Pineapple-Marinated Chicken Breasts

By Eric Kim

Published June 8, 2021

  • Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.
Media 1 of 2
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(4,471)
Comments
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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.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 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

  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon ground cayenne

  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

  • 1 cup diced fresh pineapple (½-inch chunks)

  • ¼ cup finely diced red onion

  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

  • 2 tablespoons finely grated fresh pineapple, including accumulated juices

  • 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 ½-inch chunks

  • Cooked white rice, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

35 grams carbs; 124 milligrams cholesterol; 419 calories; 6 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 11 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 698 milligrams sodium; 41 grams protein; 12 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. 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.

  2. 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).

  3. 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.

  4. Step 4

    Serve the chicken over rice and top with the reserved pineapple salsa.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
4,471 user ratings
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Comments

Blork

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.

Caroline

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 Davis

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.

Jasper

I made the mistake of too low heat. These pieces have a lot of fluid and want to let it all out bc of the pineapple. you NEED to sear on very high heat to keep fluid in (just speculation, i made the mistake of not, and they are so dry)

DO NOT make this!

This is sure a recipe for disaster. I followed the instructions and it was not edible. The chicken had a weird consistency after marination and sauce was just too sweet. The only good idea is to pair pineapple with onion and cilantro, with a bit of lemon/lime juice that’s all you need.

Charlotte K

Love the salsa, but the marinade made the chicken tough. In 15 minutes it didn't have enough time for the flavors to penetrate the meat, either, so it was without much flavor. I will definitely make the salsa again, but not the chicken.

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