Baked Pineapple Chicken Breasts
Chinese-American style baked chicken breasts dredged in seasoned flour and baked in a sweet pineapple juice and soy sauce.
⏱️ Prep: 15 min🍳 Cook: 60 min
Ingredients
| 3/4 cup | 180 ml | all-purpose flour |
| 1 1/2 teaspoons | 7.5 ml | salt |
| 1 teaspoon | 5 ml | celery salt |
| 1/2 teaspoon | 2.5 ml | garlic powder |
| 1/4 teaspoon | 1.3 ml | onion powder |
| 1/2 teaspoon | 2.5 ml | ground nutmeg |
| 8 | boneless chicken breast halves (without skin) | |
| 1/2 cup | 120 ml | butter (1 stick) |
| 2 cups | 480 ml | pineapple juice (unsweetened) |
| 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon | soy sauce | |
| 1/4 cup | 60 ml | granulated sugar |
| 1 tablespoon | 15 ml | cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp cold water (optional) |
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C).
- Mix together the flour, salt, celery salt, garlic powder, onion powder and nutmeg; dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour to coat thoroughly.
- Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the coated chicken breasts and cook until golden brown, turning to brown both sides.
- Arrange the chicken breasts in a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking dish.
- In a bowl, combine the pineapple juice, soy sauce and sugar; mix well and pour over the chicken.
- Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the chicken is tender, about 20 to 30 minutes longer, basting with the pan juices several times. If the breasts are small or thin, cut back on the cooking time. The minimum temperature for chicken is 165 F (74 C); use an instant-read thermometer if in doubt.
- For a thicker sauce, remove the chicken to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Strain the juices into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Combine the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water and stir until smooth. Add to the sauce and cook until thickened and clear.
- Serve the chicken with the sauce, pineapple chunks or slices, rice or noodles, and a green vegetable.
Variations: Reduce the pineapple juice to 1 cup and add 1 cup of crushed pineapple, or replace the juice with a 20-ounce can of pineapple chunks with juice. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger to the juice mixture. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro, parsley, or sliced green onion tops.