I am in love with the flavor combination of sweet and spicy. You can throw the words Thai and Sweet in front of any recipe and then I'm for sure going to be making it.
This dish was a wild success on all fronts at our house. I was able to use a lot less chicken that I would have normally because I could stretch the protein with the addition of the black beans. It had two fruits in it - and with the exception of the cilantro and the jalapeno that I added for fresh taste and garnish, the entire thing can be made from my pantry and freezer.
If you wanted to boost the healthy factor, you could serve it over brown rice instead of the jasmine rice that I used. You could also add additional veggies like bell peppers in various colors, fresh spinach or other greens.
Ingredients:
1 (20 oz.) crushed pineapple in juice
1 (15 oz.) can black beans
1 medium mango (I used 1 cup frozen mango chunks)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 inches fresh ginger, grated
1 medium lime
¾ tsp salt
¼ cup sweet chili sauce
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 cups cooked jasmine rice
¼ bunch fresh cilantro (optional)
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced (optional)
Instructions:
Add the crushed pineapple (with juice), black beans (rinsed and drained), cubed mango, minced garlic, grated ginger, juice from the lime, salt, and sweet chili sauce to the slow cooker. Stir to combine the ingredients.
Add the chicken breasts to the slow cooker and cover it with the fruit and bean mixture. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for four hours (or low for 8 hours).
After cooking the chicken will be very tender. Use two forks to pull the chicken apart into shreds (it will fall apart simply upon touching it). Stir to evenly distribute the shredded chicken throughout the mixture.
Spoon one cup of cooked jasmine rice into a bowl followed by one cup of the sweet chili shredded chicken.
Add fresh cilantro and slice jalapeno on top and serve.
