Roasted Pineapple Garlic Chicken

I always have some form of chicken on hand in the fridge or freezer. It is very versatile and you can flavor it in many, many ways. This Roasted Pineapple Garlic Chicken has a slight Asian/Hawaiian feel to it. It kind of reminds me of some of the roasted pigs in Hawaii that I had while visiting a few years ago… kind of… lol.

It has a delicious BBQ sauce that is slathered all over the chicken and it pairs so well with the flavors of the chicken and pineapple. I love this chicken especially shredded on wraps with some slaw… So good.

Anyways, let’s get right to the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup ketchup
1 1/2 tbsp butter – Melted
3/4 tsp garlic powder
2 cloves garlic- minced
4 – 8 boneless chicken thighs
2 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper – to taste
1 cup cubed and drained pineapple pieces
1 bell pepper – cubed
2 tsp dried parsley
sesame seeds – to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400*.
2. In a bowl whisk together the vinegar, honey, ketchup, butter, garlic powder, garlic cloves, and parsley. Set aside.
3. Line a sheet tray with either parchment or a silicone mat. Drizzle the chicken with oil, salt, and pepper on both sides. Bake for about 15 minutes.
4. Remove after the 15 minutes and baste the chicken with the sauce. Add the pineapple and bell pepper to the tray. You can toss some sauce on the pineapple and bell pepper as well if you so desire. Bake for another 10 minutes.
5. Remove and baste the chicken again on both sides with the remaining sauce. Bake for another 12 to 15 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked through. It should read 165* on a meat thermometer.
6. When the chicken is completely cooked through, remove and let stand about 5 minutes or so. Plate the chicken on a serving platter and top with some sesame seeds.
7. Serve over rice.

• you can sub out the chicken thighs for chicken breasts if you prefer that style. I always do skin on because the sauce helps crisp that skin up and just make the chicken even more tasty.
• You can add a diced onion to the mix as well. I do this from time to time and it is really good.
• Shred up the chicken and place it on a wrap with some slaw for a delicious left over weeknight meal. You can also do this with burger buns as well. This is also very delicious. We do that either way depending on which form of “bread” we have on hand.
• If you don’t like chicken you can certainly do this with a pork tenderloin or pork butt. I also have done this for a “pulled pork” BBQ style dinner. If you do a pork butt, just remember that you may want to double the sauce so that way you can baste the pork butt with the sauce and have some to top the pork butt later after you shredd it up. (If you make the pork butt, cook it low and slow for about 4 to 5 hours on about 325* in a cast iron dutch oven or in the crock pot for about 10 to 12 hours on low)