Hawaiian Chicken With Coconut Rice (Print)
Marinated Hawaiian-style chicken atop fragrant coconut jasmine rice, garnished with pineapple, green onions and sesame.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Chicken and Marinade
01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
02 - 1/3 cup soy sauce
03 - 1/4 cup pineapple juice
04 - 2 tablespoons honey
05 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
07 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
08 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
09 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
→ Coconut Rice
10 - 1 1/2 cups jasmine rice, rinsed
11 - 1 (14 oz) can coconut milk
12 - 1 cup water
13 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
→ Garnish
14 - 1/2 cup fresh pineapple, diced
15 - 2 tablespoons green onions, sliced
16 - 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
17 - Fresh cilantro leaves
# How To Make:
01 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, pineapple juice, honey, minced garlic, grated ginger, olive oil, black pepper, and smoked paprika until fully combined.
02 - Place the chicken in a resealable plastic bag or shallow dish. Pour the marinade over the chicken, ensuring all pieces are evenly coated. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 4 hours for deeper flavor penetration.
03 - Rinse the jasmine rice thoroughly under cold water until the runoff runs clear. Transfer to a medium saucepan and add the coconut milk, water, and salt. Stir to combine, then bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, cover with a tight-fitting lid, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 18 minutes until the liquid is fully absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove from heat and let rest, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff gently with a fork before serving.
04 - Heat a large skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade, allowing excess to drip off, and discard the remaining marinade. Sear the chicken for 6 to 7 minutes per side until golden brown and caramelized on the exterior, and the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 3 to 4 minutes before slicing.
05 - Spoon a generous portion of coconut rice onto each plate. Arrange the sliced chicken over the rice. Finish with diced fresh pineapple, sliced green onions, toasted sesame seeds, and fresh cilantro leaves. Serve immediately.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The coconut rice alone is worth making this dish, creamy and fragrant enough to eat straight from the pot with a spoon.
- That sticky caramelized crust on the chicken comes from the honey in the marinade and it is absolutely addictive.
- Everything cooks in under an hour and most of that is hands off marinating time.
- It is completely dairy free so you can serve it to almost anyone without a second thought.
02 -
- Do not rush the rice resting step because opening the lid early releases steam that the rice still needs to finish cooking gently.
- If the marinade pools in the pan rather than caramelizing, your heat is too low so crank it up and let the sugars do their work.
- Discard used marinade rather than trying to reuse it as a sauce since it has had raw chicken sitting in it.
03 -
- Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes after cooking before slicing so the juices redistribute instead of running out onto your cutting board.
- Toasting the sesame seeds in a dry skillet for about 60 seconds until golden transforms them from a garnish into something people actually notice.