Pineapple Chicken

INGREDIENTS:

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs cut into bite size pieces
2 cups fresh or canned pineapple cut into bite size pieces
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
¾ cup pineapple juice
¼ cup soy sauce
2/3 cup chicken broth divided
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
¼ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons cold water
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
Salt and pepper to taste
green onion Chopped for garnish
chili garlic sauce Optional

DIRECTIONS:

Dry both sides of chicken with paper towels.
Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and put it into a bowl. Season with 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Mix the chicken to season all pieces.
Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
Add the chicken to the hot oil and stir around to make sure all the chicken is coated in the oil.
Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is browned on all sides and cooked through.
Add ¼ cup of the chicken broth to the pan and use a utensil to get all the stuck chicken bits off the bottom of the pan.
Add the ginger and garlic to the same pan and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
In a small bowl, mix the pineapple juice, soy sauce, remaining chicken broth, hoisin sauce and brown sugar.
Add this sauce mixture to the pan with chicken and bring to simmer.
In a separate small bowl, combine the cornstarch with the water and stir to combine.
Add this mixture to the pan and stir together. Cook for a few additional minutes until the sauce thickens.
Optional: For a little extra sweet and spicy flavor, add ½ cup of sweet chili Thai sauce.
Garnish with sesame seeds and serve over rice.