Pineapple Chicken (Stir Fry or Slow Cooker)
Description
Borrowed from ‘Ricardo’s Slow Cooker’, by Ricardo Larrivee, this is another lovely slow cooker recipe. The recipe says to add chopped red pepper and snap peas at the end of cooking, but we like our vegetables crunchy and just added them to our bowls after we dished up…and we loved this over rice – enjoy! **2025 Update for Stir Fry method below!**
Ingredients
Pineapple Chicken (Slow Cooker)
Sauce
1 T. cornstarch AND 1/4 c. chicken broth
1 T. brown sugar AND 3 T. soy sauce
2 T. EACH ketchup, rice vinegar AND pineapple (or apricot) jam
Chicken
2 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken thighs
2 c. diced fresh pineapple (extra pineapple is always good)
1 small onion, diced
1 T. fresh minced ginger AND 2 cloves garlic, minced
chopped peppers and snap peas for serving
Pineapple Chicken (Stir Fry)
The chicken is very similar to Cashew Chicken;
1 1/2 lbs. of chicken breast thinly sliced, stirred together with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and a sprinkling of salt and sugar
onion, garlic, ginger all the same
pineapple and peppers and/or snap peas the same
Sauce – as above but doubled and no cornstarch (because it’s now in with the raw chicken) – combine all ingredients and whisk well
Instructions
Slow Cooker Version – To make the sauce, dissolve the cornstarch in the broth in a small bowl, then whisk in the other sauce ingredients and set the bowl aside.
Heat a bit of oil in a large skillet and brown the chicken thighs over high heat, a couple of minutes per side, and season well with salt and freshly ground pepper. You’ll have to brown the chicken in batches so transfer the chicken to the slow cooker as it browns. When the chicken is done, add the pineapple, onion and ginger to the same skillet – add more oil if needed – and saute for a few minutes, then add in the garlic and cook for another minute before scraping the mix into the slow cooker on top of the chicken. Add the sauce to the skillet and bring it to a boil, making sure to scrape up all of the browned bits, and then pour the sauce over the chicken in the slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Adjust the seasonings if necessary (as in, more salt and pepper, hot sauce if you’re Brock and I), and serve over rice with some fresh cut up vegetables. The chicken will be fall apart perfect!
Stir Fry Version – heat up a bit of avocado oil in a large skillet or wok and cook the chicken, onion, ginger and garlic for several minutes until there’s no pink, making sure to break it up as you go. Add in the peppers (or other vegetables) and saute for a couple of minutes…or longer for less crunch, then toss in the pineapple and sauce and bring to a simmer while stirring. Once everything comes to a boil, the sauce should thicken up a bit and you’re ready to serve!
- Category: Chicken, Pineapple, Slow Cooker
