Gluten Free Chicken and Pineapple Stir Fry

When you take a bite of this main dish, you first hit a bit of barely noticeable heat, multiple flavors of sweet vegetables, and succulent pineapple chunks. The sauce is not too thick, providing an incredible taste and texture. People are always pleasantly surprised how much they enjoy this recipe.

Story Behind the Creation of This Recipe:

I have tons of peppers in my fridge and needed to use up some of them. My first thought was stir fry! My husband loves pineapple in savory dishes, but I don’t, usually. I thought I would make him a treat and add some to this gluten free chicken recipe. I thought it would be too sweet if I used an entire 20-ounce can. So, I started with a half of can, but to my surprise, it was not sweet enough! I ended up adding the entire can because it tasted so good! After Wednesday’s gluten-free show with the authors of “The Gluten Free Good Health Cookbook”, I made sure I added lots of fruit and vegetables instead of the usual heavy chicken portions I have used in the past for chicken stir fry. It took a lot of adding more of this and that, but well worth the effort! I hope you enjoy!

Gluten Free Chicken and Pineapple Stir Fry

51

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 18 minutes

Total Time: 33 minutes

Yield: Serves 3 - 4

Gluten Free Chicken and Pineapple Stir Fry

A wonderful combination of sweet and savory Asian chicken and pineapple with a thickened gluten free sauce.

Ingredients:

    For the Stir Fry:
  • 2 tablespoons oil, preferably sesame oil
  • 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 pounds boneless chicken breast, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
  • 1 teaspoon neutral-flavored or sesame oil
  • 1-1/2 cups yellow onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1-1/2 cups carrots sliced 1/2-inch thick
  • 1 large red pepper, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
  • 1-1/2 stalks celery, sliced 1/2-inch thick
  • 2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
  • 1 (20-ounce) can pineapple chunks, or 1-pound pouch (reserve juice)
  • 2 scallions/green onions, including greens, sliced, for garnish (optional)
  • 4 cups cooked white rice
  • For the Sauce:
  • 1 cup (all) reserved pineapple juice
  • 1/2 cup low-sodium gluten-free tamari or soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 4 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon hot chili oil, store-bought or homemade (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat a wok or Dutch oven over medium-high heat with oil. Add chicken and stir occasionally until brown and no longer pink on the outside, 3 – 5 minutes. Remove from pan; set aside.
  2. Add 1 teaspoon oil to the same skillet. Add onion, carrots, bell pepper, and celery. Stir, and lower heat to medium. Cook for about 7 minutes, shorter if you like them crunchy. (Keep in mind that you'll be cooking them longer with the sauce.)
  3. While vegetables cook, whisk together sauce ingredients; set aside.
  4. Add garlic to the vegetables and sauté for 1 additional minute.
  5. Increase heat to medium-high. Add chicken and pineapple. Pour sauce mixture over everything. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally until thick and heated through, about 3 minutes. Cook further to reduce/thicken sauce, or if you prefer soft carrots. See the dish without carrots and veggies chopped smaller:
  6. Immediately serve over rice and garnish with green onion, if desired.

Tips

The chili oil does not make this dish hot. Feel free to add more if you desire.

Dole Tropical Pineapple is the preferred brand, especially their Tropical Gold®.

Feel free to substitute other vegetables such as snap peas or green beans any for the carrots. They both add additional color.

8 Replies to “Gluten Free Chicken and Pineapple Stir Fry”

  1. Tried this with Little Soya, omg so good! Had it last night and having it again tomorrow night.

    Thanks for the recipe!

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