Pineapple Chipotle Chicken with Orange Almond Rice? Yes Gurl. Yes.

I love me some sweet and spicy!  And what better way to combine the two flavors than by pairing sweet pineapple and spicy chipotle peppers? There is no better way, I tell you!  And that is how this delicious pineapple adobo chicken was born. I had a hankering for something that would take my taste buds to flavor town and I remembered making something similar years ago. It was the first time I had ever used adobo peppers and, well, I underestimated their heat level by a factor of a kazillion. That pineapple adobo chicken was the spiciest thing I have ever made in my life. It turned my husband’s face red. Sweat began beading up on his forehead. I felt lightheaded and dizzy. And I couldn’t feel the roof of my mouth for 3 days. It was just too damn hot to eat. So, I shelved the recipe. Until the other day when I was like, “hellz yeah, I can fix it”! And I did. And it was deliciousness to the nth degree, sans the pain and sweat.

This time I toned it down a few thousand notches, and this pineapple adobo chicken was perfectly balanced: sweet and spicy, but not burn-your-face-off spicy. I wanted to add another layer of flavor, so I came up with a delicious smoky and sweet orange-almond rice to put it on, and although it may sound a little weird, it all worked together like a symphony. The little bits of crunchy smoked almonds played on the smokiness of the chipotles, and the orange scented rice danced with the pineapple. This pineapple chipotle chicken is a winner, winner, chicken dinner I tell ya! And it is easy to throw together even on a busy weeknight. Score!

I use brown rice because it is a tad bit healthier than regular old white rice, and I like the slightly nutty flavor it brings to the table. I also used smoked almonds because I thought they would give a little more interest to the dish than plain slivered almonds. Although I am all about using what you have on hand, I think the smoked almonds really added a lot. So, if you can, by all means, try it with smoked almonds. If you don’t have them, plain almonds will work. The crunchy texture is one of the most important parts because it brings a little unexpected bite, so, whatever you’ve got on hand will do the job.

So if you’re in the mood for a dinner that is anything but boring, grab a couple pans and make up a batch of this super yummy pineapple adobo chicken!