Pineapple Marinated Chicken Breast from Episode 33
Our recipe for this episode is perfect for busy, back-to-school nights: Pineapple Marinated chicken breasts! It's super easy, tasty and you'll probably have everything you need in your larder except the chicken and the fresh pineapple. The leftovers are fantastic too! Bossy first discovered the recipe in the September 26, 2021 edition of The New York Times:
“The group of enzymes in fresh pineapple, bromelain, excellently breaks down the connective tissues in thick, fibrous chicken breasts. In this brilliant recipe, Eric Kim uses pineapple in two ways: in a cheerful salsa, and as a marinade that transforms breast meat into something closer to tender dark meat. Don’t let the marinade sit for too long, he advises, or the chicken will fall apart during cooking. 15 minutes is the sweet spot for a recipe that clocks in, marinade and all, at 30 minutes.”
Note: Bossy usually doubles everything. She also usually makes the salsa before adding the chicken to the marinade so she doesn't have to clean the counters between cutting up the chicken and cutting up the pineapple.
Mix all of this together:
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil (plus more for cooking)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ to ½ teaspoon ground cayenne
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Reserve 1-2 tablespoons of this mixture for the cheerful salsa.
For the marinade:
To the remaining liquid mixture above, add 2 tablespoons of finely grated fresh pineapple including the juices
1 and ½ pounds of boneless, skinless chicken up into 1 and ½ inch pieces
Put the chicken in the marinade for 15 minutes—no more.
Heat a nonstick skillet or a Le Creuset dutch oven that has a higher wall (that will keep spatters from going everywhere) to medium high. Add the chicken in a single layer with the pieces not touching each other. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the bottoms of the pieces are browned—then flip and stir so cooked through—about another 4 to 5 minutes.
To make the cheerful salsa:
Take one tablespoon of the mixture above and put it in a separate bowl, then add:
1 cup fresh pineapple small dice
¼ c. finely diced red onion
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped fine
Serve with rice and top with the cheerful salsa. Bossy likes to add a little Better Than Bouillon to her rice and Bootie likes Laylita's Cilantro Lime Rice.
