Chicken & Shrimp Teriyaki Pineapple Bowl [Recipe]
Chicken and shrimp teriyaki pineapple bowl is one of those things that sound abstract but make a lot of sense. Mixing seafood with poultry and combining that with fruit and rice seems more than a little far-fetched, but it works amazingly. The butteriness of the shrimps and the chicken’s juices lay a perfect foundation for the sweetness of the pineapple and the zest of the teriyaki sauce.
How do you make chicken and shrimp teriyaki pineapple bowl?
The basic ingredients are quite obvious: chicken breasts, shrimps, teriyaki sauce, and pineapple. You will also need ginger, garlic, spices, flour, rice, and vinegar. You can use the store-bought teriyaki sauce or make one yourself.
I opt for homemade teriyaki sauce, and here are the ingredients that I mixed well to get it: soy sauce, honey, and water. I also added one tablespoon of flour to get the thicker sauce.
Another thing to mention that will improve your dish is to season the chicken breasts the day before. A little bit of salt, pepper, and Cayenne pepper can do wonders to your meat! So this is, naturally, the first step; slicing up the meat and seasoning it.
The second step is to grate the ginger and garlic and throw them in the warm olive oil in your pan. Let them bake and enhance their flavors for some time, and then include chicken. Allow it to bake for two minutes.
Add shrimps and sprinkle everything with a dash of Cayenne pepper.
In the meantime, make the small cubes of the fresh pineapple and place them aside for now.
When chicken and shrimps seem done, it is time to pour teriyaki sauce over everything. Stir well until you get a nice, semi-thick dish. Now it’s the time to throw pineapple inside.
Serve the chicken and shrimp teriyaki pineapple with rice that you cooked in water with one tablespoon of rice vinegar. Sprinkle some sesame seeds over everything for the final touch.
You can slice your pineapple in half lengthwise, scoop out the fruit meat that’s inside, and use the rest as the pineapple bowl.
Do chicken and shrimp go together?
Many people think poultry and seafood don’t mix well because they are too different and impossible to combine. However, shrimps are not that kind of seafood, and this recipe shows that chicken and shrimp, in fact, go well together.
What separates seafood and poultry the most is the smell. Seafood has a distinctive pungent fishy smell, which isn’t for everyone. That’s why there are seafood fans and those who cannot stand seafood because it has no middle ground.
However, shrimps are not that kind of seafood. They don’t have the fishiness that other types of seafood have and are incredibly meaty, rich yet neutral, and buttery. Shrimps are the perfect canvas to paint a dish on, as they are an excellent addition to a seafood cocktail, but you can also pair them with fries.
Although if two types of food go well together is very subjective, and what is delicious for some is revolting for others, generally shrimp and chicken go well together. Therefore, they even mix in the same dish.
Shrimp and chicken go well because both are almost neutral and very easily combinable with other ingredients. They don’t have distinct smells that would restrict their use; they are very easy to cook and are found as a main or auxiliary ingredient in many dishes.
So, against all odds, chicken and shrimp have many more things in common than you would think. They are both very nutritious, with low amounts of fat and high amounts of protein and other nutrients that make these two types of meat very healthy and heavenly delicious.
What should you serve with chicken and shrimp teriyaki pineapple?
This dish is easy to pair with several sides. From salad to mushrooms to grilled vegetables, everything goes.
A plain green salad seasoned with balsamic crème could be the perfect addition to this dish. Also, an avocado dip and a bowl of French fries are excellent supplements here. Grilled mushrooms are the little black dress of sides, so it is no wonder they pair great with chicken and shrimp teriyaki pineapple.
You can even pair this dish with a salsa salad and give it some more edge and character, not that it lacks any. Cooked mixed vegetables are yet another excellent pairing option, along with mashed potatoes or Brussel sprouts.
Warm spinach, peanut, and red beans salad is a bit unusual side to this dish, but they pair heavenly. Kimchi or coleslaw are good options as well, though they are a bit specific, so you will either love them or hate them.
Asparagus with garlic and oyster sauce is a slam dunk here, especially since teriyaki and oyster sauce are very compatible. Of the oyster sauce substitutes for teriyaki, that’s how compatible they are.
Can you make this recipe with only chicken or only shrimp?
Yes, you can leave out the chicken or the shrimp. You cannot leave out the teriyaki, as that is the ingredient that gives the dish its flavor. If you are not a fan of either chicken or shrimp, feel free not to use one or the other.
The dish will still be finger-licking delicious even if it doesn’t contain one or the other.
Chicken & shrimp teriyaki pineapple bowl recipe
Chicken and Shrimp Teriyaki Pineapple Bowl
Ingredients
For Teriyaki Sauce
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp flour
For Rice
- 1 1/3 cup rice
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- water
The rest of ingredients
- olive oil
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 4 garlic cloves
- 9 oz chicken breasts
- Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper for seasoning the chicken
- 17 oz shrimp
- 14 oz pineapple
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- Cayenne pepper to season the dish
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breast into pieces and season the meat with salt, pepper and Cayenne pepper. Do this step the day before, preferably, or just before baking if you don’t have enough time.
- Place the water on the skillet and prepare it for cooking the rice. When it starts to boil, pour one tablespoon of rice vinegar into the water before adding rice.
- Grate the ginger and garlic cloves.
- Pour some olive oil into the pan and allow it to heat up. Add garlic and ginger.
- After two minutes, include chicken and bake it for about 3 minutes. Stir the chicken now and then to ensure it bakes on all sides.
- Now is the time to add shrimps and season everything with a dash of Cayenne pepper. Stir almost constantly.
- In the meantime, mix all needed ingredients for teriyaki sauce and leave the sauce aside for now.
- When everything seems baked, pour your teriyaki sauce over chicken and shrimp and stir well. When the sauce thickens, include pineapple.
- Turn off the heat and serve chicken, shrimp, and pineapple with cooked rice. Sprinkle some sesame seeds on the top, and enjoy!
