Pineapple chicken

The Story

A dish I used to have to make in a restaurant that tasted OK and I haven’t really seen it anywhere since. The very important thing is to marinate it at least 24 hours minimum and can probably marinate at least a day longer than that.

Why Cook This

I’m just gonna paste the full recipe here. Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Serves about 4–6 Chicken * 2 lb boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-size pieces or strips * 1/2 cup soy sauce * 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce * 1/2 cup pineapple juice * 1 large sweet or yellow onion, sliced Pineapple * 1 can pineapple chunks, about 20 oz, drained — save the juice * 1–2 tablespoons brown sugar * 1/4 cup soy sauce * 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce * 1/4 cup pineapple juice * About 1/4 cup water, or just enough additional liquid to mostly cover the pineapple For serving * Honey mustard * Rice, tortillas/wraps, or both The night before Mix equal parts soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, and pineapple juice. Make enough to completely coat the chicken. For about 2 pounds of chicken, 1/2 cup of each works well. Add the chicken and sliced onion to the marinade, cover, and refrigerate overnight. In a separate container, combine the pineapple chunks with the brown sugar, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, pineapple juice, and enough water to mostly cover them. Refrigerate overnight as well. Cooking A Blackstone or other flat-top griddle is ideal, but a large skillet, cast-iron pan, or grill works too. Get the cooking surface fairly hot. Remove the chicken and onions from their marinade and cook them together until the chicken is browned, slightly caramelized, and reaches 165°F internally. Transfer the cooked chicken and onions to a cutting board or serving dish. Drain most of the liquid from the marinated pineapple, then throw the pineapple onto the same hot cooking surface. Cook until it gets browned and caramelized around the edges. The brown sugar, teriyaki, and leftover chicken flavor on the griddle should make it almost sticky. Chop the chicken, onions, and pineapple together or leave them in larger pieces. Serve it three ways Over rice: Chicken, onions, and caramelized pineapple over white or jasmine rice with a little honey mustard drizzled over the top. As a wrap: Chop everything relatively small, pile it into a tortilla, and add honey mustard like a wrap sauce. By itself: Serve the chicken, grilled onions, and pineapple together and use honey mustard as a dipping sauce. One important thing: don’t use the leftover liquid that had the raw chicken in it as a finishing sauce unless you bring it to a full boil first. The separate pineapple marinade is the better one to cook down if you want extra sauce. And your basic formula is really easy to remember: 1 part soy + 1 part teriyaki + 1 part pineapple juice. That’s essentially the whole recipe.