Pollo a la Piña (Pineapple Chicken)
Published January 21, 2025
Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
- Total Time
- 55 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
1 cup fresh orange juice
3 to 5 large guajillo chiles (1 ounce), stemmed and seeded or ¼ cup guajillo chile powder
2 chipotle chiles in adobo, plus 2 tablespoons adobo sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1½ pounds boneless, skinless, chicken thighs (about 6 medium)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2½ cups chopped fresh pineapple (about 14 ounces) or 1 (20-ounce) can of pineapple rings, drained and chopped
½ large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Kosher salt
Warm corn tortillas, sliced avocado, chopped cilantro and lime wedges (for serving)
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
28 grams carbs; 167 milligrams cholesterol; 582 calories; 19 grams monosaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 39 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 946 milligrams sodium; 30 grams protein; 17 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
In a medium saucepan, bring the orange juice, guajillos, chipotles, oregano and cinnamon to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to maintain a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes until the chiles are very soft and ready to blend. Transfer chiles, spices and cooking liquid to the jar of a blender (or use an immersion blender) and puree until the salsa is completely smooth.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, cook the chicken. Place chicken thighs on a large platter and pat dry with paper towels. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the chicken and cook until just turning golden brown on both sides, 7 to 9 minutes. Transfer to the same platter.
- Step 3
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the same skillet (no need to clean it out), and cook the pineapple, onion, garlic and 2 teaspoons salt, tossing occasionally, until tender and just beginning to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Nestle the chicken into the pan with the pineapple and pour the salsa over. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until the chicken is tender and cooked through and the salsa has darkened and melded with the chicken and onions, about 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, slice into strips and return to the skillet with the pineapple.
- Step 4
To serve, arrange a few pieces of chicken, pineapple and some salsa on each corn tortilla and top with avocado, cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
Private Notes
Comments
@Greg. All guajillo chiles are dried. The fresh version of the pepper is called mirasol. Just like the ancho chile is the dried version of a poblano pepper. Hope this helps!
Buy from Penzey's!
Do a google search and buy from an independent buyer. Enough with Amazon.
I made it in the pressure cooker like someone else suggested. It made a lot of chicken. I just wasn't a fan of the flavor. It was just missing something to make it a solid 4-star dish. I added a cilantro and lime slaw for some texture. Not bad, but not worth making again.
The first time I made this I couldn't find guajillo chiles at Publix so I went with Hatch chiles... except they were canned and not dried... yeah, don't do that. It was still good enough to try again with proper dried guajillos from the Caribbean market. This time I made it exactly as directed (except going down to one chipotle and one tablespoon of adobo) and it was PHENOMENAL. Glad I got a big bag of guajillos because I'm going to be making this a LOT.
Precut the chicken, then all of it gets nice and browned, and you save having to cut hot chicken.