Honey Pineapple Chicken

This chicken dish.  Honey Pineapple Chicken...with garlic and sriracha.

This is a share-worthy recipe.  What started out as one recipe became something else altogether as I started substituting ingredients to accomodate what I had in the cupboard.

It's not much to look at, as the photos really don't do it justice.  It's dark outside when I get home from work, and I just haven't figured out the best way to take a decent photo indoors at night... while stirring, and yelling at kids and dogs all at the same time.  I don't much like the short days this time of year... they make me want to put on my pajamas as soon as I get home.

Did you know that 2 packets of soy sauce from Chinese take-out equal one tablespoon exactly?  An empty bottle of soy sauce in the cupboard led me to this discovery.  You're welcome.

This is incredibly tasty, and so very easy.  Brown some chicken breasts, mix up a quick sauce to pour over them, and finish off in the oven.  The addition of red wine vinegar to the sauce results in very tender chicken. Serve over rice.

See?  Easy.  Totally do-able on a work night.

I expected leftovers, but I was out of luck.  And I will likely make this again before the week is over.

Honey Pineapple Chicken

4 - 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, seasoned to taste

1 can crushed pineapple in juice

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup water

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp sriracha

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tbsp cornstarch

1/4 cup water

Brown chicken breasts in a small amount of oil over medium heat.  I seasoned them lightly with salt, pepper, and quick shake of Montreal Chicken Spice.

Meanwhile, strain crushed pineapple to separate the juice.  You should end up with about a cup of pineapple juice.  Combine the pineapple juice, honey, 1/2 cup of water, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, sriracha, and garlic in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Simmer for a few minutes and remove from heat.  Combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup of water to make a slurry, and whisk gradually into the sauce.  Return to heat and bring back to a boil, simmering for a few minutes to thicken.  Stir in crushed pineapple.

Place browned chicken breasts in a casserole dish and cover with prepared sauce.  Bake in a 350°F oven for 25 - 45 minutes until chicken is cooked through.  Cook time will vary depending on the size of your chicken breasts.

Serve over hot, cooked rice.  I used jasmine rice cooked in coconut milk, but any plain rice will do... the sauce is the star of the show here!

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Creamy Vegetable Rice

I've managed to eliminate another packaged, processed item from my kitchen cupboards.  Sorry Uncle Ben, we're finished.

I have my new favourite taco seasoning, and my easy homemade vanilla coffee creamer.  And now this creamy vegetable rice dish.  It is as good as those convenient store bought packages, and almost as easy to make.  I had this ready in the amount of time it took to bake some chicken and boil some corn on the cob.  Some chopping, some stirring, some simmering, et voila!  A side dish made from real, easily pronounceable ingredients, that's tasty enough to have the kids looking for seconds.

Start with some chopped veggies.

Spices, sauteed vegetables, and the beginnings of the creamy sauce.  These pictures aren't great.  We were having a wild thunderstorm and it was as dark as night outside.

Red peppers are added near the end.

Cooked rice is stirred in.

And dinner is ready.

Creamy Vegetable Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked rice
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium sized carrot, finely diced
2 celery ribs, finely diced
1/2 small onion, minced
1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 red pepper, diced
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk (I used half milk and half cream)
1 tablespoon dried parsley

Cook your rice according to the package directions.

In a large pan, melt butter and oil together and saute vegetables until softened, 5-7 minutes.  It's OK to add a little more butter to the pan if it seems to get dry.  Add minced garlic and sprinkle flour over vegetables.  Stir until flour is absorbed, then gradually pour in chicken broth, then milk, continuing to stir to prevent lumps as it thickens.  Stir in salt, pepper, dried parsley, red pepper, and simmer for five minutes, stirring constantly.  Add cooked rice, stir to combine, and allow to simmer for a couple more minutes.  The sauce will continue to thicken so add more milk if necessary.

This will serve four as a side dish.  Or two teenage boys shovelling straight from the pan.

Thank you for featuring me!

      

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