Sometimes, I don't feel like cooking. Maybe it's hot outside, or maybe I've had a long day at work, but the last thing I want to do is slave away over the stove just to put dinner on the table. Instead of cooking, I really want to head out for takeout or order in a pizza. The recipe below is a real lifesaver for these types of nights: It tastes exactly like Panda Express' sweet fire chicken, except it's much healthier and saves me a trip across town!
If you've never worked with sweet chili sauce, this is a great opportunity to snag a bottle. It's an essential ingredient for making many Asian-style chicken dishes, and I even use it for making sweet and spicy salad dressing. I like using the Mae Ploy brand of sweet chili sauce, but Thai Kitchen brand works well too. You can found it in the Asian section of your local grocery store.
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Cooktop Cove
Slow Cooker Sweet-Spicy Pineapple Chicken
4
10 minutes
4 hours
4 hours, 10 minutes
1 20-ounce can pineapple chunks
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 red bell pepper, seeded and large diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons Mae Ploy sweet chili sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
4 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Green onions, thinly sliced, for garnish
Drain the pineapple chunks, reserving the juice.
Place the drained pineapple chunks, chicken and red peppers in a 6-quart slow cooker.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the drained pineapple juice, garlic, red pepper flakes, honey, Mae Ploy sweet chili sauce and soy sauce.
Whisk together the water and cornstarch in a small bowl to make a slurry. Add slurry into pineapple juice mixture.
Pour the sauce over the chicken in the slow cooker and stir so the chicken is well-coated.
Cook, covered, on low for 4 hours, until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
Garnish with the green onions and serve over rice.
