Pineapple Chicken

I have always loved pineapples! Hubby makes fun of me all the time because of my love for this fruit. During our honeymoon in Hawaii, I think I somewhat overdosed on pineapples since there was an abundance of them over there. It just seemed like the safe thing to order! So I managed to have pineapple juice with practically every meal; we had pineapple sorbet; I even had pineapple upside down cheesecake! Not to mention I ate the fruit all on its own whenever it was available. I guess it was actually pretty ironic when we went to the Dole Plantation and I stuck my head in an adult size pineapple board to take a picture!

In terms of this dish, this is one of my favorite recipes from my mom. I’ve made a couple of little adjustments to her original recipe just to make it even more “pineapple-y” than it was. Basically, instead of using water, I’ve decided to use pineapple juice. You could also add a couple of bird’s eye chilies to spice it up a bit. I don’t always add it in just for hubby and my mother in law’s sake.

INGREDIENTS

1 Lb. Chicken Thighs (deboned)
1 can of Pineapple (save all the Pineapple juice)
2 cloves of Garlic (minced)
2 Bird’s Eye Chilies (optional)
1 tsp. Corn Starch
1 tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 tbsp. Sesame Oil
1 tsp. Sugar
1 tsp. Black Pepper
2 tsp. Oil
½ tsp. salt
2 tbsp. Ground Bean Paste
(Cornstarch Slurry: 1 tbsp. Corn Starch, 1 tbsp. Sugar and remainder of half of the Pineapple juice from the can)

DIRECTIONS

Marinade chicken with corn starch, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and black pepper.

Open can of pineapples, pour juice into another container and cut pineapple into chunks.

Heat up wok and add 1 tsp. oil. Stir fry 1 clove of garlic until browned, then add pineapple. Sprinkle salt over the pineapples. Allow pineapples to brown a little bit, then remove from wok.

Heat up wok again and add 1 tsp. oil. Stir fry 1 clove of garlic until browned, then add ground bean paste (it can burn quickly), quickly followed by adding the marinated chicken. Allow chicken to brown on both sides, then add half of the pineapple juice from the can. If the chicken is not mostly covered, add a little water to compensate. Lower heat and cover wok.

Check chicken in approximately 10 minutes. Depending on the size of the pieces of chicken, you may have to cook for longer. When chicken is cooked, return pineapples to the wok. Add corn starch slurry and chilies (if using). When sauce is thickened, taste and adjust as necessary (you may need more sugar since some juices from canned pineapple can be more sour than others).

Removed from wok and serve with rice!