Pineapple is a wonderful fruit that can be eaten in so many different ways. It can be added to salads, grilled, or just eaten plain.  Click here to view a list of Top 10 Ways to Enjoy Pineapple.  Today I’m going to show you one of my favorite recipes that incorporates canned pineapple: Sweet & Sour Chicken.

When choosing a pineapple from the store you should choose one with dark green leaves.  You should avoid any soft or dark spots or dry-looking leaves.  A pineapple should be heavy for it’s size.  That means it’s full of lots of flavorful juice!

Do you ever get a sore mouth from eating too much fresh pineapple? Did you know, this could be caused by an enzyme called bromelain. It’s found in large quantities in fresh pineapple. The purpose of bromelain is to denature, or break down, proteins. Canned pineapple has been treated with heat and no longer contains bromelain. So if you’re looking for a way to enjoy pineapple without a sore mouth choose canned pineapple as opposed to fresh.

Here at Food $ense we like to find unique ways we can add fruits and vegetables into our meals. This recipe does just that. It’s loaded with lots of fresh veggies as well as a can of pineapple. If you serve it over brown rice you can make it a complete MyPlate meal!

First, chop all your veggies: 1 green pepper, 2 carrots, 2 stalks of celery and 1 onion.

Next, make the sauce. Combine the pineapple juice from the can, water, vinegar, brown sugar, ginger and cornstarch. Stir until it’s combined.

Cut the chicken into cubes, saute it in olive oil over medium high heat until cooked through. Add in your vegetables and continue to saute until they are al dente. (Al dente means firm to the bite. This is in between mushy, overcooked and hard, undercooked.

After that, add in the sauce and keep stirring until it has thickened.

Serve over rice and garnish with pineapple chunks.  Enjoy!

What’s your favorite recipe to make with pineapple?