Pineapple chicken with coconut rice is the perfect summer recipe for those who are missing their tropical vacation this year.
Of all the foods out there, I find myself getting into a rut with my chicken dishes. Although it's not such a bad thing, sometimes I just want something ... jazzy. Because I recently purchased a grill pan -- and completely unrelated, my purchase of a whole pineapple (because I wanted to try to make homemade dole whip) -- I got to experimenting with grilled pineapple options.
As a result, my pineapple chicken with coconut rice was born ... and it's the perfect recipe to brighten up a mid-week slump! In the end, if you want to be extra fancy, you can serve it in the hollowed out pineapple shell.
Ingredients:
Pineapple Chicken
- 2 lbs chicken skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite size pieces)
- ½ fresh ripe pineapple
- ½ cup pineapple juice
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 6 tbsp ketchup
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
- 8 cloves fresh garlic
- 4 tbsp canola oil
- 4 tbsp honey
Coconut Rice
- 1 cup jasmine rice (or basmati works well, too)
- 1 cup coconut milk
- ¾ cup water
- ½ tsp salt
- A few dashes rice wine vinegar
Directions:
Pineapple Chicken/Pineapple:
First, in a large bowl, mix together all of the chicken ingredients, leaving out the chicken. Take ¾ of the mixture and transfer to a large plastic bag. Next, place the chicken into the plastic bag and let it marinate for at least 30 minutes (I did mine for an hour). Once you have marinated your chicken, remove from the bag and you can cook either using a grill or a grill pan.
Second, hollow out half of a whole pineapple. After you've removed the flesh of the pineapple, cut out the core and then slice the pineapple into smaller pieces. Then dip each piece into the ¼ mixture reserved from above. Finally, grill the pineapple until it's caramelized on each side, about 5 minutes per side.
Rice:
In a pot, add coconut milk, water and salt. After the mixture starts to boil, add rice. Cook according to instructions. If the rice gets a little dry, add more coconut milk. Once the rice is finished cooking, remove it from the heat and then add a few dashes of rice wine vinegar.
To serve, add coconut rice to half of the pineapple shell and then add the chicken and pineapple. You can also use the extra pineapple sauce as a drizzle or dipping sauce.
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