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Step up your chicken game with this pineapple throne chicken recipe. Full of flavor, this tropical delight is one for the books. The tenderness of the chicken, juiciness from the pineapple and crunch from the salsa will have you dreaming of a beach vacation all day long.
Step 1: How to grill the perfect pineapple throne chicken.
Have you heard of beer can chicken? Well, this recipe is similar but you grill a whole chicken on a pineapple core. The sweetness and juiciness from the fruit will penetrate into the bird while it cooks over the warm charcoal.
To get started, chop off the leafy top. Next, slice around the bottom of the pineapple to mark the base. Finally, peel off the rind and cut off the top portion of the fruit just leaving the core in the middle. Leave the cut off pineapple for a homemade salsa.
Take the whole chicken, season with your choice of sweet BBQ rub and set it on the pineapple core.
Preheat the grill to 375 degrees and set for indirect heat. Place the chicken onto the grill and cook from about 1 hour or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees. While that’s grillin, time to get started on the salsa.
Dad’s Seasonings
Must have grillin seasonings!
Step 2: Best homemade pineapple salsa.
It would be a shame to waste all that cut off pineapple, so instead, why not make a homemade salsa. This will add more flavor and crunch to the recipe.
Start with dicing up the left over pineapple, red bell pepper, jalapeno, red onion and cilantro. Add salt and freshly squeezed lime juice. Mix the ingredients together and set aside.
Step 3: How to make Huli Huli sauce.
Last but not least, this Huli Huli sauce will bring this pineapple throne chicken recipe together. It is a traditional Hawaiian sweet and spice sauce that I used as a glaze at the end of the cook.
In a saucepan, add soy sauce, ketchup, pineapple juice, mirin, grated ginger, grated garlic, light brown sugar and chili paste. Mix the ingredients together over a low simmer and cook until the sauce thickens.
Once the chicken reaches an internal temp of 140 degrees, glaze the entire bird with the Huli Huli sauce. Let it finish cooking, then rest for 10 minutes and enjoy!
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All my recipes can be replicated in the oven, stove top or gas grill. You do not need a big green egg or weber grill to replicate any of my recipes.
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Printer friendly recipe and video below:
Pineapple Throne Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 Whole chicken
- 4 tbsp Sweet BBQ rub
- 1 Pineapple
Salsa
- 1 cup Chopped leftover pineapple
- 1 Red bell pepper
- 1 Jalapeno
- 1/2 Red onion
- 1/2 cup Cilantro
- 1/2 tbsp Salt
- 2 Limes
Huli Huli Sauce
- 1/4 cup Soy sauce
- 1/3 cup Ketchup
- 1/2 cup Light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup Pineapple juice
- 2 tbsp Mirin
- 1 tbsp Chili paste
- 1 tbsp Freshly grated ginger
- 1 tbsp Fresh grated garlic
Instructions
- Chop off the leafy top. Next slice around the bottom of the pineapple to mark the base. Finally, peel off the rind and cut off the top portion of the fruit just leaving the core in the middle. Set aside the cut off pineapple for a homemade salsa.
- Season the whole chicken with sweet bbq rub and set it on the pineapple core. Â
- Preheat the grill to 375 degrees and set for indirect heat. Place the chicken onto the grill and cook from about 1 hour or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees.Â
- For the homemade salsa, dice up the left over pineapple, red bell pepper, jalapeno, red onion and cilantro. Add salt and freshly squeezed lime juice. Mix the ingredients together and set aside.
- To make the Huli Huli sauce, in a saucepan, add soy sauce, ketchup, pineapple juice, mirin, grated ginger, grated garlic, light brown sugar and chili paste. Mix the ingredients together over a low simmer and cook until the sauce thickens.Â
Nutrition
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Excellent! New favorite in our house. Especially love the pineapple salsa. The huli holiday sauce is perfect for this recipe.
I can hardly wait to try this recipe
Can I do this in the oven, or stove top???
This is an all time family favorite from the first time I made it. So delicious!
Excellent, a must every one will enjoy!
Excellent, a must everyone will love.
Made this tonight and it was fantastic.
I made it, looked just like yours, was delicious, juicy. Salsa was amazing n huli sauce was divine
Loved the salsa. The chicken was under seasoned with just the barbecue rub. Next time I’ll definitely add other seasonings.
This looks gorgeous,can I ask if u have a recipe for the sweet BBQ rub as in Ireland we cannot get a dry rub only sauce in a bottle .
I would like to try this recipe as it looks really good and thank you for the recipe .I would also like to try your other recipes .
Looking forward to making this tonight for friends.
Awesome recipe!!! I didn’t change a thing.
Our new favorite way to cook a whole chicken. Delicious!
I made this tonight, and it was delicious!!!
Will definitely make it again.
I cannot wait to try this tonight yummmmmmm
Is the pineapple trimmed so the chicken fits over the pineapple?
I’ve made this a few times this summer, always a huge hit!! Love it and so easy!
Seriously this is just a brilliant recipe. Fresh healthy goodness – I would maybe cut down the brown sugar in the sauce but otherwise wouldn’t change a thing. So yummy can’t wait to make it again 🙂
Came out spectacularly…. Although my chicken fell over in the grill and could not sit back upright.
Juicy, flavorful and perfectly cooked.