Caribbean Pineapple Chicken
This is my adaptation of a dish from Hurry-Up Chicken Recipes. It’s an old standby that’s quite tasty with a new standby, Coconut Gingerroot Rice.
8 slices of pineapple
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, slightly pounded
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup flour
1 cup water
3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
juice of one lime
1 tsp. coconut
pinch of ground red pepper
minced cilantro (optional)
crushed red pepper (optional)
Mix water, honey, soy sauce, lime juice, coconut extract and red pepper. Set
aside.
Cut pineapple slices in half. In a nonstick skillet, sauté in oil over
medium heat until slightly browned. Set aside.
Rub chicken breasts with garlic. Dredge in flour until thoroughly coated.
In pan juices, sauté chicken over medium heat until browned (about two
minutes). Turn and brown other side. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Rinse or wipe pan.
Note: you don’t need to cook the chicken in this step; you’re just browning
the flour coating so that it sticks to the chicken while it’s simmering in
the sauce. Cooking the flour also prevents a pasty flavor.
Pour honey-soy mixture into pan. Return chicken to pan and simmer in honey
mixture for 12-15 minutes over low heat. Turn chicken once during cooking
being careful not to tear the coating.
Note: Make sure the sauce is only simmering. If the heat is too high, the
mixture bubbles vigorously and burns, ruining the flavor of the dish.
Serve over rice (plain steamed, or try over Coconut Gingerroot Rice). Serve
with snow peas or broccoli, arranged decoratively with pineapple. Garnish
with a sprinkle of cilantro and crushed red pepper, if desired.
Servings: 4