Chicken and Pineapple Fried Rice

Early July. Twenty-nine weeks pregnant. The hospital bag has been packed since week thirty-five-minus-six, which is right now — the OB had said at last week’s appointment that thirty weeks is the prudent pack-the-bag week for first-time mothers. The bag is sitting in the front closet by the door. The car seat is installed in the back of the Civic. The crib (Aunt Linda’s 2008 crib, shipped from Tulsa last month) is assembled in the small nursery. The freezer is at thirty-two single-meal portions.

Sunday I made chicken and pineapple fried rice because the apartment had a pineapple Aunt Linda had sent up with the crib shipment and Dustin had requested the dish specifically — he had eaten a version at a Memphis Hawaiian-Chinese fusion place at his cousin Joelle’s in 2019 and wanted me to recreate it. The dish is a fried rice with caramelized pineapple chunks folded in alongside the chicken and the standard fried-rice aromatics.

The procedure: cube fresh pineapple into half-inch chunks. Sear pineapple chunks in a hot dry skillet for three minutes per side until the natural sugars caramelize. Set aside. Build standard fried rice in the same skillet: aromatics (ginger, garlic, scallions), day-old cold jasmine rice, scrambled eggs, soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil. Fold the caramelized pineapple back in with the diced cooked chicken. The caramelized pineapple contributes a tangy-sweet-smoky note that pairs with the salt-and-umami of the soy and fish sauce in a way that registers as Hawaiian-Chinese fusion.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 cups cooked white rice, day-old preferred
1 cup fresh or canned pineapple chunks, drained
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed
3 green onions, sliced
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

Cook the chicken. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces, season with salt and pepper, and cook 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooked through and lightly browned. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Scramble the eggs. Push any remaining bits to the side of the pan. Add a small drizzle of oil if needed, then pour in the beaten eggs. Scramble them quickly over medium heat until just set, breaking into small pieces. Push to the side.
Sauté aromatics and vegetables. Add the remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pan. Add garlic and ground ginger and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the peas and carrots and stir-fry 2 minutes.
Add the rice. Add the cold cooked rice to the pan, breaking up any clumps. Stir-fry 3–4 minutes, pressing the rice against the hot pan occasionally to get a little char and texture.
Combine everything. Return the chicken and eggs to the pan. Add the pineapple chunks, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Toss everything together and stir-fry 2–3 minutes until heated through and well coated.
Finish and serve. Taste and adjust seasoning. Garnish with sliced green onions and serve immediately straight from the pan.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chicken and Pineapple Fried Rice — A Sunday Fusion for the Two-Months-Out Stretch