Pineapple Chicken

The dish is basically chicken cuts marinated in pineapple juice from canned pineapple chunks then stewed with carrots, bell peppers and the pineapple chunks.  Milk is added for a creamy sauce then served with steamed white rice.  Sounds simple and easy right?  But simple and easy dishes should be done right to make it special. A little extra effort does it.  First, I brown my pineapple chunks in a non-stick pan with a little vegetable oil. I want that little char effect as they start to caramelize upon contact with the hot oiled pan.  Too bad my camera is not able to capture every detail but maybe in the future when I have better lighting.  I really have to do this during day time lol.  

Browning the chicken first before adding the stock and cream not only gives that nice color and crust to meat.  It helps seal the flavor in and makes the meat more tender.  This extra effort makes the dish tastier instead of just dumping everything in the pot to simmer.  I do the same thing to my saucy dishes and I always get compliments on how my dishes are so flavorful.  

Pineapple Chicken

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken thighs

16 oz canned pineapple chunks

1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

1 tsp kosher salt

2 medium sized potatoes, cut into cubes

red, green and yellow bell pepper I used half of each sliced into strips

I cup diced carrot

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup half and half

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium sized onion, sliced

2 tbsp cooking oil

Note*** Potatoes make a nice addition to the mix. Cut into cubes and add to the chicken to simmer until tender.

Procedure:

Marinate the chicken in pineapple juice with salt and pepper (from the pineapple chunks) for 30 minutes

Heat a little oil in a large non-stick pan

Brown pineapple chunks on all sides- set aside

Add more oil to the same pan and brown chicken on all sides- transfer to another container when done.

Sauté the onion until it becomes translucent; followed by the garlic and potatoes- sauté for a minute

Add the chicken, the juice from the marinade and the chicken broth. Bring to a boil.

Add the half and half and simmer until chicken is tender (about 20-30 minutes)

Add in the carrots and simmer for five minutes

Add the bell pepper and taste if it needs more seasoning

Transfer to a serving dish and serve with steamed white rice