Gemma This sticky pineapple chicken is something I cook 3 or 4 times a year. It’s another simple dish that keeps our mealtimes exciting and our kiddos love it! As far as I am concerned eating the same meals week in, week out is boring, I can’t do it. I want different flavours, colours, tastes and smells in my kitchen and I cook things that I know bring energy and connection to our table. I love the the daily routine of sitting together as a family to eat dinner. We started our own business, in part to give us the flexibility to do family life our way.
Speed and flexibility
Feeding a family can be a tricky task. If you are anything like me then you will also welcome variety, colour and flavour at dinner time. I know it can feel impossible to cook new and interesting meals when you are busy and stretched. With a of bit inspiration, meals like this sticky pineapple chicken can be a great way to engage your family at dinner time. It is simple, you can reheat it/freeze it/prep the night before. This is a meal for busy families.
While we are on the subject of meal inspiration I want to remind you that Family Feed’s recipe index is a great place to find ideas and inspiration.
sticky pineapple chicken – the wow factor
I made this dish a few years ago when I was looking for new flavours to introduce to our young children. When I was 16 I had a sweet and sour chicken at The Taphouse, St Agnes where they served it in half a pineapple. I thought it was the best thing in the world at the time.
Fast forward to my thirties and this dish resurfaced in a bit of a different setting. I am now a busy Mum of two bringing delicious homemade food to the table as often as life allows. Food like this fits into our family life. You can make it vegetarian by swapping the chicken for tofu or extra veg.
If you want to make a spicy version add a little chilli oil/hot sauce to taste, toward the end. The ingredients in this recipe serve 4 but the idea is to have it with some rice and steamed veg.
Cooking fresh food – do it your way
We are all different aren’t we? What I value you may not. What we eat and love you might avoid. How we want to live might be the opposite of your life style. It doesn’t really matter what other people are doing or thinking. So long as you are doing whats right for you and your family, I think that’s all that really matters.
Sticky pineapple chicken
Ingredients
- 1 onion diced
- 2-3 peppers any colour chopped in 2cm cubes
- Thumb size piece of ginger chopped
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 2-3 chicken breasts cut in to small pieces
- 1 ripe pineapple if it's not ripe it wont work for this recipe
- 2 tbsp corn flour
- 6 tbsp pineapple juice you can take this from your pineapple as you chop it
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 4 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp soft dark brown sugar
- Glug of olive oil
Instructions
- Start by preparing all your ingredients. This will speed up and simplify cooking and it allows you to prep in advance if needed.
- In one bowl add you chopped onion, pepper, ginger and crushed garlic
- In another bowl add you small chunks of chicken breast. I cut the breasts in three, lengthways and then chop each length in to small chunks.
- Be sure to thoroughly clean your utensils, surfaces and hands after handling raw chicken.
- Then take your pineapple and using a serrated knife slice into two halves, lengthways to create roughly even halves.
- Run a sharp knife around the inside edge of the pineapple skin – leave a few mm of pineapple on the skin so that your pineapple keeps its shape and creates two boats/bowls to serve in.
- Run a sharp knife down the centre of the pineapple. From a few mm below top to a few mm above the bottom creating two halves to the inner fruit. You can create quarters by running your knife horizontally across the pineapple which might make scooping out easier.
- Using your spoon/ice cream scoop you want to carefully transfer all the pineapple fruit and juice in to a bowl. This is easier to show so I’d encourage you to watch the video below before from 20 seconds in.
- Set your pineapple boats/bowls aside and now chop your pineapple into chunks removing the hard core first.
- In a separate bowl you are going to make your sauce. Add your corn flour, pineapple juice and tomato purée – give it a mix.
- Then add 3 tbsp of your soy sauce, the white wine vinegar and sugar and give it all a final mix.
- Put a wok/large pan on a medium to height heat and add your olive oil followed by your chicken and stir for a few minutes until the chicken is well coated and beginning to cook.
- Then add your bowl with the onions, peppers, ginger and garlic. Stir fry for a further 3 minutes.
- Add your sauce to the pan, give it all a good mix and cook on a medium to low heat for 5-6 minutes. Watch it doesn't burn.
- Add the last tbsp soy sauce to your chicken and veg followed by all your pineapple chunks and any remaining juice. Cook on a low heat for a further 5 minutes while you prepare your sides. If you want to add some chilli oil or hot sauce for a bit of a kick, add it to taste in this step.
- Ladle the sticky pineapple chicken into your pineapple boats/bowls. Garnish with coriander/sesame seeds if you like and serve with your sides.
- You can freeze this recipe if you want to make extra for a rainy day.
