Description
Pineapple Chicken and Rice brings tropical flavors dancing across your dinner plate with just one pan and minimal cleanup. Juicy chicken pieces nestled among fluffy rice create a quick weeknight dinner that delivers maximum flavor without complicated cooking techniques.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup pineapple chunks
- 1 cup jasmine or basmati rice
Supporting Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 small onion
- 3 cloves garlic
Seasoning Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon ginger powder
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup green onions
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Marinate 2 chicken breasts (cut into bite-sized pieces) with 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp olive oil, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, ½ tsp garlic powder, and ½ tsp paprika for 10-15 minutes.
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat at 375°F.
- Cook marinated chicken for 5-6 minutes until golden brown, then remove and set aside on a plate.
- Sauté 1 diced small onion in the same skillet for 2 minutes until translucent.
- Add 3 minced garlic cloves and cook for 30 seconds until aromatic.
- Stir in 1 cup rice and toast for 1-2 minutes to enhance flavor.
- Pour 1 ½ cups chicken broth, 1 cup pineapple chunks, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp honey, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, ½ tsp ginger powder, and ½ tsp red pepper flakes into the skillet.
- Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes at 200°F.
- Return chicken to the skillet and mix thoroughly.
- Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes to blend flavors completely.
- Garnish with ¼ cup chopped green onions and 2 tbsp fresh cilantro before serving hot.
Notes
- Marinate the chicken longer for deeper flavor absorption, up to 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Use day-old rice to prevent mushy texture and help grains stay separate during cooking.
- For a gluten-free version, swap soy sauce with tamari and ensure your chicken broth is certified gluten-free.
- If fresh pineapple isn’t available, canned chunks work perfectly – just drain excess liquid before adding.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25-28 minutes
- Category: Sautéed
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2
- Calories: 487 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 2200 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 53 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 34 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg