Hawaiian Chicken

I have only been to Hawaii three times—once when I was very young and all I remember was the large hotel and Honolulu beach. Once after I married Alicia and we went there when she was doing training in the Feldenkrais Method, and once before that shortly after I met her when I stopped off on my way to do a gig in Australia.

What I remember most vividly about that last-mentioned sojourn was that it was there that I decided that I wanted to marry her. This was after just two dates. I was in a camera shop buying some film (yes this was pre-digital—a few of you might remember the days of 35mm) and it suddenly dawned on me that I was going to marry her on April 27. No year was revealed.

Two years later—after we’d had several off-and-on attempts at engagement—on Friday April 24th she declared that if we didn’t get married on Monday it was all off. That Monday was April 27! I had never mentioned the April 27 Hawaiian revelation to her. Curious. We tied the knot at New York Town Hall on that day. Sometimes dreams come true.

The dish I picked up when we were there as a couple was this delightful Hawaiian chicken dish. It’s like a cross between pineapple chicken, sweet and sour chicken, and “brown sugar” chicken. It has a sweet sticky sauce, and delightful chunks of pineapple and peppers, served over rice.

It features barbecue sauce. Do not use a store-bought version—you’ll blow any diet you’re on as its usually full of sugar and nasty stuff. Instead use the sauce recipe I’ve included. That’s yummy and not bad for you.

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Ingredients

• 1kg (2 lbs) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
• Salt—just a little—and pepper to taste
• 1 large bell pepper diced (red, green or yellow)
• 1 fresh pineapple diced (or 440 gm tin of pineapple chunks in juice)

Sauce

• 1 tblsp olive oil
• 3 tblsp low-salt soy sauce
• 3 tsp sugar substitute or 2 tblsp raw honey (if using pure stevia powder, two tsps. is ample)
• 2 tblsp rice vinegar
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• 1 tblsp garlic minced
• ½ cup barbecue sauce (see lo-cal recipe below)
• ½ cup pineapple juice

‍Low-calorie barbecue sauce recipe

• 1/3 cup reduced sugar ketchup/passata
• 1 ½ tblsp (25mL) Worcestershire Sauce
• ½ tblsp (7mL) vinegar
• 2 tsp sugar substitute or 1 tblsp raw honey (or 1 tsp of pure stevia powder)
• ¾ tsp mustard powder/Dijon mustard
• ¾ tsp garlic powder    
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• Combine and mix all ingredients in a small bowl

‍Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then add to the skillet.
3. Sear outside until a crust forms. Beware not to overcook.
4. Remove chicken from pan, add in bell peppers and sauté for 3-5 minutes until tender, remove from pan.
5. Add sauce ingredients to pan, and bring to a simmer, add chicken back in, and cook on medium-low heat, letting sauce reduce while chicken cooks through.
6. Add pineapple to pan, and cook a few minutes more, until sauce is thick, sticky, and glossy.

Servings: 6

‍Energy per serving: 1244 kJ (311 cals)