Pineapple Glazed Chicken

It's been a long string of not so great dinners around here. So when I planned dinner, I turned my attention to the good ole folks at America's Test Kitchen, who almost never let me down. I'd bought the ingredients for a dinner a few weeks ago, so it wasn't a problem to put together on the fly in that regard, and since it comes from their Best 30 Minute Recipe book, it wasn't a problem for that rush hour need to get it ready fast kind of dinner.  It took me almost 35 minutes on the nose, which could have to do with a little bit of dawdling on my part.  So it's certainly easy and fast!

But who really cares about easy and fast if it's not tasty?   This, is definitely tasty!  How could you go wrong with pineapple and chicken, along with a few other spices you might not expect?  I discovered the cupboards were bare when it came to soy sauce, so found a substitution to use 4T Worcestershire sauce with 1T of water and halved it--this substitution was pretty delicious or at least not noticed as being a substitution.

If you're in a hurry, give this one a try!

Pineapple Glazed Chicken Cook's Illustrated's Best 30 Minute Recipe

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• salt & fresh ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks in juice (not syrup)
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• ¼ cup sliced almonds , toasted (see note)

Directions:

1. Lightly pound chicken so it's roughly the same thickness.  Season with salt and pepper.  Heat 1T olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and brown the chicken, about 4 minutes per side.
2. Meanwhile, drain pineapple chunks, reserving 1/2 cup juice. Whisk pineapple juice, honey, soy sauce, curry powder, and cayenne together.  Add this mixture, along with the pineapple chunks, to the skillet with the chicken and bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer about 8-12 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and an instant read thermometer through the thickest part of the chicken reads 160 degrees F, 
3. Transfer chicken to a plate, cover with foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Return glaze to simmer and cook, uncovered, until thickened slightly and glossy, about 8 minutes.
4. Add accumulated chicken juices to glaze. Whisk cornstarch and vinegar together until smooth, then whisk into glaze. Continue to simmer glaze until thick and syrupy, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour glaze over chicken, sprinkle with toasted almonds, and serve.
5. Note: To toast the 1/4 cup almonds, put them in a dry skillet over medium heat. Shake the skillet occasionally to prevent scorching and toast until they are lightly browned and fragrant, 3 to 8 minutes.

Recipe found online at: http://www.food.com/recipe/pineapple-glazed-chicken-284226#ixzz1nLok6TAh