Pineapple Chicken Recipe
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This is quite possibly the best pineapple chicken recipe ever. I know… I know… That’s a hard sell. But seriously, this stuff is delicious! I’ve made it both spicy and not spicy, and it’s fantastic either way.
This is a great dish for those nights when dinner has to be on the table fast because you still have a laundry list of things to do. Possibly, even laundry. This dish is quick, easy, and dinner will be on the table in under 30 minutes. Not bad for one little chicken dinner!
What’s So Great About This Recipe?
- Quick and easy – This chicken dinner comes together in just 20 minutes, so dinner at home on a busy weeknight is a breeze!
- Budget-friendly – It’s much cheaper than takeout and doesn’t need any hard-to-find ingredients.
- Versatility – You can make this gluten-free, soy-free, spicy, or not spicy. Your choice!
- Easy meal prep – Make a double batch so you have a delicious lunch for the week ahead.
Tools For This Recipe
To make this recipe, you’ll need a large skillet, a cutting board, a good knife, and some measuring cups and spoons.
Pro Recipe Tips
- If you don’t have enough sauce, you can add some more soy sauce and 2 tbsp. of the pineapple juice from the can.
- The garnishes really do add a lot of wonderful flavor to this dish. Don’t skip them!
What To Serve With Pineapple Chicken
- Steamed broccoli
- Stir-fried snap peas
- Asian-style slaw
- Edamame
- Spring rolls
- Cucumber salad
- Mango salsa
- Mango salad
- Miso soup
- Iced green tea
About The Ingredients
Oil – Extra virgin olive oil is a great choice. I used virgin coconut oil. The flavors were great here.
Yellow onion – Dice this small. In a pinch, a red onions will work too.
Chicken breasts – These should be boneless and skinless.
Rice vinegar
Soy sauce – You can also use tamari or, if you are soy-free, use coconut aminos.
Franks red hot sauce – Frank’s is clean and a great condiment to keep on hand. However, it is optional. It’s delicious, and a bit of spice is great in this dish. But if you prefer to avoid spice, it will taste great without it too.
Sucanat – You can use any unprocessed, granular sweetener you prefer here. Coconut sugar, monk fruit, or granular date sugar. All of these will work fine here.
Garlic – You can use pre-minced garlic, but for the best flavor, I highly recommend mincing or pressing your own fresh garlic cloves.
Diced pineapple – You can use fresh or canned pineapple here, but if you use canned, look for a can with no added sugar. Just pineapple in juice works best here.
Green onions – For garnish.
Sesame seeds – For garnish.
How To Make Pineapple Chicken
Measure and prep all ingredients.
In a large pan add in the oil and onion and stir on a medium to high heat for 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.
Add rice vinegar, soy sauce, franks red hot and sweetener to a small bowl, stir until everything is mixed together.
Add the chicken and sauce to the onions and stir well to make sure everything is coated in sauce. Cook until the chicken is completely cooked through and the sauce has became a glaze.
Add in the garlic and pineapple chunks and stir for 1 minute more to cook the garlic.
Serve over rice and top with scallions and sesame seeds.
Storage
Store in a airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Freezing
This will freeze well if you wrap it well. Keep it in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Reheating
This is best reheated in a microwave. If you want to reheat it on the stovetop, you’ll may need to add some soy sauce and pineapple juice (as mentioned above) if the sauce has dried up too much.
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Pineapple Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. oil (whatever type you are comfortable using)
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into chunks)
- 3 tbsp. rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp. soy sauce (or tamari, or coconut aminos for soy-free)
- 2 tbsp. Franks red hot sauce (optional if you want this spicy)
- ¼ cup Sucanat (or coconut sugar, or monk fruit)
- 2 tbsp. minced garlic
- ½ cup diced pineapple (fresh or canned – no added sugar if canned)
- sliced green onions (for garnish)
- sesame seeds (for garnish)
Instructions
- Measure and prep all ingredients.
- In a large pan add in the oil and onion and stir on a medium to high heat for 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.
- Add rice vinegar, soy sauce, franks red hot and sweetener to a small bowl, stir until everything is mixed together.
- Add the chicken and sauce to the onions and stir well to make sure everything is coated in sauce. Cook until the chicken is completely cooked through and the sauce has became a glaze.
- Add in the garlic and pineapple chunks and stir for 1 minute more to cook the garlic.
- Serve over rice and top with scallions and sesame seeds.