Polynesian Chicken

Third grade was my favorite grade in elementary school mostly because I had the most amazing teacher. Her name was Mrs. Sievinen and I was so excited that I was in her class because I already knew her – we went to the same church and she was a family friend. Our third grade year was epic – I don’t think any third grader who was at Port Salerno Elementary School during 1987-88 will forget that year and it was all because of Mrs. Tiva Sievinen.

She was from Fiji and that year she decided to teach us all about the islands. She taught us how to hula and how to make our own grass skirts, she taught the girls how to make poi balls and a whole routine, and the boys how to do a bamboo dance. We planted pineapples along the back fence of the school. We performed all of our dances for the school and then our parents and community.

The year culminated in a huge luau with our parents. We started it by walking down the street to her brother’s house where he showed us how the pig would be cooked in the ground. Then we went the next day and watched as the pig was taken out of the ground. It was brought to the school along with lots of Polynesian dishes that we were all encouraged to try. Seriously, it was the best! I will never forget that year and the impact she had on my life. She has continued to be one of my favorite people ever!

I remember what a comfort she was to me when my mother passed away. She always offered her help and support and was such an example of how you don’t have to be related to be family. A few years back on one of our Disney trips we drove down to Stuart. We just drove down for the day and attended church. It was kind of a dreary, rainy day but when I saw Tiva at church, she insisted on bringing us some of her banana bread. She met us where we were having lunch and gave us the delicious bread. Simple acts of kindness like that are things that stick with you. I was so glad that my children were able to meet her.

There is much more I could say about Tiva but the purpose of telling you all this is because this is her recipe! I’ve talked before about our church cookbook – well, this recipe comes from that book and was submitted by Tiva and it is delicious!

This Polynesian chicken is a huge hit every time I make it. It is sweet and tangy and even better, easy to make. We all need more meals to add to our rotation and this one is a keeper. If your family likes orange chicken, I’m pretty sure they will like this. This recipe will serve about 6 people easily. If you have more to feed than that, I would double it. Who doesn’t like leftovers, right?

You’ll need about 3lbs of chicken breasts, although you could also use thighs. You are going to dredge it in a seasoned flour mixture that will give it an outer skin to soak up the sauce. The sauce has orange juice, lemon juice, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Cornstarch will thicken it up and then you’ll add pineapple tidbits and serve it over rice – mmm, so good!

5 from 1 vote

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Polynesian Chicken

A sweet and tangy sauce with pineapple accompany baked chicken breasts to make a hearty, delicious meal served over rice.

Course Main Course

Keyword Polynesian chicken

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 3 lbs chicken breasts
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• ¼ tsp onion powder
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• 1 cup orange juice
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp salt
• 20 oz can pineapple tidbits or fresh pineapple cut in small pieces.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut chicken breasts into 6 pieces. Pour oil into a large baking dish.

2. In a shallow bowl, mix flour, salt, pepper, onion, and garlic powder. Dredge the chicken pieces into the flour and place in the baking dish, coating with oil. Bake for 35 minutes.

3. Mix the brown sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl making sure it is well combined. In a small saucepan, mix the orange juice, lemon juice, brown sugar mixture, soy sauce, and salt. Bring it to a boil, stirring constantly until thickened. Once it is thick, add the pineapple tidbits.

4. Pour the sauce over the chicken and bake for 10 minutes longer, making sure the chicken reaches 165°F. Serve over rice and enjoy!