Pineapple BBQ Chicken with quinoa & pineapple salsa

Whip up a quick, delicious and easy dinner in 45 minutes or less with this pineapple BBQ chicken! This amazing Hawaiian inspired baked pineapple chicken is everything you’d want a takeout to be only a lot tastier!

Pineapple BBQ chicken

The new year is all about improving yourself. And if you’re hoping to start eating healthier this year, you may think your food needs to be bland and boring. That couldn’t be further from the truth! This delicious pineapple BBQ chicken is packed with protein, fruit, and veggies, making it a great option for a healthy weeknight dinner.

If you’re looking for a yummy meal that will also help you stay on track this year, you’ll love this easy pineapple chicken with pineapple salsa and fried quinoa!

Other chicken recipes you’ll love:

• Baked balsamic chicken
• Apple chicken with prosciutto and onions
• Over roasted cranberry chicken thighs
• Chicken and pea stew
• Lemon chicken orzo salad
• Instant pot chicken teriyaki burger
• Baked orange chicken drums

Healthy Alternatives to chicken and pineapple recipe

Traditional Hawaiian BBQ chicken really isn’t the healthiest dish – especially when you’re trying to lose weight. And when it’s served with fried white rice, it can be even more unhealthy. But this delicious take on Hawaiian chicken uses a few healthy alternatives to make this delicious dish perfect for anyone hoping to enjoy a healthier dinner.

The first step to making Hawaiian BBQ healthier is to cut back on the BBQ sauce. Since most BBQ sauces contain sugar, coating your pineapple BBQ chicken in sauce will add unwanted sugars and carbs to your meal. Instead, simply use just enough BBQ sauce to cover the chicken breasts (around ½ cup) to ensure you don’t add too much sugar to your meal.

Next, it’s important to try to use fresh or frozen produce when you can. Canned fruits often contain added sugars and syrups that increase your sugar intake. And canned vegetables can contain too much salt. When making your pineapple salsa, be sure to use fresh pineapple, bell peppers, onions, and lime.

The final healthy alternative of this simple recipe makes is substituting white rice with quinoa. This delicious grain is packed with protein, making it a great alternative to fried rice. And when you saute the rice with a little bit of healthy oils and some frozen veggies, it tastes just as good as the unhealthy rice side dish.

Tips for Making Pineapple BBQ Chicken

This simple dish is so easy to make! And these quick tips are sure to make the cooking process even simpler for you.

• Grease the baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. To ensure your chicken and BBQ sauce doesn’t stick to the dish as it cooks, be sure to coat the pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• Add the cooked pineapple to the salsa. To add a little bit of BBQ flavor and a unique texture to your salsa, take the pineapple out of the pan and mix it in to your salsa before serving.
• Use day old quinoa. The best way to ensure your quinoa doesn’t get soggy and mushy as it cooks, is to use cold, day old quinoa in this recipe.

Pineapple chicken recipe

Serves 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes

For the chicken you’ll need boneless, skinless chicken breasts, BBQ sauce and fresh pineapple, diced.

For the quinoa you’ll need vegetable oil, frozen peas and carrots, quinoa, cooked and cooled, ground ginger, garlic powder, soy sauce and egg.

The ingredients for the Pineapple Salsa are fresh pineapple, red bell pepper, orange bell pepper, red onion, fresh cilantro and the juice of one lime.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a baking dish by greasing with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Place the chicken breasts in the baking dish and sprinkle salt & pepper.

3. Cover with BBQ sauce.

4. Top with ½ cup pineapple.

5. Bake the chicken for 30 minutes.

6. While the chicken is baking, prepare the pineapple salsa by mixing together the remaining pineapple, bell pepper, onion, cilantro, and lime juice. Set aside.

7. Then prepare the quinoa by sauteing peas and carrots in vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

8. When the vegetables are cooked, add the quinoa and season with ginger, garlic, and soy sauce.

9. Whisk the egg, then add it to the pan and stir to scramble.

10. To serve, place a layer of quinoa on the plate, then top it with BBQ chicken. Top the chicken with pineapple salsa.

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Pineapple BBQ Chicken

Whip up a quick, delicious and easy dinner in 45 minutes or less with this pineapple BBQ chicken! This amazing Hawaiian inspired baked pineapple chicken is everything you'd want a takeout to be only a lot tastier!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: baked pineapple chicken, chicken and pineapple, easy pineapple chicken, Pineapple BBQ Chicken, pineapple chicken recipe

Servings: 4 people

Author: Petro Neagu

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going into sleep mode

Ingredients

For the chicken

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• ½ cup BBQ sauce
• ½ cup fresh pineapple diced

For quinoa

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 package frozen peas and carrots
• 1 cup quinoa cooked and cooled
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 1 egg

For pineapple salsa

• 1 cup fresh pineapple
• 1 red bell pepper diced
• 1 orange bell pepper diced
• 1 red onion diced
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped
• The juice of one lime

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a baking dish by greasing with nonstick cooking spray.
• Place the chicken breasts in the baking dish and cover with BBQ sauce. Top with ½ cup pineapple.
• Bake the chicken for 30 minutes.
• While the chicken is baking, prepare the pineapple salsa by mixing together the remaining pineapple, bell pepper, onion, cilantro, and lime juice. Set aside.
• Then prepare the quinoa by sautéing peas and carrots in vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
• When the vegetables are cooked, add the quinoa and season with ginger, garlic, and soy sauce.
• Whisk the egg, then add it to the pan and stir to scramble.
• To serve, place a layer of quinoa on the plate, then top it with BBQ chicken. Top the chicken with pineapple salsa.

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