So I know you all think that all I do is go to the market and buy all of these ridiculous ingredients (sometimes I do) but I mostly inventory what I have about to turn and make a meal out of that. Seriously, it is my goal to let everyone know how easy cooking can be. If you don’t have a main ingredient, just use what you have. It is your food, make it your own!
I served this chicken with Parmesan Herb Acorn Squash and Wild Rice with pan juices and let me tell you this: I could have just eaten the squash. It was uh-maze-ing! Click the links above for the recipes.
Here is what you will need for the chicken:
1 whole chicken (you can purchase one already dissected but I choose to do that myself)
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 of a whole pineapple
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup pomegranate juice
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 jalapeño pepper
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 cloves garlic
Heat the oil in a cast iron pan (if you don’t have one, please just go out and get one already but you can use any heavy oven-safe skillet) and allow to heat. While the oil heats, combine the coriander, cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper in a small bowl; pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle the chicken with the seasonings and lightly rub into the skin. Cut the pineapple into “half moon” segments, you should have ~5 and this is only relevant because you don’t want them to be too thin or they will disintegrate in the pan.
When the oil sizzles, place the chicken in the pan skin side down. Allow the chicken to sit, undisturbed and uncovered, for 3-5 minutes to allow the skin to get crispy; remove to a plate. Add the pineapple to the pan and place the chicken, skin side up, back into the pan and place in a preheated 425 oven. Cook for ~45 minutes until the juices from the breast run clear or the temperature reaches 165 degrees at the thickest part of the breast (be sure not to touch the bone). Careful not to cook too long or the other pieces will dry out.
While the chicken cooks, combine the juices, pepper, paprika, sugar, vinegar and garlic to a saucepan and cook until it thickens; maybe about 15 minutes.
Once the chicken reaches the desired doneness, brush with the pomegranate pineapple “syrup” and place back in the oven for about 7 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and serve the chicken with a slice (or two) of the pineapple and a drizzle of the pan juices and a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds.
Check out the other recipe from this meal via the link above or below (I won’t give you the wild rice recipe, it was just the organic wild rice you get in a bag at the market):
Chi Girl Cooks 