RCP: Island-Spiced Pineapple-Glazed Chicken

I took inspiration from https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/isla ... en-breasts and https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food ... hile-glaze by grafting the seasoning style of the first onto the cooking style of the second, with a few house adjustments.

I had three packages of chicken pieces (5x drumsticks, 8x bone-in skin-on thighs) so adjust the quantities below according to how much chicken you will prepare. Cornish hens would make a nice variation, too.

Step 1. Mix the rub onto the chicken pieces, place them in a ziploc bag or bowl, place in the fridge, and let soak for at least an hour. The rub consists of:
2 Tbsp. packed dark brown sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground coriander (I used some ground, some whole)
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper (I used grains of paradise for half)
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Note: Pumpkin does not like onions or spicy things so I omitted 1 tsp. onion powder, 1/2 tsp. cayenne, and 4 scallions (minced). If you do not plan to serve to him, you might put them back in. . If I were making this just for myself, I would use the scallions but swap out the onion/cayenne in favor of one chipotle in adobo.

Step 2. Meanwhile, make this simple glaze by stirring these ingredients together in a little pot and warming them until somewhat syrupy, about 10-15 minutes. The glaze consists of:
1/2 cup salted butter
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup dark rum
1/2 cup pineapple juice

Note: Lots of opportunity here for your personal spin. OJ instead of PJ, spiced rum, honey instead of sugar....

Step 3: Cooking. You'll need the chicken, the glaze, and a whole pineapple (peeled, cored, and cut into spears).

Set a rack high in the oven. Preheat to 425*F. Put a small dollop of oil in a baking pan and spread the fruit evenly in the pan. Arrange the chicken pieces upside-down on top of the fruit. Glaze. Bake for 30 minutes.

Turn the pieces over, glaze again, bake for another 25 minutes.

Glaze for the last time and run under the broiler for 2-3 minutes.

Serve with rice or plantains (or any starch you like, really).

Note: My local grocery sells pineapples already cut up so that was easy. I also added some canned chunk pineapple in the dish but the fresh stuff held up better.

Note: I can imagine going all-in on traditional sweet-and-sour fixings: mix chunks of red and green pepper and a handful of maraschino cherries with the pineapple.

Thanks so much Jeff for the very well written instructions. I love all the warm spices and something a bit different.

You're very welcome, Karen. When I make this again, I will probably boost the spice amounts a little so don't be shy.

This was delicious and different for me using all the warm spices on chicken. I used less chicken pieces (6) so reduced the spice ingredients just a little. The Piece de Resistance was the glaze, I used a spiced rum and it had just the right amount of kick to it. I rubbed the chicken pieces on Friday so it got a good amount of time in the fridge just soaking all that up. I made a lemon, olive oil
potato dish with oregano, which comes from someone called Evelyn in Athens. I have followed her recipes for years, and this method of hers for roasting potatoes does not disappoint. A nice array of brussels sprouts, zucchini, and sugar snap peas, with fresh herbs and of course lemon was refreshing.
Eldest son came yesterday for the day to assist me with some tricky chores, we had a light lunch of enchiladas, with cheese, cilantro and chunky salsa quesadillas, so I have a nice supply of leftovers to keep me going for a few days,
https://www.food.com/recipe/greek-potat ... ious-87782

I'm glad it worked out well!