Super Bowl Sunday. It is a top party day and it seems everyone I know loves to gather by the TV, graze on fun foods and enjoy friends and family. A few even watch the football game.
My husband’s love of football was contagious and now, my daughters enjoy football, too. They tailgate at college games and one of my daughters avidly watches football games on television. Both will watch the Super Bowl—not just for the commercials, but for the game as well. Their comments are what led me to write about women and children watching the Super Bowl in my recent Kansas City Star Chow Town post. When the world tunes in the Super Bowl this Sunday, about 46% of the viewing audience will be women (according to Nielsen and reported in Media Daily News, February 3, 2012.)
Gone are the days when a football game was a guy’s only world and the snacks went no further than an open bag of chips and a beer or two. The audience is diverse and everyone wants bold, bright flavors and fun-to-eat foods. 
Many want fresh or healthy alternatives. We all want new taste sensations and that Chow Town post offered lots of new Super Bowl Party menu ideas.
Sriracha Chicken and Pineapple Kebabs are flavor-packed and it is my choice for this year’s game fare. It combines fresh pineapple cubes, with a sassy orange glaze. Sweet, spicy and with a kick. We loved them. They will be perfect for a fun alternative to typical Super Bowl Foods.
Best of all, they will make a great main dish or appetizer any time of the year. Serve up a fun and delightfully different dinner or make a variety of appetizers and dine on small plates (just like they do at your favorite tapas restaurant.) Maybe when summer breezes are warm, these can take center stage out on the grill. I grill outside all year, but you can easily stay indoors this weekend and use a grill pan or contact grill, or just place them on a broiler pan and broil them.
Go ahead and open that bag of chips and serve some beer. But expand the menu and give these spicy kebabs a try.
Sriracha Chicken and Pineapple Kebabs
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 cups pineapple cubes (about half of a large, fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch cubes)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup reduced sugar or sugar free orange marmalade
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon sriracha sauce
Soak 8-inch bamboo skewers in cold water for 30 minutes.
Preheat grill to medium or allow coals to burn down to white ash.
Alternately thread chicken and pineapple cubes onto the skewers. Brush the chicken-pineapple skewers lightly and evenly on all sides with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste.
Mix together marmalade, garlic, lemon juice, soy sauce and sriracha sauce in a small bowl. Spoon about half of the marmalade mixture into a small serving bowl and set aside to use a dipping sauce.
Grill the chicken-pineapple skewers for 10 to 15 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink inside and a meat thermometer inserted into a piece of chicken registers 165°F, turning to brown evenly. Brush the kebabs generously with the sauce during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Serve with reserved dipping sauce.
Makes 4 main dish servings or 8 appetizer servings
Tips
Increase sriracha sauce to 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 teaspoons if you like spicy foods. Are you familiar with Sriracha sauce? It is a favorite new hot sauce, and is typically found at large grocery stores, often stocked in the Asian foods section. If you don’t have Sriracha sauce, substitute your favorite hot sauce.
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