For me as a kid, nothing was as big of a bummer as being served Hawaiian pizza. This was a time in my life when I keep the sweet and savory completely separate. To quote my father, “Leave the fruit in the bowl”. So I did just that and painstakingly removed all pineapple from each pizza slice before sinking my teeth into what was remaining-a cheese and Canadian bacon slice besieged by pineapple craters.
As an adult, I still don’t care much for Hawaiian pizza but I have a better understanding of the concept. After all, pairing a little sweetness with something salty like bacon or ham can produce delicious results. But instead of overloading on the pineapple, I prefer to use only a little, judiciously added at just the right time, to add that hint of sweetness to something tart. The end result: the pineapple is salty-sweet from the soy sauce, cooking wine, garlic, ginger and a touch of sesame oil and combined with juicy chicken breasts, it is pure heaven. To add to my joy, it is also easy to prepare. Make a sauce, get the sauce bubbling, add chicken and pineapple then reduce heat to low for 20-30 min. Bam! Serve with steamed rice and you’ve got yourself a deliciously easy dinner!





Asian-inspired chicken recipes to cook:
Thai Inspired Lemongrass Chicken Stir-fry
Curry Laksa with Chicken, Fish Balls and Tofu Puffs
Authentic Kung Pao Chicken (Foreigner Style)