Pineapple Chicken

Pineapple Chicken - made March 8, 2013, recipe found on pinterest

This is another one of those recipes I found on pinterest where the recipe is typed out on the pin but the pin itself doesn't lead anywhere so I don't know the original source.  But it's also super simple so I had to make it.  I love crock pot cooking on Fridays because I work from home then so I can have the crock pot on while I'm there.  Although slow cookers were meant for the convenience of turning it on and leaving it, I don't like to have it on while I'm gone all day "just in case".  The beauty of this kind of recipe is I can mix it up while my computer is booting up and by the time I log in, I've already got the sauce mixed, the chicken added and the crock pot turned on.  I don't have to look at it again until dinner time.  If you want to make this more pineapple-y, add chunks of fresh pineapple 5 minutes before turning off slow cooker.

It came out okay although it was typical of slow cooker recipes in that it came out really soupy.  As in, I appear to have made a soupy stew without meaning to.  Not even thickening with cornstarch made much of a difference. I couldn't get a very good picture of it either so I didn't try that hard.  Whenever I see the mouthwatering pictures on pinterest, I'm baffled how those people got theirs to look so good.  Then I decided they must drain off all the watery sauce before they take the picture.  Because mine doesn't look anywhere near what the pinterest picture looked like.  And I confess - I was so busy, hunched over my computer and on conference calls that I forgot to check it so it was almost dinner time by the time I turned it off.  Um, it turns out when you cook chicken thighs for that long, they get so tender, they literally fall off the bones if you even look at them wrong.

1 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce (regular or lite)
2 lbs chicken breast tenderloins, thighs, or drumsticks (I used chicken thighs)

Combine pineapple juice, brown sugar and soy sauce.  Stir until brown sugar is dissolved.  Place chicken in slow cooker and pour sauce over it.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until chicken is tender.  If sauce is too thin, thicken with 2 tablespoons cornstarch and enough water to make a watery paste.  Add to sauce 30 minutes before turning off slow cooker.