BBQ Pineapple Chicken

  • 1 Tbsp cooking oil
  • 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs* (about 2.3 lbs.)
  • Pinch Salt and pepper
  • 20 oz. can Pineapple slices in juice
  • 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
  • 1 jalapeño (optional), sliced thinly
  • 2 green onions
  1. Heat a large skillet over medium. Once hot add the cooking oil and swirl to coat the surface. While waiting for the skillet to heat, season both sides of the chicken thighs with a pinch of salt and pepper.

  2. Once the skillet is hot and the oil is shimmering, add the chicken thighs and cook until golden brown on each side and cooked through. Remove the cooked chicken to a clean plate.

  3. While the chicken is cooking, drain and reserve the juice from the canned pineapple slices.

  4. After removing the chicken from the skillet, turn the heat down to low and add about 1/2 cup of the reserved pineapple juice. Stir to dissolve and loosen the browned chicken bits from the bottom of the skillet. Once everything has been loosened from the skillet, add the BBQ sauce and stir until a thick sauce forms. Taste the sauce and add salt if needed. If your sauce gets too thick, simply add another splash of the reserved pineapple juice.

  5. Add the cooked chicken thighs and pineapple slices to the skillet, dredging both sides in the pineapple BBQ sauce.  Spoon any excess sauce over the chicken.

  6. Adjust your oven’s rack so that the skillet will be about 6 inches from the broiler unit and turn the broiler on to high. Transfer the skillet to the oven and broil for about 5 minutes, or just until the BBQ sauce caramelizes on the edges of the chicken and pineapple. If you don’t have an oven safe skillet** you can transfer the chicken, pineapple, and ALL of the sauce to a casserole dish for broiling, or skip the broiling step and enjoy as is.

  7. After broiling, sprinkle the sliced jalapeño and green onion over top, and then serve.

Thai Red Curry

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1 can coconut Milk
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tbsp. fish sauce
1 lb. boneless chicken, beef, pork or duck, cut into bite-size pieces
3 cups assorted cut-up vegetables, such as bell peppers, onions, carrots and sugar snap peas 2 tablespoons julienne-cut fresh basil

Directions:

HEAT oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add curry paste; stir fry 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until fragrant. Add coconut milk and chicken stock; bring to simmer on medium-high heat. Stir in brown sugar and fish sauce until well blended.

STIR in meat and vegetables; simmer 5 to 7 minutes or until meat is cooked through and vegetables are tender-crisp . Remove from heat. Stir in basil.

Marinades for Chicken or Pork

1. Maple Mustard

Tangy mustard and sweet maple syrup make for a balanced marinade that’s tart and sweet. Combine 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard with 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, and a big pinch of salt.

 

2. Lemon Pesto

Pesto can be a whole lot more than an easy sauce for pasta. As a base of a marinade it delivers an herby, garlicky punch to the meat — a little bit of lemon juice added to it gives it tang. Just mix 3 tablespoons of store-bought basil pesto with 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, and a big pinch of salt.

 

3. Chili Garlic

Give your chicken or pork a hot kick by bolstering a marinade with fiery sambal oelek or Asian chili-garlic sauce, and then tame the heat by serving the cooked meat over rice. Combine 3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce with 1/2 tablespoon grated or minced fresh ginger, 1 tablespoon sambal oelek or Asian chili-garlic sauce, and 1/2 tablespoon Asian sesame oil.

 

4. Yogurt Garam Masala

Yogurt makes for an incredible base for a marinade, as it tenderizes the meat. And the Indian spice blend garam masala (which contains cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, cumin, coriander, nutmeg, and peppercorns) lends a warm, aromatic touch. Stir together 1/4 cup whole-milk yogurt with 1 teaspoon garam masala, 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, and a big pinch of salt.

 

5. Sweet and Sour

Forget calling your favorite Chinese restaurant for a takeout order of sweet and sour chicken or pork and make an easy version at home instead. Just mix together 2 tablespoons pineapple juice with 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, and 2 teaspoons soy sauce.

Sesame Herb Chicken

  • 1/3 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
  • 2 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
  • 3 tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • salt and pepper
  1. In shallow bowl, mix breadcrumbs with sesame seeds
  2. In small bowl, mix mustard, vegetable oil, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper
  3. Spread mustard mix over chicken
  4. Roll chicken in breadcrumb mix
  5. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes

Moroccan Chicken

  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1 tsp. sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. cayenne
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper

Portuguese Spatchcock

  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 3 tsp. grated lemon zest
  • 2 tsp. chili flakes
  • 1 1/2 tsp. paprika
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 4 spatchcocks
  • 1/3 cup parsley (Italian)

Put the onion, garlic, lemon zest, chili flakes, paprika, oil and vinegar in a food processor and blend until a smooth paste.

Brush chicken with spice mixture; refrigerate.

Chicken Fajitas

  • 3 tbsp. lime juice
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 tsp. oregano
  • 1/4 tsp. chilies
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 6 chicken breasts/thighs
  • 12 flour tortillas
  • Guacamole, salsa, lettuce, sour cream

Combine lime juice, garlic, oregano, chilies, salt, pepper and oil.  Add chicken and toss to coat.  Marinate at room temperature 1-2 hours.

 

Honeyed Spice Chicken Tagine

1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 medium onion thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic crushed
4 large boneless chicken breasts, skinned
½ level tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tbsp clear honey
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 cup chicken stock
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup whole blanched almonds

  1. Heat the oil in the tagine base, fry the onion and garlic without colouring.
  2. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces, add to the tagine and brown evenly. Stir in the spices and cook for 1 minute.
  3. Mix together the honey, lime juice, vinegar and stock, pour over the chicken. Season well, cover and cook very gently for 1 ¼ – 1 ½  hours.
  4. When the chicken is cooked, remove the lid and boil the liquid rapidly to reduce to a syrupy consistency.
  5. Stir in the raisins and almonds and garnish with a little flat leaf parsley.