Monday, February 18, 2013

Pineapple Chicken

As the holidays draw near, Williams-Sonoma sends out emails that feature a daily deal. For one day only, some wonderful item is drastically reduced and usually shipped for free. How could Santa turn down a deal like that?

This year Santa caught the Staub Cocotte bargain, and I am now the proud owner of a snazzy Dutch oven. Staub is the brand. Apparently, cocotte means prostitute as well as a shallow or ovenproof baking dish. One reference mentions a small chicken. Maybe they call it a cocotte because small chickens were cooked in them. Or maybe prostitutes used them to cook food!

I finally had a chance to try out the cocotte -- for chicken, not any dalliances. I am in love. While the recipe I'm going to share could use some spices, the chicken turned out unbelievably soft. It didn't fall apart. The breast meat was possibly the softest, most perfect white meat I've eaten in a long time. The legs were cooked through and just as soft.

I'm sure any Dutch oven works about the same way. This one weighs enough to be used for weight-lifting exercises and would make a great murder weapon. It has funky little dots on the inside of the cover that are supposed to help distribute the condensation.

I went to the Staub website for my first try and based a recipe on one of theirs. Naturally, I did things a little bit differently. I removed the skin from the chicken for starters. Hint: use small kitchen scissors to cut it off easily. Then I cut back on the recommended amount of soy sauce. I used 2 tablespoons, but 3 or 4 would have added more saltiness to the sauce. I omitted the Chinese spices, but next time I'll probably add some spices. It would be great with curry or Northwoods spice. I added fresh pineapple, which was delicious with the chicken.

The thing that worried me the most was the instruction to cook 25 minutes. That had to be a typo. Nope. I set the timer to check the chicken, and it was perfect in 25 minutes!


Pineapple Chicken

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 chicken, cut up
3 tablespoons liquid honey
3-4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 slices fresh pineapple
salt
pepper

Heat the olive oil in the cast iron pot and brown the chicken. Slice the pineapple into bite-sized pieces. Add the honey, soy sauce, garlic and pineapple to the pot. Cook with the lid on for fifteen minutes. Turn the chicken so the other side is in the sauce and cook another 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.



Not pretty, but oh, so good!

11 comments:

  1. I got one of the Staub dutch ovens for Christmas last year. I love the way it cooks meat to a moist tenderness. Your chicken looks great.

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  2. I was blown away by the tenderness, Penny. Truly amazing. Do you have any recipes that you recommend?

    ~Krista

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  3. I've always wanted a Dutch oven, I guess this is the brand to get! Perfect chicken in 25 minutes?!? I'm in. PS I love Chinese 5 spice powder!

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    1. Kathy, I think Le Creuset is also an excellent brand. These are a tiny bit less expensive. If you love Chinese 5 spice, then you'll really love this recipe!

      ~Krista

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  4. Pineapple & chicken that sounds good! I don't have a Staub. Would I adjust cooking time using a different type of pan?

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    1. Helena Georgette, use a Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid. In fact, you might want to use aluminum foil over the pot and then set the lid on top of it. I have to admit that the lid of the Staub is very heavy and fits precisely. I would check the chicken after 25 minutes to see if it's ready but be prepared to let it cook a little longer.

      ~Krista

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  5. 25 minutes, really! Wow. Sounds great. I get WS eblasts and I didn't see specials like that. I'll have to pay more attention this coming holiday. I have a great clay pot that cooks well. I'll try this recipe in it. Usually chicken takes 1 hour in that. Looks yummy.

    Daryl

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    1. You were probably too busy to notice, Avery. I have a tendency to automatically delete store emails that come in every day. But W-S is worth watching!

      Interesting that your clay pot takes an hour. That's what I expected!

      ~Krista

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  6. I love that it can be used as a murder weapon Krista...I hope that's in a book coming soon:)

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    1. LOL, Lucy! Hmm, I'll have to see where I can work it in. It really is heavy!

      ~Krista

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  7. The Staub cocotte is new to me, and the self-basting cooking technology looks ingenious. Thanks for sharing this, Krista, and the recipe, too. It's a great mix of flavors. (Love the honey and soy sauce pairing with the pineapple--sounds amazing.) I'm looking forward to trying it and the Staub cookware, too--just not as a murder weapon! :)

    Have a great week,
    ~ Cleo

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