Pineapple Chicken Casserole

Spring is announcing itself. March in Alaska — the ice cracking on the rivers, the snow retreating up the mountains, the breakup season that is Alaska's version of spring, messy and muddy and beautiful in the way that transitions are beautiful, the way caterpillars are beautiful when they're neither caterpillar nor butterfly but the in-between thing, the becoming.

The blog is hitting its stride. Fifteen thousand readers. The pandemic brought the audience; the writing is keeping it. I've found the voice — the particular intersection of Filipino food writing, Alaska storytelling, healthcare narrative, and recovery memoir that is my specific contribution to the food writing landscape. No one else is writing from this intersection because no one else lives at this intersection. The intersection is mine. The moose adobo is mine. The salmon sinigang is mine. The ER-midnight-standing-in-the-kitchen-at-1-AM voice is mine.

A publisher's assistant emailed again — the same small press in Juneau. "Have you reconsidered the cookbook?" I have. The pandemic changed the reconsideration — the audience is larger, the writing is more confident, the need for the book is clearer. Not yet. But the yet is getting closer. The yet is approaching the way spring approaches Alaska — slowly, then all at once.

I made moose adobo. Pete's moose, from last fall's hunt, frozen and waiting. The moose braised in vinegar and soy and the kitchen smelled like the thesis — the intersection of Filipino and Alaskan, the recipe that couldn't exist anywhere else, the dish that is the proof that immigrant kitchens produce unprecedented food. The moose adobo was extraordinary. Pete will get a container tomorrow. Pete always gets a container. Pete is inside the Santos feeding radius now, and the radius does not shrink.

The moose adobo I made this week is the once-a-year dish — Pete’s moose, last fall’s hunt, the kitchen smelling like the intersection I’ve spent three years writing about. But the Filipino instinct underneath it — the pull toward sweet and savory together, fruit brightening braised meat, soy anchoring everything — that instinct doesn’t wait for hunting season. This pineapple chicken casserole is where that same logic lives on a regular Tuesday, the weeknight version of the thesis, the dish I make when I want the kitchen to smell like belonging without waiting for October.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 can (20 oz) pineapple chunks in juice, drained, juice reserved
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooked white rice, for serving
Sliced green onions, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
Make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the reserved pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and cornstarch until smooth. Set aside.
Sauté the aromatics. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook for 4–5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Brown the chicken. Add the chicken pieces to the skillet, season with salt and black pepper, and cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned on the outside (it does not need to be cooked through).
Assemble the casserole. Transfer the chicken and vegetable mixture to the prepared baking dish. Scatter the pineapple chunks evenly over the top. Pour the sauce over everything and stir gently to coat.
Bake. Bake uncovered for 35–40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened and caramelized slightly at the edges.
Rest and serve. Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes before serving. Spoon over steamed white rice and garnish with sliced green onions.

Nutrition (per serving)

Pineapple Chicken Casserole — When the Kitchen Smells Like the Thesis