Perfection on a plate

It's been years since I found a new recipe I knew instantly would be a permanent addition to my long list of "tried and true" recipes, but this recipe is definitely it. Flavor - oh my! It brings a new taste to chicken -- an Asian slant to it, but not your typical "Chinese food". I served it on steamed white rice and served steamed broccoli on the side.

The recipe comes from Allrecipes.com. I found it by doing a Google search for the two main ingredients I had on hand - chicken and canned unsweetened pineapple.

TANGY PINEAPPPLE CHICKEN

Ingredients

• 4 (4 ounce) boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 (20 ounce) can unsweetened sliced pineapple*
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tbsp lite soy sauce**
• 1 green pepper, chopped into 1 inch chunks**
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Hot cooked rice

Directions

1. Sprinkle chicken with thyme, salt and pepper. In a skillet, brown chicken in oil. Meanwhile, drain pineapple, reserving the juice. Cut pineapple rings in half and set aside. Combine cornstarch and 2 tablespoons juice until smooth; set aside. Combine mustard, honey, garlic, soy sauce, and remaining pineapple juice; mix well. Add to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. Remove chicken and keep warm. Stir cornstarch mixture and add to pan; bring to a boil. Boil and stir for 2 minutes. Return chicken to pan and also add green pepper and pineapple. Simmer for 3 or 4 minutes. Serve over rice.

*I used canned unsweetened pineapple chunks.
**The addition of the green pepper and lite soy sauce are mine. Omit if you want, but I do think the dish benefited from that little bit of bite of the green pepper and the saltiness of the soy sauce.