I’m such a growing foodie, while my husband’s quite the picky eater (as he could live his life off pizza and chicken nuggets – minus dipping sauces or anything gourmet to it). I’m slowly changing that, with each meal adding some new twist he’s never experienced. And this takes the cake, especially since everything get’s tossed into the entire skin of the pineapple – these are chicken pineapple boats.
I saw this idea once, but it was for Teriyaki Chicken. And I love cooking in the crock pot, so I knew this would be the perfect combination for a slow cooker meal. This simple pulled chili chicken with yellow Spanish rice and pineapple is so full of flavor and filling, it’s almost too difficult to share this recipe because it’s that delicious. So if you have a favorite chili sauce, here is another great way to use it.
6 oz., or half 12oz. jar chili sauce (homemade, or Frank's sweet chili is great!)
1 large onion
1 garlic clove
1 box Spanish yellow rice
1 whole pineapple (you can buy another whole pineapple if you can't get enough out of one)
Seasonings (optional):
Cumin
Chili powder
Salt & pepper
Instructions
Prep the chicken breasts for the crock pot. Add the 1 large chopped or sliced onion, the chili sauce and all of the seasonings listed in the ingredients. No need for water or broth - the chicken will cook in it's own juices. They will take about 5 hours on Low to cook through. You want the chicken to be able to 'shred' with a fork, but if the chicken is still 'pink', it needs to cook longer.
In the meantime, I chop my pineapple. Cut the whole pineapple in half long ways (as seen in the images below). The difficult part is scooping out the fruit with the core, so I had to use a large sharp knife to get as much out as I could. It is advised to get a second pineapple and to cut it as you normally could to get the fruit out. Then set the pineapple aside and the half skins in a large bowl with water (so they don't brown).
Once the chicken is cooked, you can put the pot of yellow Spanish rice on or in a rice cooker a little bit of time beforehand. I don't have a rice cooker, so I'm old school and do it through a boiling pot. Once the rice is cooked through, add the seasoning that comes in the yellow rice packaging, then add in the pineapple chunks. Stir until mixed together.
Dish out rice and pulled chicken into a halved pineapple, then top with more fresh pineapple chunks. Serve with a large serving spoon, and enjoy!
