QUICK PINEAPPLE CHICKEN — Tender chunks of chicken with pineapple chunks, red peppers, green onions and cashews, in a sweet and spicy pineapple glaze. Ready in less than 30 minutes!
If you need to get dinner on the table in a hurry, then this Quick Pineapple Chicken is the recipe for you!
With a sweet and spicy pineapple glaze, this is a chicken dish everyone loves. My favorite part is the cashews, so I usually add a few extra, but my whole family loves everything about this pineapple chicken!
Oh, and the pineapple! That’s also my favorite. So sometimes I throw in extra pineapple too. I just love the combination of sweet and savory flavors in this dish.
And as long as I remember to get my rice started ahead of time, I can have this meal on the table in less than 30 minutes!
Fast, delicious and everyone raves about dinner…..you know this is a recipe that went straight into my favorites file.
I mean, why order take-out when this yummy chicken is almost as easy and just as fast. Maybe even faster! With some fried rice or hot and sour soup, you can make a complete Asian meal in the comfort of your own home.
I love using red peppers, because they’re a bit on the sweet side and pair perfectly with the pineapple, but you can use any color–or combination–of bell peppers in this recipes.
And peanuts are a great substitution for the cashews. But I do love the crunch of the nuts, so they are a must, in my opinion.
This is the kind of easy, flavorful meal that I serve often–and I don’t repeat recipes very often. So you know it’s good! My family wholeheartedly agrees.
I hope you love this Quick Pineapple Chicken as much as we do! Enjoy!
Be sure to save this Quick Pineapple Chicken recipe to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
Tips for Making Perfect Rice
How much water? You’ll often hear that you should use 2 cups of water per cup of rice. But I find my rice is fluffier when I use 1 3/4 cups water per cup of rice.
Different types of rice (brown, Basmati, short/long grain, etc.) may require different ratios of water. Don’t forget to add about a teaspoon of salt to the water before you add the rice.
Cooking time: Let your rice simmer on low for about 18 minutes, then remove from heat and allow the rice to steam in the pot for another 5 minutes. Do not uncover (or stir) your rice during cooking.
Serving: When your rice is done, fluff it with a fork to separate the grains, rather than stirring it with a spoon.
Here’s what you’ll need to make Quick Pineapple Chicken
- Vegetable oil
- Chicken
- Spices: red pepper flakes, salt and pepper
- Pineapple chunks and juice
- Soy sauce
- Brown sugar
- Hoisin sauce
- Produce: garlic, red peppers, green onions
- Cornstarch
- Cashews
- Hot cooked rice, for serving
Quick Pineapple Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
- 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
- Salt and pepper
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 cup pineapple juice reserve juice from pineapple chunks
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 20 oz. can pineapple chunks
- 1/2 cup cashews
- Sliced green onions
- Cooked rice for serving
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, until golden.
- Add bell pepper and cook until tender, about 3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, hoisin sauce, garlic and red pepper flakes in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water. Whisk cornstarch mixture into saucepan. Cook 4-5 minutes, until sauce is thickened.
- Pour sauce over chicken and peppers. Stir in pineapple, cashews and green onions. Serve over hot cooked rice.
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Nutrition
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Who Dished It Up First: Adapted from Delish
