These five easy grilling recipes turn weeknight staples into backyard showstoppers, built around a bottle of Kikkoman® Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce and a few clever shortcuts. We’re sharing our favorite hacks for quick steak kabobs, pineapple plank salmon, tropical chicken tacos, pineapple chicken bowls, and crispy coconut shrimp, all ready for your next cookout. Save these grilling recipes for your next backyard gathering.
5 Easy Grilling Recipes That Are Total Game-Changers
Hack #1: Skewer in batches
Steak Kabobs
Arrange your steak, bell peppers, pearl onions, and squash in rows on the cutting board, then thread the skewers straight through them all at once. Slice between each row to separate, and you’ve got a full batch of steak kabobs ready for the grill in a fraction of the time it takes to thread them one by one. It’s one of those easy grilling recipes that feels like a kitchen cheat code once you’ve tried it.
Let the steak get a good sear first, then finish with a couple of coats of Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce toward the end of cooking. Brushing it on in layers, rather than all at once, turns a marinade into teriyaki BBQ sauce. Each coat caramelizes a little more on the grill, building a glossy, savory-sweet glaze with real depth. The peppers stay crisp-tender, and the onions turn sweet and golden alongside them. Simple prep, big payoff, and a platter that looks like it took all afternoon.
Hack #2: Turn the pineapple into a grilling plank
Pineapple Plank Salmon
Slice two flat pineapple planks right off the rind, sandwich a salmon filet between them, and tie the whole thing together with kitchen twine. It’s a genius way to keep salmon moist and infused with sweet, tropical flavor. No special equipment required.
Brush the salmon with Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce before it hits the grates, then let the pineapple plank do the work. It locks in moisture while the grilled salmon cooks evenly on both sides. Serve your pineapple plank salmon over rice with grilled vegetables for a complete dinner.
Hack #3: One skewer does all the work
Tropical Chicken Tacos
Skip the separate prep stations. Skewer a mango half, a piece of teriyaki-marinated chicken, and a pat of butter, then repeat the stack twice more on the same skewer, and set it right into a bed of sliced peppers and onions. This simple hack turns the skewer into a built-in basting system: the butter melts down into the chicken as it cooks, keeping every bite juicy.
Once everything’s grilled through, slice the chicken and mango into strips and pile them into warm tortillas with the grilled peppers and onions. A squeeze of lime and a few slices of avocado turn it into a full spread of tropical chicken tacos that taste like way more effort than they actually took.
Hack #4: Let the pineapple be the bowl
Grilled Pineapple Bowls
Halve a pineapple, dust the cut side with chili lime salt, and grill it face-down until it’s deeply charred and caramelized. Once it’s cooled slightly, cube out the flesh while keeping the shell fully intact; you’ve just made a built-in serving bowl with zero dishes required.
Toss the grilled pineapple chunks with teriyaki-grilled chicken kabobs, then spoon everything back into the hollowed shell over a bed of rice, and finish with sliced scallions. It’s the kind of hack that turns pineapple chicken into a meal that’s as fun to eat as it is to make.
Hack #5: Skewer with lemongrass
Grilled Coconut Shrimp
Swap your usual skewer for a stalk of lemongrass. It holds the shrimp just as well, and it infuses every bite with a subtle citrusy aroma as it grills. Dip the skewered shrimp in tempura batter seasoned with Kikkoman Teriyaki sauce, then roll in shredded coconut for a crispy coconut shrimp that’s full of texture.
Grill on a sheet of foil instead of directly on the grates so the coconut coating crisps and toasts rather than falling through. This easy trick turns a simple appetizer into something genuinely impressive, crunchy, sweet, and just a little smoky.
See how it’s done. Watch the video below for a closer look at each hack, from skewer to plate.
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