Last Updated on November 12, 2026 by Mr. B
Sweet, smoky, savory, and filled with backyard cookout flavor, this BBQ Bacon Pineapple Chicken will become your new favorite grilling recipe. Juicy chicken breasts are pounded tender, marinated in a rich homemade barbecue sauce loaded with crispy bacon, sweet pineapple, and thinly sliced red onion. Then it’s all grilled to smoky perfection. Best of all, the active prep takes only 10 minutes!
Sweet pineapple and a homemade barbecue sauce make this grilled chicken the perfect summer dinner.
Why You’ll Love This Grilled Chicken Recipe
Sweet & Smoky Flavor Combo: The tangy homemade BBQ sauce caramelizes amazingly on the grill alongside juicy pineapple chunks and salty bacon.
Super Tender Chicken: Pounding the chicken breasts to an even thickness before marinating helps them soak up maximum flavor and cook evenly without drying out.
Hands-Off Prep: Once everything goes into the marinade bag, the fridge does all the work for 4 hours until you’re ready to grill.
Feeds a Crowd: With 6 to 8 servings, this recipe is ideal for family dinners, summer cookouts, or easy leftovers for lunch the next day.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Chicken: Three pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
The Sweet & Savory Mix: A drained can of diced pineapples, chopped cooked bacon, and thinly sliced red onions.
Homemade BBQ Sauce Base: A rich, tangy base made from scratch using dark brown sugar, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, water, and Worcestershire sauce.
The Spice Blend: Dried mustard, paprika, cinnamon, kosher salt, and black pepper give the sauce a deep, complex flavor profile. A tablespoon of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce adds just the right amount of kick without being overly spicy.
The Aromatic Finish: Diced red onion is blended right into the sauce until smooth, rounding out the flavor before it hits the meat.
Tips & Serving Suggestions
Basting Tip: If you want extra sauce for brushing on the chicken while it grills, reserve about 1/2 cup of the freshly blended BBQ sauce in a clean jar before pouring the rest over the raw chicken.
Make It Kid-Friendly: The brown sugar and pineapple naturally mellow out the tablespoon of hot sauce. This makes this sweet-and-savory glaze a big hit with kids. If you have very spice-sensitive eaters, you can just cut the hot sauce in half.
What to Serve With It: Pair this grilled chicken with classic cookout sides like corn on the cob, creamy coleslaw, baked beans, or fluffy white rice.
The name of this dish is a mouthful, but what you’ll also get is a mouthful of delicious flavor!
Did you grill up this BBQ Bacon Pineapple Chicken? Leave a comment below and tell me your favorite cookout side dish!
Looking for more grill recipes? Try these:
Grilled Marinated Chicken Breast Recipe
Grilled Petite Sirloin Steak Recipe
Scroll down to the recipe card to watch the step-by-step BBQ Bacon Pineapple Chicken (Grilled Chicken Recipe) video!
For more video recipes, subscribe to my YouTube channel: Mr. B Cooks.
BBQ Bacon Pineapple Chicken (Grilled Chicken Recipe)
Ingredients
Method
- Prep & Marinate: Pound the chicken breasts flat to an even thickness. Combine your barbecue sauce, Frank's RedHot, brown sugar, red onion slices, cooked bacon pieces, and pineapple chunks. Toss with the chicken and marinate for about 4 hours in the refrigerator.
- Prep the Grill: Heat up the grill. Lay down a sheet of aluminum foil over the grates (to keep the pineapple chunks and onions from falling through) and spray it with cooking spray.
- First Side: Place the marinated chicken breasts onto the greased foil. Spoon some of the sauce, onions, and pineapple chunks directly on top. Close the grill lid and cook covered for about 10 minutes.
- Flip & Sauce: Flip the chicken over. Spoon the remaining sauce, bacon bits, and pineapple chunks over the top.
- Finish Cooking: Cover the grill again and cook for another 10 minutes, or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked through.
- Serve: Transfer to a platter, making sure to scoop up plenty of the caramelized pineapple, red onion, and bacon to serve on top of the chicken breasts.
Video
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