Pineapple Chicken with Ramen
This chicken is bathed in a 4-ingredient, sweet/tangy/salty blend of pineapple juice, soy, brown sugar, and mirin. It’s perfectly balanced, and simmers into scrumptious glaze. The ramen noodles are tossed with nutty sesame oil, so it’s layer upon layer of flavor from the bottom of the bowl to the top.
This dish is “chicken catapulted”. And you can use whatever chicken cut you prefer. I used cubed chicken breasts, but you can use tenders and/or thighs instead. Want to save prep time and cleanup? Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces with your kitchen scissors!
This multidimensional sauce is made with pantry staples. And just four of them! I always have the little cans of 100% pineapple juice on hand – the fruity juice is perfect for both sweet and savory dishes. In this recipe, I balanced the pineapple flavor with salty soy sauce, sweet mirin, and caramel-like brown sugar.
What type of ramen noodles should you use? The instant ramen soup packets! Just discard the seasoning packet or save it for another purpose. They cook in less than 5 minutes, so dinner is ready in a flash. That said, you can use any Asian noodles you prefer. Rice works too.
Can you make this dish spicy? Yes! Notice the hot sauce served on the side? My boys like it spicy (like mind-numbing hot), and I prefer it more mild, so I serve the sauce on the side. You can easily incorporate hot sauce into the glaze – a little or a lot, it’s totally your call.
Looking for a gluten-free option? For a gluten-free version of this dish, serve the chicken and sauce over rice or gluten-free rice noodles – also called pad Thai noodles. I adore those (and they cook just as fast as ramen). You can also serve the chicken in lettuce wraps.
Pineapple Chicken with Ramen
Ingredients
- 6 ounces 3/4 cup 100% pineapple juice
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons mirin, Japanese rice wine, or Chinese cooking wine
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, tenders, or thighs
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 packages instant ramen, seasoning packets discarded
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- Chopped green onions for serving
- Fresh cilantro leaves for serving
Equipment
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the pineapple juice, soy sauce, mirin, and brown sugar. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned on all sides. Season the chicken with salt and black pepper.
- Add the pineapple juice mixture and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
- Meanwhile, cook the ramen noodles according to the package directions (without the seasoning packet). Drain, return the noodles to the pan and toss with the sesame oil.
- Transfer the to individual plates and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Dissolve the cornstarch in about 2 tablespoons of water and add the mixture to the chicken. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Spoon the chicken and sauce over the ramen noodles and top with green onions and cilantro.