Pineapple Teriyaki Glazed Chicken Skillet

May 8, 2015

Pineapple Teriyaki Glazed Chicken Skillet




When did you realize you were becoming old and uncool?
All it took me was spending an afternoon with 12-year-old niece.
Until yesterday, I was the young/hip uncle, and all of a sudden I’m an old fart.
When and how did that happen?
I know it’s silly to say but it bothers me. It really bothers me.
I loved my status of “cool uncle” as opposed to the “uncool parents”.
I was not ready to let it go. But times have changed and apparently there’s nothing I can do about it.

Red Bell Pepper




One sign that I’m no longer cool is that when she’s talking, I don’t always get what she’s saying.
She talks way too fast and uses word shortening way too much. If you add a good amount of teen slang, you can understand my issues.
A couple of times I had to look up on the web in order to understand what she was saying.
Like the word “tope” which apparently means “cool” — no, not dope, tope with the letter ‘t’.
Or, for instance, you guys know what HAK or HAND mean? Or that “G” is a synonym for friend?
Beats me...

Pineapple Chunks




The moment I felt really old was when she explained to me that the save icon on the computer is based on what discs used to look like before DVDs were invented.
She was saying this in the same way you might give facts about the First World War.
It was one ugly moment let me tell you.
Another thing I discovered is that Facebook is really uncool “Uncle, no one uses FB. What are you, 80?” Same goes for Twitter.
The only thing that matters is Instagram: how many followers you have and how many likes you get.
But she wasn’t impressed at all by my 10.3k IG followers, and that bugged me. A lot.

Pineapple Teriyaki Glazed Chicken Skillet




But I’m still her favorite cook. She loves everything I make.
Including this Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Skillet.
We made this together. Actually, she made most of the work. It’s that easy, I was just closely supervising.
Tender chicken in a sweet and sour sauce, combined with fresh chunks of pineapple and red pepper.

Pineapple Teriyaki Glazed Chicken Skillet
The sauce is so yummy by itself, we ended up eating it with a spoon.
I served this with a side of greens and some fresh produce.
All in all a very satisfying meal. After eating it, I was a bit cooler, but not for long.

Pineapple Teriyaki Glazed Chicken Skillet


Pineapple Teriyaki Glazed Chicken Skillet                                                                 Print this recipe!
Adapted from FlavorTheMoments

Ingredients

Serves 4

Chicken

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 lb / 453 gr boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
Ground black pepper to taste
1 red bell pepper, cored, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 ½ cups fresh pineapple chunks
Chopped scallions for serving

Sauce

4 tablespoons wheat-free soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
2 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons pineapple juice
1 ½ tablespoons rice wine vinegar (if you can’t find rice wine use sherry or dry white wine)
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
4 tablespoons cold water
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)

Directions

In a small bowl mix arrowroot powder (or cornstarch) with cold water and set aside.
In another bowl whisk together soy sauce, water, honey, pineapple juice, rice wine vinegar, and grated ginger. Add arrowroot mixture and set aside.
Season the chicken cubes with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add chicken and arrange in a single layer.
Let brown for about 2 minutes, then turn on the other side and cook for another 2 minutes on the other side.
Add chopped red bell pepper and saute’ for 3 minutes.
Add pineapple chunks and pour the teriyaki-cornstarch mixture into the skillet, stir until it coats the chicken.
Continue to cook until the sauce thickens, about 4 minutes.
Serve warm!

Nutrition facts

One serving yields 313 calories, 12 grams of fat, 25 grams of carbs, and 27 grams of protein.

26 comments:

  1. Lol, this post had me laughing from the first line. I'm not typically around anyone under 30 anymore, and my daughters aren't old enough to start putting me in my place, age-wise, but I get ya...especially when I hear myself saying something like, 'what is it with music these days?' or 'geez, that guy was driving fast', lol. The kicker lately has been seeing high school boys at our gym that literally look like they're 12. WTH?! It's all good though, just embrace it and you'll be fine. This meal looks awesome, by the way. I often get cravings for chicken with pineapple, but have yet to find a decent recipe, so I'm definitely going to give this a shot! We had your Soy and Ginger Chicken dish again last night and loved it! It's a favorite around here. Have a great weekend buddy!

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    1. Don't get me started on high school boys that are like 16 and look like they're 10...they make me feel so old :)

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  2. Mike, I can so relate, but you are cool in my book. Really cool. Especially when you make something like this.

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    1. Thanks man, it's good to know I'm still cool in someone's book!

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  3. Mike I get it completely, but don't agree. Like I am in spirit much younger than my actual age. People are surprised at my age, but there are days I think, oh my, have I become "that" person? Ha!
    As for this dish, it seems the #Wolfpack is on a pineapple bender lately, nice stuff here! I would have made my niece do the dishes, too. ;) #WolfPackYoungAtHeartForever

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    1. Good for you man, I should follow your lead then!

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  4. You not cool? Never. Just wait, soon enough, kids will be strutting about with cauliflower t-shirts.

    this recipe looks delicious and I'm seriously craving the chicken/pineapple combo after Shashi's recipe earlier!

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    1. Cauli tees you say? That might actually be the next big thing!

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  5. Right?! I freaked out the first time a student asked me what a Mix-Tape was. I was traumatized for weeks. I also have never heard any of the slang your niece uses. What's happening?
    Ps the recipe sounds delicious. I made 2 of your grilled chicken kabobs last week and man were they good!

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    1. Wait, what? They don't know what a Mix-tape is? My-oh-my...

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  6. It was such fun to read your post,LOL.
    After recovering your status as cool uncle I'm sure you will enjoy this gorgeous chicken recipe more than ever:)

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  7. Thanks for the laugh, I think that both you and pineapple teriyaki glazed chicken skillet are pretty cool Mike!

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  8. What I love about you and your recipes is that anyone can make it from real stuff. I dont really go in for all this ultra-paleo stuff and tend to cook the way my Mum taught me so a recipe like this with easy alternative ingerdients like soy sauce and corn starch is Awesome (with a capital A). A lot of time I dont cook something that looks nice because the list or type of ingredients is too far out. Thank you Mike.

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    1. Thank YOU Kate; I like being Awesome with a capital A! ;)

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  9. You always make me laugh, but I definitely get where you're coming from! I think I really started noticing it right about the time that high school students started to look like they were about 8! Good thing food is a language everyone can understand!

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    1. Exactly Kari, food is ageless. It's either good or bad, and that's all that matters!

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  10. Haha! Great post, Alpha. I had a similar realization recently, and it kinda made me a little sad. I have a 1-year old niece who still smiles at me on FaceTime, so I'll take that as a victory. I figure I've got at least 10 years there before Funcle Grilling Troll becomes Weird Uncle Grilling Troll! Oh, and I'm impressed by your Instagram followers. #WolfpackCoolClub

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    1. I was really hoping to make an impression with my IG followers, thank you for noticing! :)

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  11. Haha - Love this post, Mike - being a mom to a 16 year old - I so totally can relate - my daughter tells me often I gain back cool points when I ask her what something might mean instead of acting like I know what it does while trying to sneakily look it up on my phone! And - yup, she said the same thing about FB and Twitter - only now she touts Snapchat and phhhoto as the new trends in addition to IG!
    This pan is full of yumminess - I could sit there with a spoon and eat it all - no plate needed!

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    1. I know all about Snapchat and Phhhoto but 12-year-old niece is not allowed to use 'em just yet...

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  12. I still use Facebook, I guess I'm old then! :) I'm turning 26 in less then a month but sometimes I feel like I'm 40, LOL. Especially when we talk about "the good old days" with my friends. We actually know what it was like back then when there were no cell phones or internet and we played outside. Btw, this meal looks so delicious, now I'm craving some pineapples :)

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  13. I'm with you, I'm feeling older when I read teens expressions and their videos! I love your little stories, you have a natural voice, didn't I say that before?

    And this pinapple chicken is a must try! Pinned!

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    1. Don't even get me started on teen videos. The other day I tried watching one on YouTube and I was like what the heck is going on? What language are they even speaking? :/

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  14. Sorry folks...I'm so old (65), I don't even know what most of you are talking about, but I do enjoy your recipes. My wife is diabetic so I'm always looking for recipes to help her as I am, and have been the cook in the family for 25 years.

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