This Sweet Canned Ingredient Will Transform Dry And Bland Chicken

There's a sweet ingredient (likely already in your pantry) that can totally transform your dry and bland chicken: canned pineapple. It introduces a delicious profile that cuts through the plainness of chicken. The acids in pineapple create a contrast to the subtle savory taste of chicken, making the whole meal feel well-rounded, and sugars help create a beautifully brown caramelized look when cooked in high heat. The citric acid found naturally in the fruit gives a sharper taste, which keeps the chicken from tasting flat. The juiciness of the fruit ensures your chicken doesn't have a dry mouthfeel. 

How you cook the chicken and pineapple together changes the dish, too. Putting pineapple chunks and chicken on the grill lets the sugars caramelize directly over the heat, while smoking chicken with the pineapple brings in a smokiness that blends beautifully with the sweetness of the fruit. If you're making twice-dredged fried chicken, the crunchy texture and richness are wonderfully balanced by a pineapple-based dipping sauce. Cooking pineapple and chicken together in a slow cooker makes the meat incredibly tender, ready to be shredded, and completely saturated with the juices that it was soaking in.

To build on the main pineapple and chicken flavors, you can play with seasonings, spices, and flavor boosters. Common additions are savory ingredients like soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and scallions, which provide an Asian-inspired warmth in all sorts of stir-fries and curries. Adding a simple sprinkle of red pepper flakes, squeeze of sriracha, or spoonful of gochujang paste adds a nice kick to counter the sugariness of the pineapple. Vegetables like bell peppers, sweet potatoes, and white onions are great options to ground the flavors and add another textural layer.

Rice is the go-to side as it absorbs all the juices, but you can use different styles to match the themes of the dishes you make. Use coconut rice to lean into the tropical feel or flavorful seasoned rice with cilantro and lime for a Mexican-style dish. Add more roasted vegetables like broccoli, zucchini, or squash to soak up all of the pineapple-infused sauce, or serve your chicken and pineapple alongside a simple green salad with an olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette.

You can also complement the flavors of your pineapple chicken dish with the drink you enjoy along with it. Dry white wines handle the lighter notes well without being overly sweet, while fruit-forward beers are great choices. If you're feeling spirited, cocktails like mai tais, piña coladas, simple rum drinks, or a pineapple upside-down Champagne cocktail fit right in. Non-alcoholic drinks that pair well can include guava, mango, or an extra punch of pineapple mixed with sparkling water or ginger beer.