Whisk your taste buds away to a tropical paradise. Imagine the savory goodness of thick-cut bacon and the tender juiciness of chicken breast, all harmoniously mingled with the sweetness of pineapple, the smooth melt of provolone cheese, and a tangy marinade that sings with flavor. This dish is not just a meal; it’s a one-way ticket to Flavor Island, no passport required.
Low Calorie Polynesian Chicken
Servings
4
servingsPrep time
30
minutesCooking time
30
minutesCalories
271
kcalIngredients
480g boneless skinless chicken breast
48g thick-cut bacon (about 4 slices)
100g canned pineapple tidbits, in juice
40g provolone cheese (about 2 slices)
20g red onion, thinly sliced
- Marinade/Sauce
60g (4 Tbs) French Dressing
45g (3 Tbs) Ponzu Sauce
25g (scant 2 Tbs) juice from the canned pineapple
Directions
- Cook the Bacon
- Get the bacon into the oven on a cooking sheet with parchment paper. Bake at 375 for up to 20 minutes (however you like your bacon) while you're doing this other stuff.
- When the bacon is done, remove it from the pan and place it on some paper towels until you need to use it.
- Make the Marinade
- Stir the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl (trust me) and set aside about 2-3 tablespoons to pour over the top of the finished dish. I use these portion cups from Amazon and they are very handy.
- Prep the Chicken
- Trim the excess fat, and filet the breasts to make thinner pieces to work with.
- Get out your scale (make sure it's set to grams) and place a plate, bowl, or plastic wrap on it and zero it out.
- Weigh each piece of chicken and trim (a little bit at a time) from the thickest side until each piece is around 120 grams.
- Save your trimmed pieces in another bowl for stir fry, a casserole, or pasta.
- Place your chicken breasts in the marinade bowl (see why I said to use a large bowl?) and coat the chicken really well. At this point, you can vacuum seal the chicken and either freeze or refrigerate.
- Cook the Chicken
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- Spray the skillet with cooking spray and place chicken breasts in the pan. Do NOT crowd them, and do NOT touch them for about 2-3 minutes.
- Flip the chicken and immediately top each piece with: 25 grams of pineapple tidbits, 1 slice of bacon cut in thirds, and a half slice of provolone.
- Turn the heat off under the pan, cover, and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Pro tip: check the thickest piece of chicken with a meat thermometer. You're looking for 150 degrees if you don't want dried out chicken.
- Plate
- Carefully place each chicken breast on a plate.
- Drizzle a little bit of the reserved marinade over each.
- Serve with a side salad or a vegetable.
Meal Prep, Storage, & Cooking
- If you want to meal prep this dish, package the marinated meat with a vacuum sealer or your storage container of choice. The meat can be frozen.
- To prepare, thaw the meat and start at the "Cook the Chicken" directions in the recipe above.