April 15, 2019

African Chicken with Pineapple Salsa

This African Chicken with Pineapple Salsa has chicken breasts marinated in a coconut milk Ras El Hanout spiced sauce, grilled to perfection, and topped with pineapple and roasted sweet potato salsa. Quick, easy, and full of delicious flavor!

Grocery Store Inspiration

I’m constantly looking for new recipe ideas. That includes looking on Pinterest, looking up well known restaurant menus, checking out books from the library, and just walking around the grocery store. My family typically uses WalMart for our groceries and there isn’t a lot of change in inventory; so I get pretty excited when I see something new.

A couple of months ago I noticed a new brand of spice blends, Manitou Trading Company. I tried out the Harissa spice blend. I liked it, and decided I needed to experiment with some others. I took a photo of the options and one night while I was meal planning, decided on a whim to make a meal around their Ras El Hanout blend.

Dinner for Friends

The night I decided to try out the Ras El Hanout blend, we invited some friends over for dinner. It’s always nerve racking to be making something new for friends, but these friends are great so I knew it would be okay if it failed. They’d be totally honest it was terrible, and then fine with ordering pizza.

I started by mixing the spices with coconut milk and using it as a marinade for chicken breasts. Then, my husband, the grilling pro, grilled them up perfectly.

I had planned to use mango in a salsa for the top. But, the mango we purchased wasn’t ripe yet, so it was not an option. However, my son had requested pineapple for a weekly snack so I had plenty of that on hand. I diced up the pineapple and used that in place of the mango. It was an excellent decision.

African Chicken with Pineapple Salsa

This African Chicken with Pineapple Salsa was one of my favorite dishes I’ve had in a while. The flavor is unique, and I love the combination of the cool salsa with the warm chicken and sweet potatoes. Even my husband, who is anti-sweet potatoes (because they are usually gross), thought this dish was a winner.

Here are a few tips on making this recipe:

Don’t mix the sweet potatoes and salsa until just before serving. And, if you plan on having leftovers, keep some of the sweet potatoes stored separately so that you’re able to reheat them without heating the salsa.
Keeping the chicken breasts thin is the key to having juicy, perfectly grilled chicken. I always aim to keep the chicken about 1/2″ thick. I achieve this by cutting the breasts horizontally and then tenderizing with a mallet if necessary.
If your grocery store doesn’t sell Ras El Hanout, you can find it on Amazon here. There are many other brands with that spice blend name, but I have no idea how they taste. Leave a comment if you give one a try!

African Chicken with Pineapple Salsa

This African Chicken with Pineapple Salsa has chicken breasts marinated in a coconut milk Ras El Hanout spice sauce, grilled to perfection, and topped with pineapple and roasted sweet potato salsa. Quick, easy, and full of delicious flavor!

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Course: Dinner

Prep Time: 25

Cook Time: 30

Servings: servings

Calories: 307

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Ingredients

Chicken

2 pounds chicken breasts
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp Ras El Hanout Spice Blend Manitou Trading Company
1 tbsp lemon juice

Potatoes

1 large sweet potato peeled and cut into ~1/2″ cubes
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoon sugar

Salsa

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp cilantro chopped and packed
1 cup tomatoes diced (about 2 large Roma tomatoes)
1 cup pineapple diced
1/2 cup red onion diced

Instructions

Chicken

Cut chicken breasts in half so that each piece is about 1/2″ in thickness. In a container with a lid, mix together coconut milk, Ras El Hanout, and lemon juice. Add chicken and stir so that all chicken is coated. Let marinate in refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
Preheat grill to 500 degrees. Once it reaches 500, reduce heat to 400, and place chicken directly on grill. Grill for 3-4 minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked through.

Potatoes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a small baking pan with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Add potatoes to baking pan. Toss potatoes with coconut oil in pan.
Stir together cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkle evenly over potatoes and then toss potatoes again.
Bake for 10 minutes, then toss potatoes. Bake for an additional 7-10 minutes, or until potatoes are softened.