Island Grilled Chicken with Jalapeno Pineapple Salsa

I love grilling in the summer and I especially love grilling when we’re up at our cabin. It’s such a relaxed way to make dinner… sitting on the deck, taking in the view and sipping a cold beverage while your meal cooks over hot coals. So I’m always looking for new and different grill-able meals to try. If I find something that sounds delicious AND I can do the prep work early in the day I will definitely give it a try.

When I saw this recipe for island grilled chicken at Amee’s Savory Dish, I knew right away that I had to give it a try. It met all of my criteria for a meal at the cabin. It sounded absolutely delicious, it’s cooked on the grill AND I could prep everything in the morning. Then come dinnertime, all we had to do was grill the chicken and cook the rice. Easy, right?

I have to say, this chicken dish was absolutely delicious! My entire family absolutely LOVED it. Kelly has already requested that I make it the next time we’re up at the cabin. The marinade was fantastic, it created a glaze on the chicken and had a perfect balance of sweet and savory. The salsa put the dish completely over the top. It was absolutely bursting with fresh flavor. The combination of pineapple and jalapeno was perfect, it had just the right level of spiciness. This recipe is definitely a keeper in my house!

I made a couple of small changes to Amee’s recipe. Click here to see exactly how Amee made hers and check out the rest of her blog while you’re over there. She has lots of great healthy recipes!

Island Grilled Chicken with Jalapeno Pineapple Salsa

For the chicken:

1 cup low sodium teriyaki sauce
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup orange juice concentrate
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup Worcestershire
1/4 cup Newman’s Own Italian dressing
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
hot cooked brown rice for serving

For the salsa:

2 cups fresh pineapple, finely chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
juice of one lime
1 tbsp grapeseed oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
fresh ground pepper to taste

To prepare the marinade, combine first 8 ingredients in a medium size saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat while whisking. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Once marinade has cooled, pour over chicken breasts. Refrigerate and allow to marinate for several hours or overnight.

To prepare salsa, chop pineapple, cilantro and jalapeno.

Combine in a bowl with remaining salsa ingredients. Refrigerate for at least an hour to allow flavors to combine. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Grill chicken over medium-high heat for about 4-5 minutes on each side until the juices run clear. Serve on top of brown rice and top with pineapple salsa.