Firecracker Pineapple Chicken​ over Cauliflower Rice

Ever have a meal that just makes you happy to eat? This one did that for me! It was seriously so delicious and paired perfectly with this first week of sunny weather in Maryland. Alright maybe I'm just excited to be eating pineapple and see some sun, but really this meal was the bomb! The original recipe link below has the option to increase serving size, which then adjusts your ingredient amounts. I adjusted it to serve 8 people, so please note that the recipe I posted below is based off the serving size for 8 people, with the exception of the oil and Tapioca/Arrowroot starch, which I significantly reduced back down. I did put ranges for both to leave it up to you and your needs/desires though. I personally used the lower number of all ranges and thought the below amounts worked perfectly for 8 servings. Anyways, the only ingredient that was tough to find was a quality pineapple juice. Unfortunately just about every juice in the local grocery stores have added ingredients and preservatives in them. After reading every label of juice in my local Giant grocery store though, I finally found the pineapple juice I linked below in the Organic/Natural food aisle. I was thrilled about it! I paired this with some frozen riced cauliflower that I heated up on the stove top with some salt and that was it. Pretty simple recipe to throw together without much prep and ingredients to it. I definitely recommend giving this one a try!

Firecracker Pineapple Chicken​ over Cauliflower Rice
Ingredients:
For the sauce:

• 2-4 Tbsp Avocado oil or Coconut Oil
• 4 tsp Fresh ginger, minced
• 3 Cup Pineapple juice (I used Lakewood Organic Pure Pineapple Juice)
• 4 Tbsp Franks red hot sauce (I used PaleoChef Wing Sauce)
• 2 Tbsp Coconut aminos
• 2-4 tsp Tapioca starch (I used Arrowroot starch)

For the chicken:

• 2-3 Tbsp Tapioca starch (I used Arrowroot starch)
• Salt and pepper
• 2 lb Chicken breast
• 2-4 Tbsp Avocado oil or Coconut Oil
• 1 Cup Pineapple tidbits (I ended up just weighing 1-2 oz Pineapple per meal)
• Cooked white rice, or cauliflower rice, or both
• Sliced green onion
• Sesame seeds, optional

Directions:

1. In a medium frying pan heat the avocado oil (for the sauce) on medium heat. Add in the ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Turn up the heat to medium high and add in the pineapple juice, hot sauce and coconut aminos. Bring to a boil.
2. Once boiling whisk 2 tsp of the sauce with the 1 tsp of tapioca starch in a small bowl until smooth. While whisking, pour in the tapioca starch mixture until well mixed.
3. Boil, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens and starts to reduce, about 7-8 minutes. Turn down the heat to medium/low and cook an additional 2-4 minutes, until the sauce begins to become shiny. Transfer to a medium bowl and cover to thicken and keep warm while you make the chicken.
4. Place the tapioca starch and a pinch of salt and pepper in a large Ziploc bag. Add in the cubed chicken and shake until evenly coated.
5. Heat 1 Tbsp of the avocado oil on medium high heat in a large frying pan. Add in half of the chicken paces and cook until golden brown, about 2-4 minutes. Flip and cook until the other side is golden brown. Then, transfer to a paper towel lined plate and lightly press out any excess oil. Repeat with the remaining oil and chicken.
6. Add the cooked chicken into the sauce, along with the pineapple tidbits and toss to evenly coat.
7. Serve over cauliflower rice (or rice...or both!) and garnish with green onion and sesame seeds.
8. DEVOUR!

Original recipe found here