Chicken with Fruit Salsa

I have to say....Chicken and Fruit go together so well! I have an obsession with pairing pineapple with everything: Chicken, Steak, Hamburger, everything!!! This recipe has pineapple, but it also has an array of fruits and jalapeno for a little added kick! My family LOVES it! It does take a little time to cut up the fruit, but if you do it while the chicken is baking, it doesn't take as long. I like to cook a lot of food at once, so if you're cooking this for just one dinner, you will need to half the recipe.  

Here's what you will need:

8-10 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 mangoes

1 pineapple

2 oranges

1 pear

1 apple

1-2 jalapenos (depending on how much kick you want)

4 Tbsp. lemon juice

8 Tbsp. apple jelly

10-12 oz. fresh cilantro

3 Tbsp. fresh parsley

1/2 cup honey

Glass baking dish

Big mixing bowl

Directions:

Combine honey, 4 Tbsp. apple jelly and lemon juice in a small microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high until the honey is melted (about 20 seconds) and stir it all up really well.

Put the chicken breasts in a glass baking dish and set the oven on broil. Brush or pour half of the glaze over the chicken. Broil for 6 minutes for thinner breasts or 8 minutes for thicker breasts. Make sure the chicken is about 4-6 inches from the broiler. After the time is up, take chicken out of oven and flip it over to the other side. Then, brush or pour the other half of the glaze on. Broil again for another 6-8 minutes. When you take it out of the oven, make sure the chicken is all the way cooked by cutting a breast in half to make sure.

While the chicken is broiling, you can cut up all the fruit into small pieces. Peel and chop the mango, discarding the core and put it in a big mixing bowl. Peel, seed, and chop the oranges, apple, and pear. Cut the bottom and top and sides off the pineapple and take out the core. Chop up the remaining pieces. Make sure you get all the seeds out of the jalapeno and mince it up into really tiny pieces (I put it in an electric chopper on high speed). I also mince the parsley and cilantro in the electric chopper on low.

If you don't want to use fresh fruits, you can use canned fruits, but this recipe is way better if it's fresh! And, if you can't find fresh parsley and cilantro, you can use the dried kind, just double the amount. 

Combine chopped mango, oranges, pear, apple, jalapeno, pineapple, cilantro, parsley, and 4 Tbsp. apple jelly in a large bowl and mix it all up really well.

By the time you get done chopping the fruit and mixing it all together the chicken should be done. Just make sure to put a timer on it so you won't forget to flip it over and broil the other side. Discard the remaining glaze. Put a piece of chicken on your plate, and Spoon fruit salsa over chicken to serve.

Delicious!

Caribbean Tangy Pineapple Chicken

Tangy, Tender, Sweet, Savory.....What more can I say about this fabulous Caribbean Tangy Pineapple Chicken Recipe I cooked last night. It is a yummy mixture of chicken, pineapple, bell peppers, and the sauce is a mixture of soy, lime, coconut, and honey flavors.

The entire family loved this recipe!

Here's what you will need:

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (lightly pounded)

8 halved pineapple slices or two cans of pineapple chunks

1-2 chopped up bell peppers

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 -1 cup of soy sauce (to taste)

Ground Red Pepper (to taste, depending on how spicy you want it)

Minced Cilantro

Crushed Red Pepper

4 cloves of garlic or garlic powder, to taste

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup water

1 lime (juice only)

1 Tbsp Coconut Extract

3/4 cup honey

First, cut up the bell peppers.

Next, mix the honey, water, lime juice, coconut, red pepper, and soy sauce in a bowl and set aside.

Saute' the pineapple or pineapple chunks in oil over medium heat until slightly browned and set aside.

Next, rub the chicken breasts with garlic and dredge them in flour until well coated.

Saute the chicken in the leftover pineapple pan juices until browned (about 2-4 minutes on each side).

Next, pour in the honey mixture and the bell peppers to the pan with the chicken.

Simmer for 12-15 minutes until the mixture turns into a glaze.

Make sure you turn the chicken at least once.

Garnish with cilantro and crushed red pepper.

You can also serve it over rice.

A few tips to cook this recipe:

When you cook the chicken, it doesn't have to be done when you're browning it. This is just to brown the flour coating.

Never bring the recipe to a full boil, or it may burn and not turn out right.

Happy Cooking!

Dijon Baked Chicken with Rice and Broccoli

At my house, we love chicken. So, I have many recipes to cook chicken. One common theme with these recipes is Rice!!! Chicken and rice just go together!!

Last night, I marinated the chicken and today, I cooked Dijon Baked Chicken with Rice and Broccoli.

It was Delicious and EASY! If you want to try it out, here's what you will need:

2-3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 tablespoon curry powder

3 tablespoons chopped onions

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup Dijon Mustard

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon Asian-style hot chili garlic sauce

1 1/2 cups basmati rice

3 cups water

5 cups frozen broccoli florets

1/8 teaspoon cavendars seasoning

You will need to marinate the chicken the night before you cook it. Place the chicken in a pan to marinate. Combine curry powder, red pepper, cavendars, honey, dijon mustard, soy sauce, and hot chili sauce in a bowl and mix. Pour evenly over the chicken and flip the chicken a few times so it's well coated. Cover with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The next day: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and start cooking the rice according to the instructions on the bag. Cook the chicken for about 45-50 minutes and halfway through, flip it over.

While the chicken and rice are cooking, you can cook the broccoli. I like to add some cavendar's seasoning to the broccoli and steam it in a pot. However, you can also use a steamer bag in the microwave.

When everything is almost done, add a little cooking spray to a small pan and saute the onions. When the chicken is done, add the extra marinade to the onions and reduce to a glaze. Take the chicken and place it on a bed of rice. 

Add the cooked broccoli on top of the chicken, then cover it with the onion glaze.

Enjoy!!!