Luau Chicken

Here's a great little recipe to get you back into the swing of things, now that September is in full swing, packed with long days and hectic schedules.  You can put it up in your slow cooker in the morning with very little effort.  When you come home, there are just few odds and ends to take care of while you put up some brown rice or noodles, and then, ta da, you have dinner.  Not just dinner, but dinner with Hawaiian flavors.  I'd like to think that Hawaii has very little to do with long days and hectic schedules.  Please don't tell me otherwise.

Do check out this recipe, and furthermore, check out the cookbook that it comes from, No Whine With Dinner, by Liz Weiss and Janice Newell Bissex.  So, you can see from the title that this a book meant for people with kids.  And there is still a cook here, a dishwasher, way too many cookbooks, and entirely no kids.  But there are people with little time and people who are picky eaters and people who like kid food.  And that makes this book perfect for us.  Furthermore, all of the recipes in this book are healthful and include nutrition information.  It's definitely a keeper!



Luau Chicken
serves 8
from No Whine with Dinner, by Liz Weiss and Janice Newell Bissex, shared with permission of the authors


Ingredients:
3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat
8 oz baby carrots (half a bag)
1/2 cup reduced sodium teriyaki sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 8oz can crushed pineapple, packed in juice, drained with liquid reserved

Directions:
1. Add the chicken, carrots, teriyaki sauce, garlic, and ginger to a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker, and stir to combine.  Cover, and cook on low until the chicken is cooked through and the carrots are tender, about 4 hours.
2. When done, maintain the slow cooker on low heat.  In a bow, whisk together the cornstarch and the reserved pineapple juice until well combined.  Carefully remove the chicken and carrots and place in a large bowl.  Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.  Gently stir the cornstarch mixture and the crushed pineapple into the slow cooker and cover until the liquid thickens, about 5 minutes.
3. Pour the sauce over the chicken and carrots, or gently stir the chicken and carrots back into the slow cooker and serve directly from there.

Per serving: 300 caloris, 13 g fat, 1 g fiber, 32 g protein

Also, try Chicken Teriyaki with Grilled Pineapple