Pineapple Skillet Chicken

I am in need of some sunshine.

The weather in these parts has been anything but pleasant lately. Snow, sleet, freezing rain, overcast skies. Temperatures dipping into the low teens at night and barely creeping above freezing during the day. Nothing out of the ordinary for this time of year, but I’ve been craving some warmth and sun as of late. It always happens around this time of year. The gray and dreary month of January has taken its toll. Perhaps it’s a lack of vitamin D?

This time last year, I was in Hawaii for work. It was a demanding trip in terms of travel, especially since I was very early in my pregnancy and not able to share the news yet (which made an avoidance of alcohol and certain foods very hard to cover up)! You can read more about my exhausting experience here. Not fun.

While there, though, I ate my weight in fresh pineapple. When in Rome! It was the sweetest, most delicious pineapple I’ve ever had, and definitely made the load of that trip a little lighter. So in honor of that, and in an effort to ease my winter blues, I made this pineapple skillet chicken.

It’s healthy, fresh tasting, slightly sweet, and comes together in no time. Since discovering the original recipe well over a month ago, I’ve been making this at least once a week, along with the other skillet chicken I recently shared. All it takes is some time to marinate (which you can do before you leave for work in the morning – or even the night before!) and some time in the oven. Paired with a simple salad or some steamed broccoli, you’ve got a healthy dinner on the table in no time.

The best part: it only requires dirtying one pan. Which is absolutely key when making weeknight meals while tending to a 4-month-old.

It’s also absolutely key when this weather does nothing but make me want to curl up in yoga pants under a blanket for the next couple months.

Pineapple to the rescue!

Pineapple Skillet Chicken

Yield: 4 servings

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt and pepper

¼ cup soy sauce (I use reduced sodium)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced

1 cup pineapple juice

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

For the Sauce:

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1½ cups chopped fresh pineapple

½ of a large red onion, chopped

Scallions, for garnish

Place the chicken breasts in a large resealable bag and season them well with salt and pepper. Mix the soy sauce, garlic, and juices together in a small bowl and then pour over the chicken in the bag. Place the chicken in the fridge to marinate for 4-8 hours.

Remove the chicken from the fridge. Preheat the oven to 400°F and melt the butter in a cast iron skillet. Add the honey and mustard and whisk to incorporate. Once the mixture is bubbling slightly at the edges, add the pineapple and onion and cook for a couple minutes. Nestle the chicken breasts in the pineapple mixture and pour in about half of the marinade. Bring the mixture to a simmer and spoon the pineapple sauce over the chicken breasts as it simmers.

Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve garnished with scallions.

Adapted from here.