Pineapple Chicken

Studentchef's Note:

Mmmmmmmmm, this turned out really good. Make sure the pineapple chunks don't get burned. The gravy at the end is not really gravy, it's more like a thickened sauce from all the juices in the pan. I just call it gravy because after thickening it you can pour it over the chicken like you would any other regular gravy.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 55 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 (14 ounce) can pineapple chunks
• ½ cup pineapple juice , reserved
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Directions:

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
2. In a small bowl mix together soy sauce, honey, pineapple juice (reserved from the can of the pineapple chunks), cinnamon, and balsamic vinegar.
3. Lay the chicken on a large roasting pan and dump the pineapple chunks all around the chicken. Pour the sauce over the chicken and pineapple and bake for 45-55 minutes.
4. After baking take the juices from the pan reserve half in a smal bowl and pour the other half into a small saucepan and cook on medium high until it boils and then. With the reserved juice combine with cornstarch and mic well. Add this half to the sauce pan. Cook it for 10 minutes or until thickened. Make sure to put the chicken in a warm place to leave it warm.
5. Serve the chicken with your favourite rice recipe, and pour the gravy on the chickens as much as you like.

Reviews

[loof]

We really enjoyed this chicken! I turned the chicken over in the sauce 3 times during the baking so that it would soak up more of the flavor of the sauce. I couldn't resist adding a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes and it was a great complement to the sweetness of the sauce. Great recipe - thanks for sharing it! Made for Spring PAC 2010

[NcMysteryShopper]

I too think this recipe has promise. The combination of flavors was overpowered by the cinnamon (I used 1/2 as much) I would have loved to have tasted the vinegar and the sweet honey along with the pineapples. I couldn't help but wonder if it was suppose to be 1 Teaspoon of cinnamon as opposed to 1 Tablespoon. If I were to make this again I would also marinate the chicken so that the pineapple juice penetrated. I kept wishing the pineapples were caramelized. My breasts took 35 minutes. Anyway, great attempt and good luck in the contest!

[Ducky]

I made this when I needed a quick and easy dinner. I made a half recipe. I used crushed pineapple, as that is what I had on hand, and low-sodium soy sauce. I also used a non-stick spray on the baking dish to ease the clean-up effort. I baked this for less than 1 hour (not even close to the 90 minutes called for in the recipe) and it was cooked through. I did baste the chicken a couple of times during baking to help keep it from drying out. There was not enough juice in the pan to even attempt a gravy. The cinnamon smell was very distinct.