Do you love bold flavors? How about grilled chicken? You’ll love our garlicky chicken and pineapple toasts. They’re loaded with flavor!
Chicken and Pineapple together
I’m not sure when I first tasted pineapple and chicken together, but it’s a winning combination, especially when they’re grilled. Maybe you’ve had the combination in Asian cuisine. Sometimes you’ll see it on pizza. The marriage of sweet and savory elevates both ingredients.
The creamy garlic mayo is the perfect condiment for this toast. It adds a texture contrast and prevents the toasts from drying out.
Start out by making the garlic mayo. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s soooooo gooood! If you’d rather use a “real” aioli feel free. I like to pound a large garlic clove with a little salt in my mortar. Then I add about about a cup of mayonnaise and stir it together to combine. Sometimes I’ll add smoky paprika, but I didn’t this time.
After making the mayo it’s just a matter of cutting a chicken breast into thin horizontal slices and grilling them up. If you’re working on a grill, you’ll be able to prepare the pineapple and toasts at the same time. I use a grill pan, so I cook the breasts first, then set them aside while I toast the bread and heat the pineapple.
Be generous with the garlic mayo. You want a little bit to ooze when taking a bite.
Ingredients
- 1 large garlic clove or more if you like it really garlicky (substitute garlic paste, if desired)
- 1 cup or more mayonnaise
- 1 boneless skinless chicken breast, sliced into thin filets and seasoned as you like them
- 1 small can pineapple rings about 4 rings per can
- 1 roasted red pepper cut into strips (I use the kind in the jars)
- 6 – 8 baguette slices cut on a slight diagonal, about an inch thick
- salt and pepper to taste
- olive oil as needed
- parsley for garnish
Instructions
- With a mortar and pestle, pound a large clove of garlic with a teaspoon of salt to make a paste.
- Add the mayonnaise and combine. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until needed.
- Grill the breasts in a grill pan until cooked through. Remove to a plate to rest.
- To toast the bread, brush or spray olive oil onto the cut sides and place in a grill pan. Toast until golden brown with nice grill marks.
- Brush some olive oil onto the grill pan and grill the pineapple rings until they are warmed through and take on grill marks.
- To assemble the toasts, spread a generous amount of mayonnaise onto a slice of toasted baguette. Layer on the grilled chicken, half a grilled pineapple ring and a strip of roasted red pepper.
- Arrange the assembled toasts on a tray and garnish with parsley if desired.
- Plan on two or three toasts per serving.
A single breast makes at least 6 garlicky chicken and pineapple toasts, depending on the size of the breast and the bread slices. Normally they’re served as an appetizer, but you could easily make them part of a light meal by serving them with a green salad or bowl of soup.
Or try mix and match with these toasts for a little buffet. They’re all fantastic!
Pineapple and chicken is a really good combo! And not one that I put together all that often. Shame on me — it’s so good. Terrific looking dish — thanks.
You make your own mayo, don’t you? I’ll bet that would be really good on these toasts 🙂