Ginger Chicken and Pineapple

Tender chicken with a taste of the tropics; it's well worth keeping a can of pineapple pieces in the kitchen cupboard. Make sure you choose pineapple in juice - rather than in syrup - for this delicious dish.

Serves 2

1 small onion, chopped, or 30 ml/2 tbsp frozen diced onion
1 garlic clove, crushed, or 2.5 ml/½ tsp garlic purée (paste)
2 cm/¾ in piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped, or 5 ml/1 tsp bottled ginger
100 ml/3½ fl oz/scant ½ cup very hot (not boiling) chicken stock
4 skinless chicken thighs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
200 g/7 oz/small can of pineapple pieces in juice

1. Put the onion, garlic and ginger in the ceramic cooking pot. Pour the stock over and switch on the slow cooker to Auto.
2. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and place them on top of the onion mixture. Tip the pineapple pieces and all the juice over the chicken.
3. Cover with the lid and cook for 3-5 hours or on Low for 4-5 hours or until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
4. Spoon two chicken thighs and half the pineapple mixture into a bowl or freezer container and allow to cool. Serve the remainder at once with boiled or steamed rice and a green vegetable such as broccoli or mangetout (snow peas).

Second serving
Either cover the cooled chicken and chill in the fridge for the following day, or freeze for up to a month. If frozen, allow to defrost in the fridge overnight. To serve, heat gently in a saucepan, bubbling for a few minutes to ensure that the chicken is piping hot.

Cook's tip
Chicken thighs still on the bone are preferable for this dish as the chicken will be more flavoursome. If you use boneless chicken thighs, reduce the cooking time by up to 1 hour.

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