Pineapple Chicken Recipe: A Burst of Sweet Savory Goodness
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The delightful Pineapple Chicken recipe has both sweet and savory components. This recipe is bursting with flavors. Tender chunks of chicken breast or thighs, perfectly cooked and coated in a sticky-sweet sauce infused with the tropical goodness of pineapple. The freshness of vegetables like carrots, shallots, and green onions adds a satisfying crunch and a burst of color to the dish. And letโs not forget about the zingy kick from the fresh ginger, it elevates the dish to a whole new level of deliciousness.
This Pineapple Ginger Chicken recipe will most likely become your favorite chicken ever.ย Serve it with Knafeh Cheesecake for dessert.
![A bowl of Pineapple Chicken and vegetables over rice, garnished with sesame seeds.](https://www.callmepmc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Pineapple-ginger-chicken-and-rice-5-1-scaled.jpg)
Pineapple Chicken Recipe
Pineapple Chicken is an easy-to-make and flavorful dish that’s perfect for both solo meals and entertaining a crowd.
Ingredients
The full recipe with ingredient amounts and instructions is at the bottom of this post. You can save a tree and the recipe to your personal and private recipe box here on Call Me PMc. This way, youโll never misplace it.
- chicken breast or thighs, boneless, skinless
- vegetable oil
- carrots
- shallots
- green onion
- bell pepper or other vegetables
- pineapple tidbits
- fresh ginger
- sea salt
- brown sugar
- warm water
- soy sauce, I always use low sodium soy
![A bowl of stir fried chicken and vegetables with chopsticks.](https://www.callmepmc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Pineapple-ginger-chicken-and-rice-3-scaled.jpg)
Pineapple Chicken Recipe Cooking Tips
- Prep Your Ingredients: Before cooking, chop all your ingredients into bite-sized pieces. This will ensure that everything cooks evenly, and you get a perfect balance of flavors in every mouthful.
- Control the Heat: When cooking the chicken, make sure your pan or skillet is hot enough to sear the meat and lock in its juices. But be careful not to crank up the heat too high, as you donโt want to burn the chicken or the sauce.
- Simmer to Perfection: Once youโve added the sauce ingredients to the pan, let everything simmer together. This allows the flavors to meld beautifully and gives the sauce a chance to thicken up and coat the chicken and vegetables.
![Chinese chicken stir fry in a bowl with chopsticks.](https://www.callmepmc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Pineapple-ginger-chicken-and-rice-4-scaled.jpg)
Pineapple Chicken Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I use canned pineapple instead of fresh? Absolutely! While fresh pineapple adds a lovely brightness to the dish, canned pineapple tidbits work fine and are more convenient.
- Can I make this dish ahead of time? Yes, you can! This Pineapple Chicken tastes even better the next day as the flavors have had time to meld together. Just store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and reheat it when youโre ready to eat.
- Is this recipe spicy? Not really. The sweetness of the pineapple and brown sugar balances out any heat from the ginger. However, if you like things spicy, add a dash of chili flakes or hot sauce to kick it up a notch!
![A bowl of Pineapple Chickenwith rice and chopsticks.](https://www.callmepmc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Pineapple-ginger-chicken-and-rice-2-scaled.jpg)
This is a delightful dish thatโs both easy to make and incredibly flavorful. Whether cooking Pineapple Chicken for yourself or feeding a crowd, this recipe will surely be a hit. With its sweet and savory taste profile and simple cooking process, itโs a dish that youโll want to add to your regular rotation. Prepare to be amazed by the deliciousness of Pineapple Chicken!
I try to give you quick, easy, and simple recipes with fast cooking times and common ingredients. Here are a few more that you’ll want to add to your rotation.
- Crunchy Sesame Chicken Salad
- Pecan Banana Cake Mix Cake
- PINEAPPLE MARGARITA
- QUICK CHILE CHEESE DIP
- CHICKEN AND SHRIMP FAJITA NACHOS
- PINEAPPLE MARTINI
- Sheet Pan Greek Chicken Thighs
![Pineapple Chicken in a bowl with chopsticks.](https://www.callmepmc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Pineapple-ginger-chicken-and-rice-1-scaled.jpg)
![A bowl of stir-fried chicken and vegetables over rice, garnished with sesame seeds.](https://www.callmepmc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Pineapple-ginger-chicken-and-rice-5-1-250x250.jpg)
Pineapple Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 (1 lb | 453 g) chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 and ยฝ tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 and ยฝ cups (6.77 oz | 192 g) carrots julienne
- 1 medium shallot sliced
- 1 cup pineapple tidbits
- ยฝ cup green onions green and white chopped
- i inch fresh ginger sliced thinly
- ยผ teaspoon sea salt or to taste
Caramelized Sauce
- ยผ cup brown sugar 1.86 oz | 53 g
- ยฝ cup warm water 4.22 fluid oz | 125 ml
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
Instructions
- Cut chicken into 1-inch cubes. Toss the chicken in cornstarch.3 to 4 (1 lb | 453 g) chicken breasts, 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- Heat a nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add oil, when the oil is hot add the chicken and sear the chicken for 4-5 minutes. Remove and set aside.1 and ยฝ tablespoons vegetable oil
- Turn heat to medium. In the same skillet with the drippings from the chicken, sautรฉ the carrots and shallots for 2 minutes. Add the pineapple, green onion and ginger and cook for another minute. Add the chicken back in, add the sauce (recipe below) and cook until the sauce caramelizes.1 and ยฝ cups (6.77 oz | 192 g) carrots, 1 medium shallot, 1 cup pineapple tidbits, ยฝ cup green onions, i inch fresh ginger
- Season with salt.ยผ teaspoon sea salt
Caramelized Sauce:
- In a bowl, stir brown sugar and water until well dissolved. Add soy sauce and stir again. Make sure sugar is dissolved. Pour on the chicken. Stir until the sauce caramelizes. Remove from the stove.ยผ cup brown sugar, ยฝ cup warm water, 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- Serve with rice if desired.
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are important to you, I recommend calculating them yourself.
My daughter would like this for her milestone birthday party and I was wondering if there’s a way to make this in the oven on sheet pans. If so, how would you convert this and can I just pre-prep the sauce ahead of time and store the day before along with all the other ingredients?
I would just put everything on the sheet pan and bake, then toss the sauce with it when it’s done.
This is a quick and easy recipe. Both my children love it so it’s become a weekly staple.
The recipe has cornstarch and pineapple in the ingredients, but the instructions donโt address using either.
I winged it, but thatโs really not good.
Thanks for the heads up. I’ll correct that.