So, enough with dealing with the sourdough discard for today. Instead, I've turned to an easy main dish: Pineapple Chicken. Inexpensive boneless, skinless chicken thighs cook up moist and tender in the slow cooker with a sauce you can pull together in minutes. Crushed pineapple and brown sugar add sweetness to the chicken, and soy sauce, ginger, and garlic keep it savory. Lime juice adds a pleasant tang that also helps perk up the dish. I thicken the sauce at the end of the cooking time with a cornstarch and water slurry that takes only a couple of minutes. You can serve the chicken atop rice to catch the savory-sweet sauce. If you'd like, you also can add a lime wedge to each plate to squeeze over the pineapple chicken. The fresh lime juice really adds zing to the dish. This is a great, easy main dish to serve to your family or for a casual get together.
Pineapple Chicken -- Serves 4+
1 20-ounce can of crushed pineapple, undrained
1/2 cup of dark brown sugar
1/2 cup of ketchup
1/4 cup of lime juice
1/4 cup of reduced sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons of grated ginger
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/4 cup of cornstarch
1/3 cup of water
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lime, cut into wedges (optional)
Coat the inside of a slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray and place the chicken in the bottom of the cooker. In a large bowl, combine the pineapple, brown sugar, ketchup, lime juice, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic and stir the mixture well. Pour the mixture over the chicken in the slow cooker.
Cook the chicken on high for an hour and then on low for 3-5 hours until the chicken is tender. Mix the cornstarch and water to form a smooth mixture and pour it into the slow cooker with the chicken. Gently stir the cornstarch mixture into the sauce to thicken it. It should thicken in just a few minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve the chicken and sauce over rice with lime wedges if you like.
