{new recipe wednesday} Hawaiian Chicken Skewers over Coconut Rice = YUM!

I love food. The end. If life consisted of eating one amazing meal after another I would be as happy as a clam. I think growing up my father's daughter spoiled me like nothing else. That man can cook! Sadly, I grew up only seeing him every 3rd weekend, so I wasn't privileged to eat his food all the time, but I took what I could get! I loved being by his side in the kitchen as his "sous chef" learning, helping, watching, and my favorite, taste testing. Chinese, Italian, Indian, Mexican, Spanish…it doesn't matter what type of cuisine it is, he can not only cook it, but make it taste authentic and amazing. I like to think that his love of food and cooking got passed down through the blood line. I really do love to cook even though I know sometimes I complain about it and make it seem like a chore. But I have to say…this really sums it up!

Ha! That really makes me laugh, but it is so, so true! If I had an unlimited budget and all the time in the world cooking would definitely be more of a passion. However, that is not the season of my life right now that I am in, and I will try to embrace and appreciate the wonderful opportunity I have night after night to cook a delicious meal for my family :) 

Each week I am going to share with you a new recipe that I have tried! That is one thing about me…I have a few recipes that I love to make over and over, but there is something I love about finding and trying new recipes…another thing I get from my dad. Besides the tried and true, he is always trying out new recipes.  Pinterest is great for this! I am always on the hunt for new yummy finds! And that is exactly what I found when I pinned the recipe for Hawaiian Chicken Skewers! 

The recipe called for boneless, skinless chicken thighs, but I must admit I am just not a fan.  I have eaten them and liked them okay, but when it comes down to it I would much prefer boneless, skinless breast. I made a few other small changes such as adding green peppers to the skewer.  To me green peppers and pineapples just go together. The original recipe can be found here.

Hawaiian Chicken Skewers over Coconut Rice

Makes about 8 skewers

• 1 1/2 lb of boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 cup of soy sauce
• 1 (15 oz) can of pineapple chunks in 100% juice, drained (reserve 1 cup of juice)
• 1 cup of coconut milk
• 1/2 cup of honey
• 4-5 green onions, chopped (reserve some for garnish)
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2-inch piece of ginger, grated
• 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
• 2 green peppers cut into 2 inch pieces
• bamboo skewers (submerged in water for at least an hour)

1. Trim the chicken of fat and cut into 2-inch pieces. In a large bowl combine the rest of the ingredients except the pineapple chunks and green pepper. Add the chicken and marinate overnight or at least 4 hours. 

2.  Assemble your skewers using the chicken, pineapple, and green peppers. Grill (medium-low heat) or broil your skewers for about 5-7 minutes, then turn, and grill/broil another 5-7 minutes until chicken is no longer pink. Serve over coconut rice and garnish with green onions. 

*Coconut rice can be made by simply replacing half of the water in your rice recipe with coconut milk. To really kick it up a notch add 1-3 Tbs of unsweetened, shredded coconut. 

We all gave this recipe an enthusiastic two thumbs up! Hope you try it out and love it as much as we did! And I promise I will work on my food picture-taking skills :)  Hope you are having a Happy Wednesday!