SLOW COOKER PINEAPPLE TERIYAKI CHICKEN
I was experiencing the kind of day this morning. You know what I mean. It’s when you have the most extended to-do list, but your body is screaming to relax and watch Netflix throughout the day. These are the days. But I still had to consume food, so I put together the most straightforward recipe: cooked pineapple Teriyaki Chicken. #noregrets
This is undoubtedly one of the meals that cooks by itself, which means you can the show, clean up, or do whatever else while it’s cooking before coming back to eat it all up and take it all in. It’s perfect for a busy (or lazy) Saturday or to cook while in the office during the workweek.
INGREDIENTS
1 20 oz. can pineapple chunks infused with juice ($1.59)
1/4 cup soy sauce ($0.24)
Two tablespoons brown sugar ($0.08)
Two cloves of garlic, chopped ($0.16)
1 tsp fresh ginger grated ($0.10)
Five skinless chicken legs* ($4.87)
1.5 Tbsp cornstarch ($0.04)
Two onions with greens, cut ($0.17)
5 cups rice cooked to serve (optional) ($0.88)
INSTRUCTIONS
Remove the juice and chunks of pineapple. There should be about 1/4 cup of juice. The liquid will be added to the sauce, and pieces of the pineapple will go in in the future. The pineapple chunks should be refrigerated until you’re ready to use them.
To prepare the teriyaki sauce from pineapple, mix the juice of the pineapple, soy sauce, minced garlic, brown sugar, and grated ginger. If you’ve got under 3/4 of a cup of pineapple juice, add a little water to make it up to about 3/4 cup.
Place the chicken thighs into the slow cooker. Pour the teriyaki sauce made from pineapple over the top. Close the slow cooker, and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Flip the chicken about 3/4 of it during cooking to ensure all the meat has been in the sauce.
When the chicken is cooked, take the chicken from the cooker (it will be tender and fall apart). In a bowl, mix the cornstarch mixture with two tablespoons of water, and then stir it into the liquid remaining inside the slow cooker. Close the lid and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes at a high setting or until the mixture becomes thick.
Once the sauce has thickened, add the pineapple pieces and stir until they are well-integrated. Add the chicken cooked back into the pot and then coat it with gravy. Sprinkle chopped green onions on the top, and serve it on rice.
