Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Island Bird: Pineapple-Rum Chicken

From 365: No Repeats by Rachel Ray, copyright 2005. This has some of the same flavors as AtomicRose's Rum-Glazed Pineapple, Mango & Chicken Skewers and is quite good.

Island Bird: Pineapple-Rum Chicken

1-1/2 cups jasmine rice, any brand
1 whole pineapple, cored and peeled (see Tidbit below)
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil (cut this down to 1 Tablespoon or use cooking spray instead)
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Coarse salt (I used plain old ordinary table salt)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup (a 2-ounce nip) spiced rum, such as Captain Morgan's
2 cups chicken stock or broth (low or no-fat)
4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
Coarse black pepper
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves (a generous handful), chopped
2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves (a palmful), chopped.

Cook the rice according to the package directions. While it cooks, make the chicken and sauce.

Cut the pineapple into bite-size chunks.

Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 Tablespoon of the vegetable oil. (Reduce oil or use cooking spray.)

Add the onions, garlic, salt, and crushed red pepper flakes and cook for 2 minutes stirring frequently.

Add the pineapple chunks and the juice from the container, no more than 1/2 cup, and stir to combine.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the spiced rum. Return the pan to the heat, keeping a little distance in case the pot flames up. You can flame it on purpose, if you want to look cool. Either way, let the alcohol cook away, 1 minute.

Add the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a simmer, then cook until it reduces by half and has thickened slightly.

While the sauce is simmering, preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with the remaining 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil. (Reduce oil or use cooking spray.)

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the hot skillet. Cook the chicken for 6 minutes on each side. For a smoky taste, grill the chicken on a grill pan or on an outdoor grill.

Slice the breasts and return to the large skillet. Pour in the pineapple and sauce and combine with a good shake of the pan.

Add the parsley and cilantro to the pan and turn off the heat. Let stand for a minute or two.

Serve up the jasmine rice and top with liberal ladles of the Island Bird.

Tidbit: You can often find whole pineapples already peeled and cored in pouches of tall plastic containers. Check the fresh produce section.

Notes:

I would leave out the red pepper flakes, but Joe likes them. Sigh.

The peeled and cored pineapple I bought didn't have even 1/2 cup of juice, so I just used what I had and it turned out fine.

We cooked the chicken on the grill, so I was able to use the whole 1 Tablespoon of oil in the sauce.

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