Pina Colada Chicken Skewers

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Fresh pineapple, cherry tomatoes, and coconut-marinated chicken take a classic cocktail to the grill and put it on your dinner table with these Pina Colada Chicken Skewers!

Guys! Today is one of the best days of the year!!!

Forget the fact that it’s back to work tomorrow. Or that we’re in the dead of summer sweating our butts off.

Or that vacation is just a liiiiiiittle too far away. (Or maybe that’s just my issue.)

You have to take a moment to kick back and relax with a frozen cocktail, today – cuz it’s National Pina Colada Day!

Of course, celebrating all the flavors of the pina colada is pretty easy even without a frosty drink in your hand, and us peeps at Sunday Supper have come to prove it! My contribution is a lovely little grillin’ ditty – Pina Colada Chicken Skewers.

I am head over heels in love with everything coconut. Have been for as long as I can remember.

I’m not sure when it started, but I can recall coconut pudding and one of those store-bought square coconut cakes in the fridge almost all the time growing up.

When I reached the legal drinking age, I was super predictable when I went out with my friends: I would only order pina coladas. I wasn’t very adventurous when it came to libations, and I knew what I liked.

Those creamy, cold pineapple and coconut concoctions were the perfect blend of a little booze and a lot of fun.

Mr. Crumby and I went on a cruise that stopped in Cozumel a few years ago, and all I wanted from that island was a pina colada served in a real coconut.

It rained 3/4 of our day on the small Mexican island, and we had rented a scooter to ride around and explore on. We started out dry, riding counter-clockwise around the island, stopping at Paradise Beach (the first beach area on the east side) to wait out the squall.

And sat there for three hours. You can imagine my impatience.

Luckily, there was a cute little tiki bar there, well-covered and protected from the downpour. Even more lucky was that they served exactly what I came for.

It was a real coconut! It had a face! THE FACE WAS MADE OF FRUIT.

I could not contain my joy. I was squealing like a little kid in a room full of stuffed animals.

Needless to say, those three hours was enjoyed, in spite of the nasty weather.

My tastes have changed slightly since then, but I still order pina coladas sometimes (Bahama Breeze, I’m looking at you,) and I really like to spike them with some strawberry daiquiri for color. Hellooooooo Lava Flow.

So, Erica, if the challenge this week was pina coladas…where’s your dessert? Chicken? What gives?

I’ve been asked that twice this week by people at work. I’ve spoiled them all, and they expect sweets with every week that passes.

I was planning on making a dessert, but it just seemed too obvious. I played around with a few ideas in my head and voilà!

As a warning, these Pina Colada Chicken Skewers do not taste like a pina colada. I mean, would you really want to down some cold, sweet chicken, skewered with soggy pineapple and tomatoes?

No, no you wouldn’t.

Instead, what you have is delicious chicken thighs (or breasts if you’re a white meat-lover,) soaked in a coconut milk marinade overnight, fresh pineapple and cherry tomatoes (there’s always a cherry on top of a pina colada, no?) grilled to perfection.

The marinade is repurposed as the coconut sauce that really makes these look the part of a pina colada, and it’s all served up on a bed of cilantro-lime cauliflower rice. You know, to complete the whole tropical feel.

Yes folks, I’ve jumped on that bandwagon (and it will be on the blog soon!) But you know who else jumped on it with me? My rice-loving Dominican husband.

These skewers are a perfect summer meal to enjoy with a real pina colada, if you’re so inclined.

I know I am! (Of course, a cold beer will do in a pinch!)

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Pina Colada Chicken Skewers

Fresh pineapple, cherry tomatoes, and coconut-marinated chicken take a classic cocktail to the grill and put it on dinner table with these Pina Colada Chicken Skewers!

Serves 8 skewers     adjust servings

Preparation 15 mins Cook Time 15 mins Total Time 30 mins

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs. chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 can coconut milk (full fat recommended)
• 1/4 cup dark rum (optional)
• 1 lime, zested & juiced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tablespoons green pepper sauce (Tabasco)
• 1/2 Tablespoon ginger, finely grated
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups pineapple, cut into chunks
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions

1. Place chunks of chicken in a large zipper bag with coconut milk, rum, lime juice & zest, garlic, pepper sauce, ginger, paprika, salt, & pepper. Remove the air and zip it shut, then massage the chicken to distribute marinade. Refrigerate 4 hours to overnight (recommended.)
2. Spray or brush grill with olive oil; preheat grill on high. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for less mess and keep near your work area.
3. Pour contents of bag into a colander set over a bowl. Arrange chicken, pineapple, and tomatoes on skewers in alternating patterns, setting each one on the lined baking sheet when done.
4. Place skewers on grill and cook until chicken is cooked through, 10-15 minutes, turning 2-3 times during cook time.
5. While skewers are cooking, place the marinade in a small saucepan with water, coconut, and cornstarch. Bring to a low boil over medium-low heat and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes until thickened (this is ensure it's safe to eat and to meld flavors.) Transfer to a sauce bowl.
6. Serve skewers with sauce and a side of tropical-flavored rice. Enjoy!

by Erica

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
Amount Per Serving	As Served
Calories 367kcal Calories from fat 262
% Daily Value
Total Fat 29g	45%
Saturated Fat 17g	85%
Transfat 0g
Cholesterol 83mg	28%
Sodium 413mg	17%
Carbohydrate 13g	4%
Dietary Fiber 2g	8%
Sugars 6g
Protein 16g

Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs:

	Calories	2000
Total Fat	Less than	65g
Sat Fat	Less than	25g
Cholesterol	Less than	300mg
Sodium	Less than	2,400mg
Total Carbohydrate		300g
Dietary Fiber		25g

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Are you a freak for coconut like I am? Even if there’s no pineapple involved, all of these recipes by my fellow Sunday Supper Tastemakers are incredible!!

Great Starts

• Coconut Granola Bowla by Family Foodie
• Gluten Free Coconut French Toast by Gluten Free Crumbley
• Make Ahead Healthy Piña Colada Breakfast Parfait by Easy Cooking with Molly
• Piña Colada Granola (grain free) by My Life Cookbook
• Piña Colada Nut Bread by Where Latin Meets Lagniappe
• Piña Colada Overnight Oats by Take A Bite Out of Boca
• Piña Colada Pancakes by Dizzy Busy and Hungry

Dive in with Sides and Appetizers

• Easy Piña Colada Salad by April Golightly
• Piña Colada Coleslaw by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Coco-Nutty Main Dishes

• Chickpea Potato Curry by Sunday Supper Movement
• Piña Colada Chicken and Rice by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Piña Colada Chicken Skewers by The Crumby Cupcake
• Pineapple Barbecue Chops with Colada Slaw by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Slow Cooker Pineapple Chicken Curry by Caroline’s Cooking

“Col-lots-a” Desserts

• Coconut Pound Cake by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Cookies and Coconut Cream Popsicles by Books n’ Cooks
• Creamy Dairy-Free Vegan Coconut Ice Cream by Positively Stacey
• Easy Piña Colada Fudge by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Easy Piña Colada Poke Cake by Crazed Mom
• Homemade Samoas by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• How to make a Piña Colada Flan by Asian In America
• Island Breeze Piña Colada Panna Cotta by The Weekend Gourmet
• Kheer by What Smells So Good?
• Mini Roasted Blueberry and Coconut Cream Trifles by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Piña Colada Bars by Dessert Geek
• Piña Colada Cream Pie by Cookin’ Mimi
• Piña Colada Cupcakes by The Redhead Baker
• Piña Colada Energy Balls by Wholistic Woman
• Piña Colada Ice Cream by Palatable Pastime
• Piña Colada Rice Pudding by Hardly A Goddess
• Piña Colada Trifle by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Piña Colada Upside Down Cake by Bottom Left of the Mitten
• Pineapple Coconut Pudding by Magnolia Days
• Samoa Smacky Delicious Mix by Cooking With Carlee
• Toasted Coconut Sour Cherry Sundae by Pies and Plots
• Tropical Fruit Cups by The Freshman Cook

Sweet to Sip Beverages

• Boozy Coconut & Caramel Milkshakes by Momma’s Meals
• Coconut Banana Rum Smoothie by Desserts Required
• Coquito by Monica’s Table
• Lime Coconut Lassi by Food Lust People Love
• Piña Colada Freeze by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
• Piña Colada Smoothie by A Mind Full Mom
• Spiced Piña Colada by Family Around the Table

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