Hawaiian BBQ Chicken
The following recipe, video and photography were provided by our partner, Alissa DiSanto of Sauced By Sunday.
Chicken dinners may be common, but they don’t have to taste ordinary! In fact, with just a few everyday pantry and fridge ingredients, you can create a hearty Hawaiian-style meal in no time!
If there’s one Hawaiian-inspired ingredient I love, it’s pineapple. Now, I know pineapple on pizza is a highly controversial debate, but for chicken, I believe the addition of this sweet, juicy tropical fruit is a no-brainer.
One way to enhance the natural sweetness of the pineapple, while also complementing the savory flavor of the chicken is to add a layer of BBQ sauce. Contributing a deep red color that blends beautifully with the fruit, its a great way to add depth of flavor with only one ingredient.
Finished with cooked bacon, red onion, green onion and mozzarella cheese, a chicken dinner has never been so exciting!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It Tastes like a Tropical Vacation. If you’re craving the flavors of the tropics, this dish offers just that thanks to fresh pineapple, a few hefty squeezes of BBQ sauce and smokey bacon!
- You Don’t have to Spend Time Cutting a Whole Pineapple. While this recipes features a whole pineapple, Heinen’s Produce Department offers pre-cut pineapple chunks that are guaranteed fresh. They’re the perfect time-saving shortcut to make this simple dish even easier.
- It Pairs Well with Many Side Dishes. Whether your family prefers a side of veggies or a side of rice, the flavors of this dish will pair seamlessly.
Hawaiian BBQ Chicken
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 Gerber’s CARE Certified boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup pineapple, diced
- 8 slices Heinen’s CARE Certified bacon, cooked
- ¼ red onion, sliced
- 1 cup Heinen's shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 green onions, sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375˚F.
- In a skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy. Alternatively, you can cook the bacon on a foil-lined baking sheet at 425˚F for 12-14 minutes. This step can be done in advance.
- Slightly pound the chicken so the thickness is even throughout.
- Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Add the chicken breasts to the casserole dish and evenly spread the BBQ sauce over top. Season with salt and pepper.
- If using fresh pineapple, remove the skin and core and dice into 1-inch cubes. Make sure the pieces are small enough so the pineapple will stay on the chicken. If using Heinen’s pre-sliced pineapple chunks, simply cut the chunks into smaller pieces.
- Thinly slice the red onion. Use a mandolin, if needed, to create thin slices.
- Top the chicken with the diced pineapple, cooked bacon (2 slices per chicken breast) and red onion. Reserve some pineapple and red onion for garnish.
- Top with the shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through.
- After the chicken finishes cooking, switch the oven setting to broil and broil for 2-3 minutes until the top of the cheese is golden. Watch closely so it does not burn.
- Remove from oven and garnish with more pineapple, onion and green onion.
- Serve with a side of steamed broccoli and/or rice.
