Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Bowl

There is a reason my teriyaki chicken recipe is a household favorite: it's so dang easy to make and it makes enough food to feed two people for a couple days. Oh, and it's delicious. And healthy. Are those enough reasons?We make it at least once a month and serve it all sorts of ways. Our current favorite is this pineapple teriyaki chicken bowl version. Pineapple and teriyaki chicken are perfect together, so why not serve it straight out of a pineapple?

Our current favorite way to serve it up is this pineapple teriyaki chicken bowl version. Pineapple and teriyaki chicken are perfect together, so why not serve it straight out of the pineapple?

How to Make It

Making the chicken is the easiest part. Throw everything in a crockpot in the morning and let it cook all day. By the time you get home, you chicken will basically be falling apart.  

For this dish, shred the chicken with two forks into small pieces.  

But don't throw away that cooking liquid! My husband came up with the awesome idea of making a sauce out of it! Stran the liquid of all the little bits, mix in a bit of corn starch (agar agar  or collagen/gelatin if you are Paleo), then pour it into a pot to reduce.  After about 5 minutes, you should have a sauce that is thick enough to stick to the back of a spoon. 

You will also want a bit of pineapple to toss in with the chicken. If you want to turn your pineapple into a bowl, just score it around the edge and through the center with a knife, creating 4 squares. Then use a spoon to scrape out the pineapple chunks. Pour out any juice in the pineapple and set aside to be filled. Then chop the large pineapple chunks into smaller bite sized ones. 

All that's left to do is to toss the chicken with some of the sauce and pineapple. Then serve it up with a bit of rice (or cauliflower rice in this case) inside the pineapple! 

Honestly, there really isn't a better way to eat this meal. Who can resist eating straight out of a pineapple? And, in case you were so distracted by the pineapple to keep track, this recipe can be totally Paleo if you don't use corn starch and serve it with cauliflower rice.

So there you go - if you want to trick your kids or loved ones into eating Paleo (or just healthy), just serve it out of a pineapple. 

Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 4-8 hours in slow cooker

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients

Teriyaki Chicken

• 1 lb chicken breast (2-3 breasts)

• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup soy sauce (or liquid aminos)
• 2 tbsp sesame seed oil
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tsp honey
• 2 tsp fresh grated ginger (or 1/2 tsp dried ginger)
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Coconut Lime Cauliflower Rice

• 1 head cauliflower, processed
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• zest of 1/2 lime
• juice of 1/2 lime
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 pineapple

Instructions

Teriyaki Chicken

1. Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the stoneware of a slow cooker.

2. In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix together the chicken stock, soy sauce, sesame seed oil, rice wine vinegar, honey, ginger, garlic, and red pepper. Pour over chicken. Add more chicken stock during the cooking if the chicken starts to dry out or burn.
3. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.
4. Once cooked, shred the chicken using two forks or your hands.
5. Pour the cooking liquid through a mesh sieve. Stir in 2 tsp of corn starch and pour into a sauce pan. Bring sauce to a simmer and reduce until the sauce has thickened and coats the back of a spoon. About 5 minutes.

Rice

1. Place a large pan over high heat. Add in the coconut oil and coat the bottom of the pan. Dump in the cauliflower and stir to coat in the oil and lightly sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in coconut milk, lime zest, and lime juice. Turn heat to medium, cover pan, and let cook for another 5 to seven minutes, until coconut milk has reduced and cauliflower is tender.

Assemble

1. Cut pineapple in halve lengthwise. Use a small knife to cut around the inside of the pineapple, leaving a small margin between the outside skin and the interior flesh. Score the flesh to make 4 squares. Use a spoon to scoop out the pineapple creating a well in the center. Pour out any excess juice. Chop pineapple into small pieces.
2. Toss the shredded chicken with some of the sauce and pineapple.
3. To assemble, spoon the coconut rice into half the pineapple and the chicken into the other half. Top with more pineapple.