Pineapple-Marinated Chicken Breasts

Name: Pineapple-Marinated Chicken Breasts
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 3 packed tablespoons dark brown sugar; 2 tablespoons rice vinegar; 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 1 tablespoon fish sauce; 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for cooking; 1 teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal); 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1 cup diced fresh pineapple (1/2-inch chunks); 1/4 cup finely diced red onion; 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro; 2 tablespoons finely grated fresh pineapple, including accumulated juices; 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks; Cooked white rice, for serving

By Eric Kim

Published June 9, 2021

Pineapple-Marinated Chicken Breasts — Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.

Total Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 4(4,169)
Comments: Read comments

Bromelain, the group of enzymes in fresh pineapple, is excellent at breaking down the connective tissues in thick, fibrous chicken breasts. In this simple marinade, grated pineapple completely alters the texture of the breast meat, resulting in something that’s akin to luscious dark meat. Briefly marinating here is important: Leave it too long and the chicken will fall apart during cooking, becoming shreddy and a little gluey. Fifteen minutes is the sweet spot. The accompanying pineapple salsa is a bright topping for the juicy morsels of aromatic chicken and rice.

Featured in: Three Ways to a Better Chicken Breast

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

3packed tablespoons dark brown sugar
2tablespoons rice vinegar
1tablespoon soy sauce
1tablespoon fish sauce
2tablespoons olive oil, plus more for cooking
1teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
1teaspoon garlic powder
¼ to ½teaspoon ground cayenne
½teaspoon black pepper
1cup diced fresh pineapple (½-inch chunks)
¼cup finely diced red onion
2tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
2tablespoons finely grated fresh pineapple, including accumulated juices
1½pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1½-inch chunks
Cooked white rice, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
In a large bowl, stir together the brown sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, garlic powder, ground cayenne and black pepper. Transfer 1 tablespoon of this marinade mixture to a separate medium bowl and add the diced pineapple, red onion and cilantro. This is your salsa; toss until well mixed and set aside.
Step 2
Add the grated pineapple and its juices to the marinade mixture in the large bowl, then add the chicken and toss to coat. Set aside to marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes (and no longer).
Step 3
Once the chicken is done marinating, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high and add enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken pieces, leaving any marinade behind, in a single layer so that they don’t touch and let cook until the bottoms are browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides and no longer pink on the inside, 4 to 5 minutes more.
Step 4
Serve the chicken over rice and top with the reserved pineapple salsa.

Ratings

4 out of 5

4,169 user ratings

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Comments

Blork4 years ago

Step 1 is hard to parse. Rewritten below by me (a professional writer of technical instructions): Step 1a: Marinade base In a large bowl, stir together the brown sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, garlic powder, ground cayenne and black pepper. Step 1b: Salsa Transfer 1 tablespoon of the marinade base to a medium bowl and add the diced pineapple, red onion and cilantro. Toss until well mixed and set aside.

Caroline4 years ago

The large bowl with the GRATED pineapple is the marinade. The medium bowl with 1 Tbsp, DICED pineapple, red onion, and cilantro is the salsa.

Alice Davis4 years ago

The first part of the second bowl is the second part of the first bowl which is party to the second pineapple omitting the second party of the party of the first pineapple in the second part of the first bowl. You're welcome.

DmoneyNYC1 week ago

Need to drain off as much of marinade as possible otherwise it just kind of steams in the pan. Also, 10 minutes for the marinade otherwise it breaks down the chicken a bit too much for me (not sure if it’s because we’re at altitude or not - we’re in Denver). Otherwise so delicious!

saltykey1 week ago

marinade not great but the salsa was very good

Jessica V2 weeks ago

Does anyone know / think this would be good with mango?

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