De-Constructed Grilled Kabob Bowls

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Grilled kabobs are always delicious and, as the weather starts to warm up, these kabob bowls are one of the first things we look forward to grilling up for dinner.

What is a deconstructed kabob bowl? It’s basically the ingredients you normally skewer for kabobs without the time-consuming skewering process. It’s then chopped up and served bowl style over rice.

In the past, I made this meal for our family as actual kabobs on skewers but as our family has grown (and since we often add a few guests for meals) the process began to take way too long. This was a shortcut I came up with so we could still have the great taste with less work. If you’re not cooking for as many people, feel free to skewer away!

Pineapple – pineapple is my favorite ingredient in the bowls. If you’ve never had grilled pineapple, you definitely need to give it a chance. As it chars on the grill, it caramelizes and takes on a deeper delicious flavor.

I cut each pineapple into four large pieces so that they are easier to turn on the grill and don’t fall through the grates. To cut this way, simply lay the pineapple on it’s side and cut off the top and bottom ends. Stand it up and use your knife to cut off the outside skin. Then cut in four slices going right around the core, then toss the core in the trash and your pineapple is ready for marinade.

Veggies – feel free to add your favorite grilled veggies to the mix. We typically use green peppers, red onions, zucchini and baby portobello mushrooms. This is great balanced, colorful mix.

When slicing your veggies, you want large pieces so, again, they don’t fall through the grill grates. For the onion, I cut one of two ways. One, chop from root to end in sixths and after marinating, skewer the pieces. Two, cut crosswise and skewer through the middle after marinating. If you’re using baby portebellos, it’s also easier to grill them on a skewer.

Meat – Just like kabobs, kabob bowls are great with chicken or steak. We typically make them with chicken. I use either boneless skinless chicken breast or chicken breast tenderloins. It’s best to have your chicken on the thinner side so there is more surface area for the marinade to cling to. I don’t chop the meat up in smaller pieces before grilling.

Marinade – I’ve mentioned before that one of our family favorites is McCormick Grill Mates Zesty Herb Marinade and that is what we always use. I use two to three packs of the marinade mix so that there is enough for all of the ingredients to soak in. If you already have a favorite or prefer a pre-made or from-scratch marinade, go for what you like.

When I mix the marinade, each packet calls for 3 tablespoons of vinegar. I typically add two tablespoons of balsamic and one tablespoon of white vinegar because I have picky kids and all balsamic is too much for their palates. I think in time we will switch over to all balsamic for ease of prep. The marinade mix also calls for oil, I use extra virgin olive oil.

Rice – we like to put everything over long grain and wild rice once it’s off the grill. Start cooking the rice when you preheat your grill as the rice takes around 30 minutes to cook. We like Near East Long Grain and Wild Rice or Uncle Ben’s Long Grain and Wild Rice.

Prep – once everything is chopped up, I add my marinade ingredients to a gallon size bag (no need to dirty a bowl), shake it and then distribute it to the number of bags I need to fit all of my ingredients. Then just add ingredients to bags.

I keep the chicken in it’s own bag so that I can use the leftover fruit and veggie marinade to baste as I grill. Put everything in the refrigerator for at least two hours, three or four is better. If you will be using wooden skewers to make everything into real kabobs or just for the onion and mushrooms, be sure to start soaking them in water while everything marinates. Once marinated, skewer baby portobellos and onions for ease of grilling.

Grilling – one of my favorite parts of grilling is putting my husband in charge of this part! That’s not always possible so to the grill we go! To grill, oil your grill grates and preheat the grill on high heat. Once grates are hot, add everything to the grill and reduce heat to medium/medium-high heat. Close the lid. Grill for three to five minutes, depending on the thickness of your meat. Check each piece and if they have nice grill marks, flip them over.

Cook the chicken until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (75°C). I like my pineapple and veggies to have nice grill marks and some charring. Make sure the onions are soft through the middle before removing them from the grill for the best flavor.

Chopping – Once everything is off the grill, it’s time to chop it all into bite-sized pieces. I chop the pineapple and veggies first so the meat has time to rest before chopping. If you have picky eaters like I do, you can keep each ingredient separate so everyone can have their own customized de-constructed kabob bowl.

Now add some rice to a bowl and top with pineapple, veggies and meat. Enjoy!

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