Hawaiian Chicken

I saw this recipe in the Dec/Jan 2011 Taste of Home magazine.  I thought it looked like it was worth trying, so I gave it a whirl last night for dinner.  And I am very glad I did! It is wonderful! And fairly easy to make!  Took about 20 minutes of prep time. I definitely will be making it again!

The chicken came out so moist and tender! The sauce, which seemed to me like it had A LOT of sugar came out really delicious!  Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Served over a bed of rice (I used a box of Near East Almond Pilaf) and green beans on the side.

After coating chicken pieces in a flour mixture, you brown them in a pan with a little oil.  Then lay them in a baking dish like the above photo.



Stir together the sauce and cook it for 2 minutes.  Pour it over the chicken pieces and top with pineapple and green pepper.  I didn't have the green pepper on hand so I skipped it.  Bake for 20 minutes!


HAWAIIAN CHICKEN


1/2 cup all-purpose flour


1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each)
(I used 1 1/2 lbs. of chicken tenders)

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
(I used chicken broth instead...see below)

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 can (20 ounces) unsweetened sliced pineapple

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 medium green pepper, cut into rings

Hot cooked rice


Directions


In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the flour, salt and pepper. Add chicken, one piece, at a time, and shake to coat. In a skillet, brown chicken in oil. Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish.

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, bouillon and ginger. Drain pineapple into a 2-cup measuring cup; set pineapple aside. Add enough cold water to juice to measure 1-1/4 cups. Stir in vinegar and soy sauce. Gradually whisk into sugar mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Pour sauce over chicken; top with green pepper and reserved pineapple. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20-30 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 170°. Serve with rice.

Yield: 6 servings.

 
I don't keep chicken bouillon on hand because it has msg in it.  So, what I did for this recipe was substitute chicken broth (I like Swanson's Low Sodium with no msg) for the cold water.  It came out great this way!!

And a hint on chicken broth...If you open a can and only use a little bit out of it, instead of throwing it away or letting it sit in your frig for 2 weeks and then throwing it out, pour it in a freezer proof container and freeze it!  Then it is there when you need it!  You could even freeze it in an ice cube tray so you would have smaller portions of it!

 

Happy Cooking!!

--Mindy