Th
is Baked Almond Pineapple chicken is the perfect summer recipe for a light and tropical summer chicken dish!
When it comes to chicken I’ve noticed people fall into a rut with it. Typically they have 2, maybe 3, awesome chicken recipes up their sleeves and they tend to rotate between those. Now even I, with the bajillion ways I can make chicken, fall into that rut.
Well, I was bound and determined to make something new; something outside of the box. Plus truth be told, I had 12 cans of Pineapple chunks in my pantry that I was sick of seeing (Mr. Fantabulous LOVES canned pineapple – plus real as well but it’s not in season here).
So full disclosure this recipe evolved out of a need – a need to make more space in my pantry AND a need to make something different and new with chicken. Now when it comes to boneless chicken I only ever buy chicken breasts as I’m a white meat girl but my butcher had absolutely GORGEOUS boneless thighs.
Now I try not to eat dark meat as it’s less healthy than white meat as it has a higher fat percentage but the flavor is so much richer. Chicken breasts have about 5 grams of fat while thighs have about 15 grams with about ~60 calories less for the breasts. The first time I made this I made it with the boneless breasts and the 2nd time I made it with the thighs. They both are amazing but do have a slight variance in flavor.
The chicken breasts were juicy and tender and full of flavor. The chicken thighs were very juice and tender but had a richer flavor; it had a bit more depth to it. What I would do next time is probably do a mixture of both in the same pan. This way the flavors marry together between the white and dark meat.
SUCH AN EASY RECIPE TO MAKE!
This is seriously a really, REALLY easy dish to make.
- Literally, you put the chicken in the dish, whisk up the rest of the stuff over medium heat until thickened (well not the pineapples or almonds)
- Place the pineapples on top of the chicken, pour the sauce over and top with the almonds.
- Bake.
The first time I made this sauce I literally just whisked it all in a bowl and poured it over top of the chicken and baked it. The sauce was super thin and didn’t really thicken up as I had hoped during the baking. So the 2nd time I pre-cooked the sauce a bit to thicken it up slightly and then poured it over the chicken to bake. THAT was the ticket to the luscious thick glaze you see in these pictures.
To help fix the first batch all I did was remove the chicken, strain out the almonds and pineapple and just cook the liquid for a few minutes. Same exact glaze as the 2nd batch though I think the 2nd batch was easier. So take my advice and cook the glaze first to help thicken it.
This definitely was a Winner Winner Chicken Dinner and will surely be a part of my “chicken rut” though that’s not a bad thing! This dish has a slightly Asian flair with some semblance of teriyaki chicken.
My next task with this chicken is to make it in the slow cooker. I’m thinking it would be really simple – on high for 3-4 hours or 6-8 on low all ingredients EXCEPT the cornstarch and water. I’d add them the last 10-15 minutes of cooking, lid off to get that thickness. Plus for texture, I think I would only cook 1/2 of the almonds and reserve the other half to sprinkle on when it’s done for that crunchy factor.
So yeah if you’re looking to get out of that Chicken Rut Chicken Butt *wink* OR to make room in your pantry because you have 12 cans of pineapple chunks, make this! On a side note, if you didn’t have pineapple chunks I bet you canned mango or even mandarin oranges would be awesome in this. OR why not all 3? Go tropical!
Speaking of tropical…*sigh* I so need a vacation! Does anyone want some company for a week? We can cook together! haha
Baked Almond Pineapple Chicken
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Ingredients
- 4–6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, trimmed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 (20-ounce) can pineapple chunks in pineapple juice (not syrup)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450F, middle rack.
- Lightly spray a 9×13 baking pan.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper.
- Place the chicken in the pan, not overlapping.
- Drain the pineapple chunks, reserving 1/2 cup of the juice.
- Whisk the pineapple juice, honey, ginger, vinegar, and soy sauce together in a medium-sauce pan.
- Place over medium heat and simmer, whisking often until it’s thickened slightly. ~about 8 minutes.
- Dissolve the cornstarch in the water in a small bowl, then whisk into the pineapple honey sauce.
- Place the pineapple chunks over top of the chicken
- Pour the pineapple honey sauce over the chicken, and then sprinkle with the almonds.
- Bake for 15-22 minutes or until the chicken registers 165F.
Notes
I have not tested this yet but I’m thinking if you wanted to make this in the crock pot, put all ingredients in except the cornstarch and water and maybe half of the almonds. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or 6-8 on low (use a thermometer to test for doneness!). The last 15 minutes of cooking, remove the lid and add the slurry of cornstarch/water. Cook until thickened (lid off). Garnish with reserved almonds.
This recipe is very good, and I’ve served it to guests on more than one occasion. But, if you know me, I always tweak recipes. I buy the organic boneless skinless chicken breasts at Costco, and I always split the breasts in two, so they are like cutlets. Therefore, I also cut the cooking time down to about 12 minutes, so the chicken doesn’t overcook. I also use all the pineapple juice from the can, which is about 1/2 more than the recipe calls for and increase the other sauce ingredients accordingly. You can never have enough sauce! I also toast the almonds. Serve with coconut rice made in the Instant Pot with a can of coconut milk for part of the water. Yummy!
Oh that all sounds amazing!!! Thank you for the tips!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Made this last evening. It’s a winner winner Chicken Dinner! Husband loved it. I did mine in cast iron skillet, first browning chicken lightly on both sides, added some extra vegetables such as snow peas, sliced onion, red and green bells and some broccoli flowerets, just to get more veggies in. I also cooked it in the cast iron skillet that I used to brown chicken, just transferred it to the oven. It’s a keeper recipe for sure. Good Job Kitchen Whisperer. Love your stuff!
★★★★★
Made this dish last night and it was WONDERFUL!! The sauce is to DIE for! Wish I’d doubled it!! Chicken came out moist and the pineapple added just the right amount of sweetness and zip! I added in sliced onions, bell peppers and broccoli! A satisfying complete meal and EASY cleanup!! Definitely will be on our rotation of dishes!
★★★★★
Thank you so much Dea! So happy you loved this! Now this sauce – it’s incredible on wings, thighs and…are you ready for this…. on a chicken pineapple pizza! I am anti-pineapple on pizza but with this sauce and the chicken, it works so incredibly well!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
I made this tonight and add some red peppers and green onions. I served it over coconut rice. It was really good. Next time I may add a chili pepper for some kick! Thanks for the recipe!
Oh I love the addition of the peppers and onions! Great flavor addition plus great colors! Ohhhhhhhh coconut rice!!! YUM!!! Love how you think!
And thank you so very much!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
★★★★★
I finally made this tonight. You get a BIG “OMG, this was SO GOOD!” from me and the hubby! I added red bell peppers, too. Loved the sauce, I think I will make the sauce for other dinners, too. We stir-fry a lot and this would be perfect!
★★★★★
Thank you so much Barb! Oh I love the addition of red peppers! Great thinking!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
★★★★★
This looks delicious, and can easily be made gluten free by subbing gf soy sauce or coconut aminos.
It is definitely going into my ‘must try’ file!
★★★★★
That’s new to me Tina – I thought all soy sauce was gluten free. I just assumed they were as my bottle (I just looked) says gluten free. Thanks for letting me know this!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
★★★★★
Did you toast some of the almonds, or did they just come out that way because of the glaze? I’ll be making this very soon!
I just tried a new product tonight. It was the Minute Rice brand, but is a mixture of wild rice, brown rice and quinoa. It cooked in 10 minutes and both hubby and I thought it was great under the stir fry we made.
★★★★★
They came out that way from the oven. The almonds aren’t mixed in, they are sprinkled on top.
Oh yum! That rice sounds fabulous!!! I’ll have to check it out!
Best Kitchen Wishes!