A while back, I saw a video floating around social media of a new version of "Beer Can Chicken" where the can of beer was replaced by a pineapple. It occurred to me that the juice and moisture in the pineapple would not only flavor the chicken, but make the meat incredibly moist. Therefore, I give you Pineapple Barbecued Chicken!
You can almost see the base of the pineapple in this picture and I will show you the various steps to make this incredible dish, plus I will show you how I used the remaining pineapple.
I started with a dry rub made of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. I let it sit at room temperature for about an hour to allow the spices to penetrate while I prepared the pineapple.
In order for the chicken to sit properly on the pineapple while cooking, I had to cut a sturdy base. The core of the pineapple is a bit tougher anyway so I knew it would hold up well.
Perfect fit! I had to maneuver the legs a bit to provide a bit of extra support, but it worked like a charm!
I preheated the grill to 375 degrees and placed the chicken over the indirect heat side of the grill. The foil helped keep the grill a bit cleaner and also prevented the pineapple base from scorching. I cooked the chicken for about an hour to start.
While the chicken was cooking, I used some of the leftover pineapple to make a BBQ sauce for basting. I started by cooking red onion, ginger, and garlic in canola oil...
...then I added some of the extra chopped pineapple and jalapeño...
...and finally I added hoisin sauce, ketchup, mustard, pineapple juice, brown sugar, chili powder, honey, soy sauce, salt, pepper, and a pinch of cinnamon. I let it cook down for thirty minutes and then blended it until smooth. After one hour on the grill, I started basting the chicken with the sauce every ten minutes.
Once the the temperature in the thighs reached 165 degrees, I removed the chicken from the grill, covered it with foil to rest for ten minutes, and then it was time to carve. I served it with extra sauce on the side.
I had even more pineapple leftover so I diced it and made a refreshing Pineapple Salsa to go with the chicken since you can never have too much pineapple! I added lime juice, olive oil, red onion, diced tomato, jalapeño, cilantro, and a pinch of salt
A common side dish to grilled chicken is macaroni salad. Well since I already upgraded the chicken in a big way, I also upped my macaroni game with my new Deviled Egg Macaroni Salad with Old Bay Shrimp! I took a dozen hard boiled eggs, separated the yolks, and made the filling by mashing the yolks with mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper. I piped half of the filling into half of the egg white halves, and chopped the other half to add to the macaroni. The salad also included shredded carrots, diced celery and red onion, a pinch of sugar, the other half of the yolk mixture, some fresh chives, salt, and pepper. I sautéed the shrimp in butter and seasoned with salt, pepper, and Old Bay. To finish the salad, I arranged the deviled eggs on top with the shrimp and garnished with more fresh chives, paprika, and Old Bay. This is a winner for sure!
For the finale, I took the remaining pineapple and cut it into rings, which I grilled in order to make Grilled Pineapple Sundaes. I provided a variety of toppings for everyone to create their own sundae including toasted coconut, caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and cherries. My dear friend Kristen provided a delicious homemade coconut ice cream. You will feel like you are on a tropical island if you eat one of these!
I love coconut flavor but actual coconut is on my DNE (Do Not Eat) list! My sundae had caramel and whipped cream, but you can see what "the works" would look like. A perfect end to a perfect dinner!
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