Recipe: Teriyaki Chicken and Pineapple Rice

Guys, I'm mildly terrified of cooking raw poultry.  Red meat, no problem.  A slimy raw chicken?  Um, no.

I am confident cooking chicken breast cutlets (thin sliced) because they cook super quick and there is no ambiguity about if they are fully cooked.  I cook cutlets frequently and cut them or shred them and add it to any variety of dishes.  Thigh meat is a whole other story.  First of all it's dark meat which I don't enjoy.  Second, they are all combobblie and misshapen.  Third, how can you tell if it is cooked when the meat never turns white but rather a dark pinkish color?  No me gusta.

But, I'm a wife now and I need to diversify my cooking skills and recipes.  I got an Everyday with Rachel Ray magazine last month that had a number of good looking and easy recipes so I decided to take on the Teriyaki Chicken and Pineapple Rice dish last week.

 

The Stuff
- 1 cup of white rice (I made mine the night before because fried rice is best when made with leftover rice that has dried out.  Also one cup of rice makes 2+ cups cooked)
- 1 cup of diced pineapple (I used canned but it would be amazing with fresh)
- 1/3 cup chopped chives (I used diced onions because Key Food is lame and didn't have chives stocked)
- 3 Tablespoons butter

- 6 Tablespoons frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed (I used frozen orange juice concentrate because that is what I had)
- 3 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I used just boneless because Key food didn't have skinless)

Get Cookin'
- Cook your white rice however you do your rice (Like I said, I made mine the night before)
- In a heated saucepan combine the frozen concentrate, soy sauce, and brown sugar
- Add the thighs to the pan and cover.  Cook for 7 minutes.
- Remove lid and turn the thighs over.  Continue cooking, uncovered, until the thighs are done and the sauce thickens.  The recipe said this should take 8 minutes but because of my raw poultry fear I cooked the thighs for a solid 20 minutes. 

- While the thighs are cooking, in another pan melt the butter and saute the onions and pineapple until tender
- Add the rice and incorporate into the onions and pineapple.  Season to taste.

Serve the chicken over the rice and top with remaining sauce if necessary.

Despite the excessive amount of cooking I did to ensure doneness, the thighs were still juicy.  I think next time I make this I will use chicken breasts and cook my onions to be caramelized.