CHICKEN with PINEAPPLE SAUCE

 After having my wellness check up this summer and seeing the results of an inactive year during the COVID shutdown, I am back to trying to get some exercise and eating better. That means I have to start looking for more recipes for chicken instead of red meat and pork. This Chicken with Pineapple sauce sounded easy and delicious tasting.

I have never beaten chicken breast flat but when the directions said to cook a total 25 minutes, I was concerned the meat might need longer. I buy chicken breasts frozen with two in a package at a big box store. I am always pleased with them, but they are fairly large. One was a little fatter than the other so after beating the smaller one "forever", I sliced off a top layer of the larger breast and beat the rest of it. I put the thinner slice in the middle to cook and had the flattened thicker ones on the ends.

I'm not a soy sauce person but I decided to be brave and used it in the recipe. I also only had a 20 ounce can of crushed pineapple so I measured out about a cup of the crushed pineapple to use for something else. I also made the full recipe of the sauce even though I was using only two chicken breasts because of the size of the two I was using. We saved the larger half piece of chicken for leftover and split it for lunch later. It warmed up nicely in the microwave.

CHICKEN with PINEAPPLE SAUCE

2       tablespoons brown sugar

1       tablespoon cornstarch

2       cans (8 ounces each) crushed pineapple, undrained

1/4    cup soy sauce

1/4    teaspoon garlic salt

1/4    teaspoon ground ginger

6       boneless skinless chicken breast halves 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a baking dish the size to hold the number of chicken breasts you are using. Set aside.

In a saucepan, combine the brown sugar and corn starch.

Stir in the pineapple, soy sauce, garlic salt, and ginger.

Cook and stir over low heat until thickened.

Place the chicken in baking dish.

Pour half of the sauce over the chicken.

Bake, uncovered,  for 15 minutes.

Baste again and continue baking 10 more minutes or until the chicken juices run clear, basting as necessary with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with chives if desired.