This healthy, sweet and spicy firecracker pineapple chicken is way better than takeout! A gluten free, paleo and whole30 dinner that everyone will love!
BOOM goes your taste buds!
Straight up, this fire CRACKAH chicken is going to be the newest dinner to BLOW up your families taste buds, in the most CRAZY addicting, totally obsessively-gotta-eat-it-weekly kinda ways.
It’s the kind of chicken that you make 4 servings of for your hubs to bring to work the next 4 days and then – POOF – after day 1 you look in the fridge and ALL CHICKEN IS GONE. AAAND, you’re not even mad that it means you now need to make 3 more lunches because you TOTALLY get it.
Really happened. True story. Right down to the “not even being mad” part.
You guys. This is my new favorite recipe. You know, until next week when I have a new favorite recipe.
Whatever. You get it.
Considering we have had whole30 mango chicken with coconut cauliflower rice, paleo orange chicken and whole30 bacon cauliflower fried rice, you know I have this obsesses ion with “whole30-fying” takeout dishes.
Mostly because I RLY RLY like takeout food, but I RLY RLY don’t like how it makes my GRUMBLY (in a bad way) belly feel after a major binge sesh. Considering you and I agree on ALL things food, I know you also have these feelings in your soul.
F
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This healthy, real-food, takeout-fakeout (too much?) chicken uses pineapple juice to create a sticky-sweet sauce that wraps itself around each tender, golden-brown, crispy-crunchy bite of chicken and then – POW – those bursts of spicy hot sauce and salty coconut aminos hit your taste buds SQUARE IN THE FACE.
It’s the sort of spicy-sweet heat that tingles your taste buds and warms the back of your throat in happy-delicious-food GOODNESS, each and every time you MUNCH.
Also, random side story about fire crackers that is totally unrelated to chicken:
They remind me of the first July 4th that Mr. FFF and I celebrated together as married humans. We lived on a farm, on a ollllld farm road that had NO PEOPLE EVER driving on it. We celebrated this VRY important holiday by sitting on VRY ghetto lawn chairs, in the middle of the field, throwing fire crackers at the ground.
If we’re having a party, you probably don’t want to come. #WeDon’tKnowHowToParty.
BUT, if this chicken was hosting the shindig? You would DEFS want to get your taste buds on the VIP list.
A few words for you internet friends who are secretly thinking that you will bake each juicy morsel of chicken instead of throwing it in a deliciously sizzling pot of heart-healthy avocado oil:
DO. NOT. DO. IT.
It does NOTNOTNOT go golden brown and crunchy and you will NOT have the ultimate FOOD NIRVANA, soul-SATISFYING experience that is crunchy, crispy AMAZING firecrackers chicken.
Also, don’t use olive oil. It does not do good things when you craaaaank the heat up to ensure crispy-chicken exterior.
It burns.
Leaving your could-have-been-chicken extremely not edible and MAJORLY lacking in YUMS.
You are now armed with every possible tidbit of knowledge that could have come between you and spicy-sweet chicken heaven tonight.
I suggest you utilize your new-found knowledge for the good of your food-eating, hungry family.
For step-by-step instruction of this recipe, watch my video tutorial below:
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Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Avocado oil
- 1 1/2 tsp Fresh ginger, minced
- 3/4 Cup Pineapple juice
- 1 Tbsp Franks red hot sauce
- 1/2 Tbsp Coconut aminos (or soy sauce if not paleo)
- 1 tsp Tapioca starch
For the chicken:
- 3 Tbsp Tapioca starch
- Salt and pepper
- 8 Oz Chicken breast, cubed
- 2 Tbsp Avocado oil
- 1/4 Cup Pineapple tidbits, drained
- Cooked white rice, or cauliflower rice, for serving
- Sliced green onion, for garnish
- Sesame seeds, for garnish
Instructions
- In a medium frying pan heat the avocado oil (for the sauce) on medium heat. Add in the ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Turn up the heat to medium high and add in the pineapple juice, hot sauce and coconut aminos. Bring to a boil.
- Once boiling whisk 2 tsp of the sauce with the 1 tsp of tapioca starch in a small bowl until smooth. While whisking, pour in the tapioca starch mixture until well mixed.
- Boil, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens and starts to reduce, about 2-3 minutes. Turn down the heat to medium/low and cook an additional 1 minute, until the sauce begins to become shiny. Transfer to a medium bowl and cover to thicken and keep warm while you make the chicken. *
- Place the tapioca starch and a pinch of salt and pepper in a large Ziploc bag. Add in the cubed chicken and shake until evenly coated.
- Heat 1 Tbsp of the avocado oil on medium high heat in a large frying pan. Add in half of the chicken paces and cook until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook until the other side id golden brown. Then, transfer to a paper towel lined plate and lightly press out any excess oil. Repeat with the remaining oil and chicken.
- Add the cooked chicken into the sauce, along with the pineapple tidbits and toss to evenly coat.
- Serve over cauliflower rice (or rice,) and garnish with green onion and sesame seeds.
- DEVOUR!
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Info:
Recipes written and produced on Food Faith Fitness are for informational purposes only.
FOR THIS RECIPE, I RECOMMEND:
WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS PER SERVING: SMART POINTS: 15 POINTS+: 10. OLD POINTS: 10
(per half the recipe, with no rice option)
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Erin says
I can’t find tapioca starch/flour ANYWHERE in my area! Is almond flour an acceptable substitute? Thanks!
Taylor Kiser says
Weird – it’s at EVERY grocery store where I am. Unfortunately, it’s not! Sorry! You can use cornstarch, but that wouldn’t be paleo/whole30!
Erin says
I actually went ahead and tried it out with the almond flour before I got your reply – definitely not crunchy, but it tastes amazing! I will find tapioca starch somewhere and try again soon. Thank you for the reply!
Taylor Kiser says
Get it on amazon??? Here’s a link: http://amzn.to/2u4bt4T BUT, so glad it tasted good!! 🙂
Sydney says
you could use arrowroot powder, no?
Taylor Kiser says
I haven’t cooked with it before, so I am not sure? if it’s a 1:1 sub then you probably can! I just don’t want to say for sure 🙂
Danielle says
Can I use coconut oil instead of avocado oil?
Taylor Kiser says
Unfortunately not – it has a low smoke point and I find it burns when heated really hot. It’s not TERRIBLE – but avocado is MUCH better!
Bailey says
Yum! Any alternatives the Frank’s? The “natural butter type flavor” has me wondering what’s in that. Thanks!
Taylor Kiser says
You could try another brand of hot sauce that you love?? I did Google it – and it said it was whole30 compliant!
Nancy says
I just checked the bottles of Frank’s in my cupboard. The Frank’s Red Hot Original Sauce does not have “natural butter type flavor” but the Frank’s Red Hot Wings Sauce does have the butter flavoring added. Hope this helps.
Josh says
The tapioca starch seems to have made my chicken stick to the pan and I had trouble scraping things up with a metal spatula, creating a thick layer of chicken, tapioca and oil at the bottom than I couldn’t get up. Has anyone else had this issue?
Taylor Kiser says
It sounds like your pan is pretty well-loved and no longer as any non-stick!
Josh says
The recipe never specified non-stick, it just said large frying pan. And even the photo has the chicken in a cast iron skillet.
Taylor Kiser says
I did never have that issue. However, when frying, it’s ALWAYS best to use a good quality pan with non-stick qualities. Try that and see if it works!
Lindsay says
I cannot wait to make this! Seriously! I’m so excited. I was wondering if I could sub arrowroot starch for the tapioca starch? I’ve figured out that tapioca doesn’t do well with me:(.
Taylor Kiser says
I can’t tell you for sure as I have not tried it – I am sorry! I would probably google to see if they are swap-able!
Yolanda says
Would arrowroot flour be okay to substitute for the tapioca starch?
Taylor Kiser says
I honestly can’t tell you as recipes are only tested as written, and I don’t have experience with arrowroot – I’m sorry!
Amanda says
Just made this tonight. SOOOO good!!! I ain’t wanted to let you know, it works with arrowroot flour. (All I had) will definitely be making this again. Yum!
Taylor Kiser says
Don’t worry about ain’t – happens to me all the time!
SO glad to hear this and thank you SO much for letting me know!!!
Cara says
I didn’t have super high expectations for this. I’m not sure why not, but I just didn’t think it could be AMAZING. I. Was. Wrong. This is so, so good!!!!!! My sister and I used to love to order Chinese and I couldn’t find anything that filled that need. This hits the spot and is so much better than the stuff I used to order. I can’t wait to have it again!!! I made it according to the recipe and it was FANTASTIC!!! I had to keep myself from eating the whole thing! THANK YOU!!!
Taylor Kiser says
I AM SO HAPPY TO HEAR THIS CARA!! YAY! 🙂 Thank you for letting me know and so pumped it exceeded the expectations!!
Jen says
Super, yummy, amazing, flavorful, and best of all, easy. I served it over the cauliflower rice will a side of steamed green beans. I will be making this over and over again. Thank you!!
Taylor Kiser says
I am SO glad you loved it!! Thank you Jen!! <3
Kate says
Alright friends,
this recipe was DELICIOUS and I loved the result. However, I DID have a couple struggles that maybe you can help me with.
I used: a cast iron skillet/pan, and an electric stove. I DID use avocado oil, and I DID follow the recipe exactly, but electric stoves suck. The recipe took longer than I thought because halfway through cooking the chicken, even when i turned it down the whole pan set on fire-lots of smoke, me yelling in shock, opening all the windows/doors in my house and my sister eating a “sample” aka the charcoaled bits with the sauce.
Any thoughts on how I can get it crispy but not burn my house down next time? 😉
Taylor Kiser says
Hi Kate!
So glad you liked the recipe!
YOUR PAN CAUGHT ON FIRE? That is INSANE!
Can you try a not cast iron pan? Just a good non-stick? I think that might help!