
Plate four complete meals
3 minutesServe two skewers, one quarter of the rice and one quarter of the cucumber salad per person. Remove food from hot metal before eating and include both pineapple and onion in each portion. Begin prompt separate cooling for leftovers; rice should not sit warm in a deep pan until later.
How to Know It Is Ready
Chicken pieces checked on both trays must reach 165°F / 74°C away from the metal. Rice should be tender and pineapple lightly softened; a browned honey coating does not prove poultry safety.
Tender chicken, juicy pineapple pieces and softened onion, with fluffy brown rice and cool crisp cucumber.
One quarter of the skewers, listed sides, sauce and measured oil.
What This Meal Provides and What to Consider
Meal Balance
- The measured batch supplies about 40.1 g protein per serving.
- Skewers, listed accompaniments and measured cooking oil are included in the complete portion.
Things to Consider
- Soy and wheat from the specified soy sauce. Check honey, sauces and any substituted packaged ingredients for relevant allergens and cross-contact.
- Energy, sodium and saturated fat still depend on ingredients and portion size. This meal does not guarantee a particular fitness or health result.
Who May Enjoy This Recipe?
Skewer meal planning
Home cooks looking for a measured poultry lunch or dinner.
Home cooking
All honey-soy coating is included in the estimate even though leftover raw-contact coating is discarded. Reduced-sodium soy sauce still contributes sodium and does not make this a prescribed low-sodium meal.
Measured portions
People who want to understand how ingredient weights relate to a four-serving batch.
How to Adjust the Meal
Smaller appetite
Serve a smaller portion and save the rest safely. Recalculate nutrition for the portion you actually eat.
Larger appetite
Choose an appropriate larger portion or accompaniment and include those ingredients in the meal calculation.
Protein adjustments
If changing the main protein, marinade or side, use its product label and recalculate. The amount can also change texture and cooking requirements.
Substitutions, Dietary Notes, and Allergens
Practical Substitutions
- Use fresh mango only as a newly calculated variation with firmer pieces and revised timing; it does not have the same texture as pineapple. A verified wheat-free sauce changes sodium and nutrients and still requires an allergy check. White rice would need a different time and nutrient reference.
- Changing the protein, piece size or marinade changes cooking time and nutrition. Follow the safe doneness guidance for the replacement and recalculate the estimate.
Allergen Information
Soy and wheat from the specified soy sauce. Check honey, sauces and any substituted packaged ingredients for relevant allergens and cross-contact.
Check packaged ingredient labels for the allergens relevant to you. A substitution changes both the recipe and the calculation.
Storage and Meal Preparation
Refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours, or within 1 hour when surroundings exceed 90°F / 32°C. Use shallow containers and a refrigerator at 40°F / 4°C or colder. Follow the component-specific storage limits below; rice has a shorter storage window where specified. Reheat hot leftovers to 165°F / 74°C.
Keeping This Skewer Meal
Slide cooked food off the skewers with a clean utensil and refrigerate it and the grain in separate shallow containers within 2 hours, or within 1 hour above 90°F / 32°C. Keep at 40°F / 4°C or below and use within 2 days of the earliest-cooked component, following an earlier ingredient use-by date. Do not leave a deep bowl on the counter to cool completely. Keep cucumber salad in a separate chilled container. Cool the rice as quickly as possible, ideally within 1 hour, and refrigerate separately. For this rice-containing meal, use the refrigerated rice within 24 hours and reheat it only once, until steaming throughout and 165°F / 74°C. Reheating cannot rescue rice that was left warm too long.
Reheating the Meal
Reheat only the portions needed. Put the cooked pieces and grain in a covered microwave-safe or oven-safe dish, turning or stirring for even heating. Check several areas for 165°F / 74°C, including the center of thick pieces; a fixed heating time is not a safety check. Keep any cold sauce or salad refrigerated and add it after reheating. Reheat the rice only once and use its shorter 24-hour refrigerated window.
Follow USDA leftovers guidance. For another skewer and accompaniment combination, browse Cajun Shrimp and Pepper Skewers with Couscous.
Frequently Asked Questions
This method does not call for long marination. Prepare and bake promptly after coating; fresh pineapple can change the texture of chicken during prolonged contact. Always keep raw poultry refrigerated if any unavoidable delay occurs.
Use its drained label and recalculate for the product, especially syrup-packed fruit. The stated estimate uses fresh raw pineapple, and very soft pieces can break when threaded.
Honey browns quickly under strong direct heat. This recipe uses an ordinary oven bake and a thermometer check so a dark glaze is not mistaken for safely cooked chicken.
Use the serving controls to scale gram quantities and serving count. Use additional trays or cook more batches; cooking time does not simply double. Household notes describe the base four-serving recipe.
Nutrition Sources and Recipe Notes
These values are planning estimates, not individualized nutrition advice. Use labels for your exact products when precision is important. The recipe has not been kitchen-tested and the image is a generated illustration of the intended dish.
Nutrition Data Sources
See our Nutrition Calculation Methodology for weights, rounding and substitutions.
Food Safety Reference
Useful Tools for This Recipe
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Equipment links are paid affiliate links; use suitable tools you already own.
These tools fit the preparation above. Use suitable equipment you already own, or compare options if you need an item.
Oven-safe metal skewers
Use eight all-metal skewers about 30 cm / 12 inches long, sized to fit the trays; handles must also be oven-safe.
Compare on Amazon → (paid link)Paid link · opens in a new tabThin-tip food thermometer
Checks thick chicken or shrimp pieces away from the hot metal skewer and verifies reheated portions.
Compare on Amazon → (paid link)Paid link · opens in a new tabTwo rimmed baking sheets
Give eight skewers space in a single layer without crowding or overhanging the oven shelves.
Compare on Amazon → (paid link)Paid link · opens in a new tab
