Healthy citrus pineapple chicken. This recipe is perfect for a lunch meal prep. Enjoy warm or cold, alongside rice or over greens. It's light, fresh and full of bright colors and flavors. The zesty lime and juicy pineapple add a punch of flavor to the fresh vegetables and grilled chicken. Try this dish and bring a little taste of summer to your workday.
I served my citrus pineapple chicken over a half serving of some warm jasmine rice but if you're looking for an even LIGHTER version you could sub the rice for cauliflower rice or a bed of fresh greens!
Whatever you do, be sure to mix that citrusy marinade into every bite and serve with extra fresh squeezed lime and chopped cilantro.
For this recipe I used #stubbs citrus and onion chicken marinade. You find it at most major grocery stores! You could easily make your own too but- we're all busy, so why not keep things as simple as possible? While this marinade is called a "chicken marinade" it is not exclusive to chicken and neither is this recipe!
While I went with chicken as my protein here, feel free to sub it for something more your style: shrimp, steak or turkey tenderloin would be delicious in this marinade as well.
Citrus Pineapple Chicken
4 servings | 30 minutes + 30 minutes marinating
Kitchen Equipment:
Large skillet
2 large ziploc bags
Medium pot with lid or rice cooker
Ingredients:
12oz chicken, diced
100g pineapple, diced
100g yellow bell pepper, diced
100g red bell pepper, diced
100g green bell pepper, diced
100g orange bell pepper, diced
100g onions, diced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp coconut oil, divided
2 tbsp citrus marinade, divided (#stubbs onion & citrus marinade)
1oz fresh pineapple juice, reserve by slicing pineapple ahead of time and storing in a bowl, after a few minutes pour off 1oz of the juice that collects at the bottom of the dish
1/2 cup dry jasmine rice
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice of one lime
Optional: 1/2 tbsp arrowroot starch
Directions:
Dice chicken into bite size pieces and place in ziploc bag. Pour in 1 tbsp citrus marinade and zip the bag, pressing out excess air. Mix the chicken around in the marinade while it's sealed.
Dice bell peppers, onions and pineapple and place in second ziploc. Pour in 1 tbsp citrus marinade and pineapple juice. Seal the bag, remove excess air and mix the vegetables into the marinade and juice.
Store both bags in the fridge for about 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Turn bags over halfway through marinating.
Cook rice according to package. I cook mine in a 2:1 ratio of water to rice (1 cup water to 1/2 cup dry rice), bring it to a boil in a pot and lower to a low simmer for 20 minutes. Set aside for 5 minutes and fluff with a fork prior to serving.
While rice is cooking melt half the coconut oil over medium in a skillet. Using a slotted spoon, remove chicken from marinade and add to skillet. Throw away excess marinade.
Brown chicken in skillet until no longer pink, about 2-3 minutes per side. Once chicken is cooked, remove from skillet and set aside.
Add remaining coconut oil to dish. Add fresh grated ginger to skillet and sauté until fragrant, about a minute.
Using a slotted spoon, remove vegetables from marinade and add to skillet. Leave excess marinade in the bag, you will use it later in the recipe!!
Cook vegetables until slightly tender but still have some bite, about 3 minutes.
Return the chicken to the dish and pour in remaining marinade using a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan of any brown bits. Stir in fresh lime juice and chopped cilantro.
Optional extra step: You can leave the dish as is with more of a liquid dressing or you can stir in the arrowroot starch to thicken it into more of a glaze. Both options are delicious. This time I added the arrowroot but next time I may leave it as is!
Nutrition facts included for both the base chicken and vegetable mixture (left) and for the entire meal (right) which includes 1/8 cup jasmine rice per serving. Recipe does not include 1/2 tbsp arrowroot starch. If including this ingredient add 1g carb and 6 calories per serving.
