Prepare A Healthy Pineapple Chicken Meal For A Great Diet!
You may have tried a lot of chicken dishes but if you haven’t tried a healthy pineapple chicken, then it is time that you try any of our recipes for the next dinner party. The chicken cooked with pineapple juice is tenderer and much flavorful in its unique style. Read on to know some of the best pineapple chicken dishes.
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Combination of pineapple and chicken
One of the most important parts of chicken meal preparation is softening the meat before cooking. Marinating the chicken is the primary process responsible for this and various agents are used for that, pineapple juice being one of them. Pineapple juice sits well with almost all kinds of meat and imparts them great softness along with a unique flavor.
The enzyme called Bromelain present in pineapple softens the meat by digesting the protein in meat tissues and loosening them. This enzyme occurs naturally in fresh juice but not in canned juice. Thus, different types of pineapple juices affect the chicken differently.
Thus, depending upon the sweet flavor that you want in your chicken, you need to marinate it in pineapple juice for 14 or 24 hours as that would affect the texture too accordingly. Canned pineapple juice is thus the better choice for marinating chicken.
Let us now give you some of the great healthy pineapple chicken recipes.
Pineapple chicken stir fry recipe
This delicious recipe can be prepared very quickly as there is no need of preparing the chicken through marinating. The result is a colorful and very tangy dish that can be served with a variety of accompaniments like fried rice, pita bread, etc.
Ingredients:
- One pound chicken, boneless and cut into cubes or strips
- One can of pineapple, drain the juice, and save it
- One bell pepper, diced
- One bunch of scallions, shredded
- One tbsp cornstarch
- 3 tbsp of soy sauce
- 3 tbsp of olive oil
- Half tsp paprika
- Salt as per taste
Combine the seasonings and oil and marinate the chicken strips in that mixture. Leave the chicken to rest for some time.
Take a wok and heat one tbsp olive oil in it. Add the veggies bell pepper and scallions and toss them into getting tender till about 4 minutes. Take the marinated chicken now and then add it to the veggie mix.
Keep cooking the chicken veggie mix thoroughly for about ten to fifteen minutes till it gets softer and the color of the chicken lightens. Add this stage, take a small bowl and mix the saved pineapple juice along with cornstarch in it.
Put the pineapple cubes into the chicken-veggie mix and stir fry for about 3 minutes. After that, add the cornstarch slurry into the mix and let the mix come to one boil. Keep the sauce simmering for about 2 minutes and then serve the dish fresh with some spring onions and chili flakes garnished on the top.
One-pot pineapple chicken
Crockpot dishes are super easy to make and the result is a super delicious dish that has all the flavors set distinctively and all the ingredients are cooked very nicely. This is the Hawaiian take on the healthy pineapple chicken recipe which is very healthy.
Ingredients:
- Two pounds of chicken, boneless and cubed
- One can of pineapple, juice removed and saved
- Two small bell pepper, diced
- One can of water chestnuts
- Two green onions, chopped
- Brown rice, cooked as per the instructions
- Two tbsp cornstarch
- 3 tbsp of soy sauce
- Two tbsp of garlic, minced
- One tbsp ginger, minced
- Half tsp chili flakes
- One-fourth tsp black pepper, ground
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
Take a slow cooker and spray cooking oil inside. Start with arranging the cubed chicken slices at the bottom to make a singleton layer. Take a small bowl and mix the pineapple juice along with cornstarch in it. Once the mix becomes smooth, add the garlic, ginger, oil, pepper flakes, black pepper, and soy sauce into it and stir some more.
Pour this seasoning sauce on the chicken layer now and then add in the bell pepper and pineapple cubes. Cook the mixture over high settings for one to two hours or on low settings for four to five hours.
Open the pot and take out the chicken and veggies. Pour the sauce into a pan separately and cook it nicely till it gets reduced to half. Put everything back into the pot again along with the green onions and water chestnuts.
Combine well and serve hot with brown rice.
Cashew pineapple chicken
Chinese food is known for its strong flavors but it’s always to experiment a little here and there with the flavors and this recipe is a great example. Cashew is the star ingredient of this healthy pineapple chicken recipe and the overall recipe is going to be a healthy and delicious meal. The fat content is very low and won’t give you any food high easily by being light on the stomach.
Ingredients:
- One pound of chicken, boneless and cubed
- One cup of pineapple, juice removed and saved
- Half cup of cashews
- Two garlic cloves, minced
- Two tbsp each of rice vinegar and soy sauce
- Two tsp each of corn starch and sriracha sauce
- Two tbsp of garlic, minced
- Black pepper and kosher salt as per taste
- One tbsp canola oil
- Half tsp sesame oil
- Fresh cilantro
- Steamed rice
Take a skillet and heat the oil in it. Put in the chicken along with salt-pepper seasoning and cook well till they get fully tender for about six minutes.
Take a small bowl and add all the sauces, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, pineapple juice, and vinegar in it. In another small bowl, mix the corn starch with some water and make a smooth slurry.
Now add the sauces mix followed by the cornstarch slurry one by one into the chicken stir fry and then mix well. Cook this mix for about another three minutes. At this stage, put the pineapple cubes and cashews into the chicken mix and cook for some time more.
Serve the dish hot with rice.
Baked pineapple chicken
If you are a pizza lover, then this dish is going to give you the same feels of tangy flavors, strong spicy flavors, cheese burst, and so much more in your mouth at the same time. This yet another Hawaiian take on the healthy pineapple chicken recipe is very exciting to make.
Ingredients:
- Four chicken breast, whole
- Four thin round cuts of pineapple
- Two tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
- One and a half cup of mozzarella cheese, grated
- One small red onion, diced
- One tsp Italian seasoning
- Half tsp each of garlic powder and sweet paprika
- Kosher salt as per taste
- Two tbsp olive oil
- Two tsp cilantro, chopped
Get your oven ready by preheating it at 375 degrees Celsius.
Tale a small bowl and put all the seasonings and spices in it and mix well. Coat the chicken breasts with pepper and salt seasoning thoroughly.
Take a microwave-safe pan and cook the chicken in it nicely till it turns tender followed by coating it with the seasoning mix. Now, spread half of the mozzarella and parmesan cheese over the chicken pieces and then arrange the pineapple rings over them. Spread the remaining cheese portions over the setting.
Bake the chicken till cheese melts that will take around ten minutes. Garnish with cilantro and red onions rings and serve fresh.
Conclusion
So, these were our best healthy pineapple chicken recipe picks for you and we recommend you to try them as you are going to be surely amazed by the amazing flavors they are packed with. Do share with us any recipes that you may have and tell us how you liked our recipes.
