This first recipe is absolutely AMAZING!!! I'd eat it weekly... if it weren't for the fact that you consume 1/4+ slab of bacon, just ignore that and make it and eat it and love it! I promise you won't regret it!
Bacon-Wrapped Teriyaki Chicken Skewers
adapted from http://www.ourbestbites.com
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
About 8 oz. lean bacon, NOT thick-sliced (thick bacon is too hard to work with in this recipe)
1 large can pineapple chunks or cut up fresh pineapple (I’ve only done it with FRESH)
1 pepper (green, red, yellow doesn’t matter) cut in chunks
Homemade Teriyaki sauce (the best!) or Kikkoman Teriyaki Baste and Glaze
Kebab skewers or toothpicks (if using wood skewers soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before using to reduce burning on grill).
Teriyaki Sauce
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. cold water
½ c. white sugar
½ c. soy sauce
¼ c. cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
½ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. black pepper
Or you can use Kikkoman Teriyaki Baste and Glaze (I’ve only made it with the homemade sauce and it’s DIVINE)
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and black pepper. Combine your ingredients in the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. While sauce is heating, combine cornstarch and cold water. When sauce comes to a full boil, add cornstarch mixture and stir until sauce is thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat. You can store it in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks
Skewers:
The easiest way to handle the bacon situation is to remove it from the package and while it's still all stuck together, stretch it out a little (lengthwise). If you're using center-cut bacon (and the "slab" is not as wide as regular bacon), just cut it in half. Otherwise, use kitchen shears to cut the slab into thirds. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Using kitchen shears, cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. You can gauge about how many pieces you'll need by how many pieces of bacon you have; you probably won't use all the bacon, but you'll need about 8 oz. or 2/3 of a standard-sized package of bacon. So count the bacon pieces and keep that in mind when cutting up your chicken.
Drain the pineapple and set up a little work station with skewers, bacon, chicken, peppers, and a 9x13 baking dish (for big skewers) or a sturdy Ziploc bag (for toothpick skewers). Wrap a piece of bacon around a chicken piece, secure with toothpick/skewer, and top with a chunk of pineapple, then pepper. Repeat to fill skewer.
When all chicken pieces have been sufficiently staked, pour Teriyaki sauce over everything, reserving about 1/4 c., and marinate in refrigerator for at least 4 hours, no longer than about 8.
Preheat grill; when about 350-400 degrees, place skewers on grill and baste with reserved Teriyaki sauce. Cook about 7 minutes and flip skewers. Baste again and cook another 7 minutes.
*If serving at a party, you can keep the appetizer-sized skewers warm in a crockpot set to low or an electric roaster set to 170 degrees.
