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This colorful 20 Minute Ginger Pineapple Chicken Stir Fry is inspired by my dad’s speedy summertime stir fry. Just a bit healthier, quicker, and with a few little tweaks that make it unique and maybe even more delicious! The ground chicken (or pork) is cooked in a golden buttery spicy chili garlic sauce before adding fresh chunks of bell peppers and sweet pineapple. Serve this simply with steamed rice and fresh herbs. The addition of Thai red curry paste and that sweet pineapple are the secrets here. It’s saucy, salty, tangy-sweet, and has just the right amount of spice!
After spending a couple of days in LA last week, I am absolutely in full-time summer mode. The weather ended up being pretty nice for most of my stay. The roses, jasmine, and fresh lilacs were all blooming and the homes around Beverly Hills all smelled incredible. It definitely felt like summer.
Upon returning I knew I needed to find a way to make it feel like summer here too. I decided to make my own version of my Dad’s summer stir-fry. In the summer, Dad was a big stir-fry guy. He’d toss chicken in a pan, add veggies, and then his special sauce. He kept it simple, but we always enjoyed those fast summer dinners of his!
The stir fry I’m sharing today isn’t a lot like Dad’s, but the idea was taken from his quick, in-a-pinch, dinner.
Here are some details
Step 1: cook the chicken
I like to use ground chicken for my stir fry. This saves me the step of cutting yucky raw chicken! It’s my little trick for super fast chicken dishes. Brown the chicken in olive oil and black pepper (or feel free to use ground beef or pork). Then, add a few pats of butter, a couple tablespoons of Thai red curry paste, fresh chopped garlic, and ginger.
Allow the butter to brown around the chicken and the garlic to turn a light golden shade. At this point, the dish should already be smelling wonderful.
Step 2: add the pineapple
When the butter browns and the dish is smelling fragrant and yummy, mix in the bell peppers, chunks of fresh pineapple, and either cashews or peanuts. Whatever you love most, or do a mix!!
At this point, you can also add in a few spoonfuls of pickled sushi-style ginger, which is a favorite ingredient of mine. This is optional, but delicious of course!
Be sure to save half of the chopped pineapples for serving.
Step 3: the sauce
Just before everything is finished cooking, mix in the tamari (or soy sauce) and honey. Let the sauce thicken around the chicken.
Meanwhile, you can toss the remaining pineapple chunks with fresh chopped cilantro and I love to use some fresh Thai Basil here too! Super good!
When the stir fry is looking perfect, remove the whole skillet from the heat.
Step 4: serve the stir fry
I serve my stir fry over bowls of steamed rice with fresh pineapple on top. I also add green onions plus a small drizzle of sweet Thai chili sauce. It just adds a little something special to each bowl!
This is a dinner the whole family really will enjoy!
Looking for other quick weeknight dinners? Here are some favorites:
20 Minute Garlic Butter Cashew Chicken
20 Minute Thai Basil Beef Rolls
Chili Crisp Chicken Mango Cucumber Rice Bowl
30 Minute Sticky Thai Meatballs with Sesame Noodles
Better Than Takeout Sweet Thai Basil Chicken
Thai Basil Beef and Lemongrass Rice Bowls
Lastly, if you make this 20 Minute Ginger Pineapple Chicken Stir Fry, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
20 Minute Ginger Pineapple Chicken Stir Fry
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 491 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil or olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken (or ground pork)
- black pepper and chili flakes
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 1-3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
- 2 bell peppers, sliced
- 1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
- 1 cup cashews or peanuts
- 1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce
- 1-2 tablespoons honey (or real maple syrup)
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped Thai basil or basil
- sweet Thai chili sauce and sesame seeds for topping (optional)
Instructions
- 1. In a large skillet, combine the oil, chicken, and black pepper. Cook over medium heat, breaking up the meat as it cooks until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the chili paste, butter, garlic, and ginger. Cook 2 minutes, until the butter browns and the chicken gets crispy.2. Mix in the peppers, 3/4 cup pineapple, and cashews. Cook another 2-5 minutes. Pour over the tamari and honey. Cook until the sauce coats the chicken, 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat.3. In a bowl, toss 3/4 cup pineapple with the cilantro and basil. 4. Serve the chicken, peppers, and sweet chili sauce over bowls of rice. Top with the pineapple/cilantro/basil. Add the chopped green onions, and if desired, serve with sweet Thai chili sauce and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
I would like to try this recipe but I’m allergic to pineapple. What would be a good substitute?
Hi Sonia,
Mangoes would also be delicious in this recipe! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Hi there! Is the recipe meant to be made with thai red curry paste or chili paste? Curry is in the ingredients, but chili is in the directions. Thanks!!
Hi Giulianna,
You can follow the ingredient list use and use the Thai red curry paste:) I hope you love this dish, let me know if you give it a try! xT
this is SO easy and versatile, and comes off like a delicacy when you serve it. my spouse’s new favorite 🙂
Hi Jess! Thank you so so much! Love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe 🙂 xT
Just a heads up, you put Thai red Curry paste in the ingredients but referenced chili paste in the directions.
how can you make this recipe just as tasty but lower calories reduce the oils and butter?
Hi there! I would just omit the butter and add a drizzle of olive oil to cook everything in! xT
I love this one! I’ve made it a couple of times with ground chicken and once with ground beef and both were great. A nice, quick meal with minimal prep and clean up!
Thank you so so much for giving this recipe a try! Hope you’re having a lovely week! xT
This was a 10 out of 10! My husband and son kept saying mmmmmm😋 I followed the recipe which was easy and at the end just added the cilantro/basil/ green onions to the pan and served it over rice with the sweet chili sauce, DELISH:) Good one Tiegan;)
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment! Glad you enjoyed the recipe! Have a great day 🙂 xT
Omg made with chicken breast bc it’s what we had , served with white rice and steamed broccoli for balance. accidentally didn’t separate the pineapple for topping and it was still fantastic . Cooked a bit longer to thinken the sauce 😛🤌😍
Hi! Thanks so much! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! xT
This recipe has potential, but it was insanely salty, bordering on inedible, even with reduced sodium tamari. The salt in the tamari overpowers every other flavor here. Before you make this, consider using half the soy sauce/tamari while cooking, then add more once plated.
Hi John! I’m really sorry this recipe didn’t work out! Thanks for letting me know about the salty flavor! xT
Made this tonight and was pleasantly surprised with how easy and delicious it was! My kid was not sure about the pineapple and cashews but then got seconds! Score!!
Would love to know how you made your homemade sweet chili sauce for this in the future!
Hey Alanna,
Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a lot for trying it and your feedback! Here is the recipe for the chili sauce:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/chinese-mushroom-dumplings/
xT
Used ground turkey and it was delicious!
Thanks so much!
This recipe rocks! It is so easy and so flavorful! I used a pound of ground chicken and 8 oz. Baby portabella mushrooms, and followed the rest of the recipe to a T. Will definitely make again!
Awesome! Thanks Lynn!
It was really good. We are not much for spice, so I won’t use as much curry paste next time. Diced chicken would be good as well.
Thank you!!
This is SO GOOD! I didn’t have ground meat, so I used diced chicken. Still great!
Thanks so so much! xT