Hawaiian Chicken

Personally, I'm just not a big fan of canned pineapple. Never have been.  But this recipe (as usual, I cut this recipe in half) called for just 6 Tbsp of fresh pineapple and also some juice, so I just bought a small can of crushed pineapple and used the juice with that.  And it worked great!  I think this is probably a revised 60's-era Hawaiian Chicken (remember the pineapple rings with the maraschino cherry in the middle?).  Instead, this is a pineapple-based salsa on top of a marinated and grilled chicken breast.

I found the recipe in "Cooking Light-Five Star Recipes."  I especially like this cookbook because it gives menu suggestions (do you ever come up with a great entree, but can't figure out what to serve with it?).  So, as recommended, I served it with yellow rice and steamed broccoli with lemon slices.  This is a great make-head dish, as the chicken and salsa need to sit for several hours.

HAWAIIAN CHICKEN (Serves 4)

1/4 cup unsweetened orange juice
2 Tbsp unsweetened pineapple juice
1 tsp minced fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp salt
4 (4 oz) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3/4 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp finely chopped sweet red pepper
1 1/2 tsp minced fresh cilantro
1 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp unsweetened orange juice
1 tsp seeded, finely chopped jalapeno pepper
Vegetable cooking spray
1/2 tsp pepper

Combine first 4 ingredients in a shallow dish, and stir well.  Add chicken, turning to coat.  Cover and marinate in frig for 2 hours, turning occassionally.

Combine pineapple and next 5 ingredients, stir well.  Cover and let stand at room temp for 2 hours.

Remove chicken from marinade, reserving marinade.  Place marinade in a small saucepan; bring to a boil.  Remove from heat; set aside.

Coat grill rack with cooking spray; place on grill over medium-hot coals (I use a George Foreman grill).  Sprinkle 1/2 tsp pepper over chicken.  Place grill on rack; grill, covered 5 minutes on each side (mine took less time), basting with reserved marinade.

To serve, top each chicken breast w/3 Tbsp pineapple mixture.