Teriyaki Chicken & Pineapple Bowls

I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for more chicken recipes.  And when we don’t want to go out to a Japanese or Chinese Restaurant but still want some teriyaki chicken, I make this delicious teriyaki chicken & pineapple bowl.  But if you think I just throw some chicken and pineapple in a pan and pour on some teriyaki sauce, you’d be terribly mistaken.  I make this teriyaki sauce with chicken stock, honey, sesame oil, and finally, the ingredient that is this recipe’s namesake….teriyaki sauce!

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup white rice (or brown if it suits your fancy)

1 cup chicken stock (choose low sodium stock if you’d like a healthier option)

1/4 cup honey

1 tsp sesame oil

1/3 cup teriyaki sauce

Can of pineapple chunks, drained


Start by pouring the chicken stock into a small sauce pan.

This is the stock I use.  It’s unsalted, cuz who needs more sodium?  Pretty sure Americans get way more sodium than is healthy, and plus, salt makes you retain water and feel bloated, and lets face it…..bloated is not a good look for me.  (Was that a run on sentence?)

Bring stock to a boil.

Then add the honey.  I’ve found that it pours alot easier if you take the cap off.  Thick honey and that tiny little pouring hole do not go well together.

Next you’re going to add the sesame oil.  You can find this on the international foods aisle at your local grocery store.  Don’t skip it, cuz it add a really nice flavor to the sauce.

I poured it in without measuring, but if you’re not a good eyeballer make sure you measure the sesame oil because a little goes a loooooooong way!  It’s a very strong flavor and if you add too much it could overpower the sauce.  Since you probably will only use sesame oil for a couple recipes you might want to keep it in the fridge.  It’ll keep longer that way.  But don’t worry, it lasts for a pretty long time.

Now add the teriyaki.  Normally I don’t use this particular teriyaki sauce.  I like to use a thicker sauce that has the consistency of ranch dressing or something like that.  Sorry, that was probably a bad comparison because teriyaki sauce and ranch dressing taste nothing alike, but just keep the thickness and consistency in mind when you are looking for a teriyaki sauce.

Let that simmer for a little bit while you prepare the chicken.

Cut chicken breasts into bite sized pieces.

Add a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) to a pan and heat to medium high.

Add your chicken and some salt and pepper.

Once your chicken is fully cooked, add drained pineapple and toss into pan with the chicken.  Pour enough of the teriyaki sauce mixture onto the chicken and pineapple to coat the bottom of the pan and surround the chicken.  Bring it to a bubble.

Cook for about 5 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated.  You want the chicken and pineapple to fully absorb the flavor of the sauce.

Put some white (or brown) rice in a bowl and spoon the chicken and pineapple on top.  If you want ALOT of flavor, pour some of the left over sauce on top of the chicken and let it soak into the rice.  Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top, and you’ve got yourself a nice Asian dinner without the restaurant prices!  Now who doesn’t like that?

Just Ridiculous

This evening, Steve and I were hanging out on the couch doing what we do best, watching TV.  The Biggest Loser and V to be exact.  Oh how we love those shows!  Nothing like a good alien lizard to get your blood pumping.  (“Anna” on V that is, not Jillian Michaels.  I actually happen to like Jillian, except all her product endorsements.  Those can get kinda annoying).  They ended this V episode with such a cliffhanger!  Augh!  Hate when they do that…but I love it at the same time!  Keeps me interested, which I assume is their goal.  Pretty sure the goal of any TV network is to keep people interested.

Anyway we look over in the midst of our TV watching experience, and what do we see?  Well lets just see if you can figure it out.

Do you see anything peculiar?

How about now?

Here, I’ll make it easy for you.  LOOK AT THAT PAW!!!!  That is not a front paw as you may think.  Oh no!  That, my friends, is his back paw.  Please tell me how in the world that is comfortable?  I swear, this cat can sit in any position and be perfectly content.

Just ridiculous.  The more I look at it, the more it freaks me out.  Does anyone else share this feeling or is it just me?

Honey Chicken

If you’re looking for a chicken recipe, this one is amazing.  Steve’s mom, Toli, gave me this recipe per Steve’s request, and I have made it many times much to his delight.  If I can’t think of what to make for dinner, I usually go back to this since I know it’s a winner.

Here’s what you’ll need:

boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup honey

1/2 cup yellow mustard

1 tbsp seasoned salt

1/2 tsp curry powder

1/2 (1 stick) butter, melted

Pre-heat oven to 375°.  As if you needed a picture to show you what to do. 🙂  Hey, what can I say?  I like to be thorough.

Fill a measuring cup with 1 cup of honey.  You’ll want a large measuring cup so you can add the other ingredients on top of the honey and still have room to stir it around.

Next, add the yellow mustard.  Oh, by the way, this is a portion size for about 2-3 people.  You can double or triple the recipe as needed depending on how much sauce you want.

Add seasoned salt….

….and curry powder to the honey and mustard.

Give it a good stir so that all the ingredients are thoroughly combined.

Next put a stick of butter in a coffee mug, or another microwave proof glass

and melt it.

Pour melted butter into a baking dish.

Then pour honey/mustard mixture onto the butter.

Mmmm, look at that heart attack waiting to happen!

Place chicken breasts into the dish and coat well with the sauce.  Don’t be afraid to get your hand nice and sticky.

Bake for 30 minutes.

During this time you can upload and edit the photos you’ve been taking throughout this entire cooking process, paint your toe nails, watch an episode of Friends, walk your dog, run around the block, go on facebook, check to see if your photo has been picked as a finalist on The Pioneer Woman’s Photography Assignment (which it hasn’t…yet), or snuggle with your significant other.

I’ll leave it up to your imagination to decide which one I chose to do. 🙂

When your timer starts beeping at you after 30 minutes, take the dish out of the oven, turn the chicken breasts over and spoon sauce over each piece.  Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.  Then lay your finished chicken on a bed of rice.  Make sure to spoon a bunch of sauce over your rice as well!  Yum.  Make a side dish of your own choosing.  Enjoy!