First shot at the crockpot - Hawaiian BBQ Chicken

When I got engaged, it was suggested that I go out and register. Kitchen items seemed to be the right thing to register for since they come in all price ranges and sizes. One of the items I registered for was a crockpot. Lucky me, I got one (along not one, not two but, THREE panini makers -- can we declare panini makers the new toaster?). The next question became, 'what do I do with this thing?'

I know, I know, the obvious answer is cook with it. Not much of a cooking goddess, the idea of a crockpot scared me. Silly? Probably but, my family always used Dutch ovens and the thought of plugging something in and leaving it cooking all day seemed a bit dangerous. What if I burn the house down? So, the crockpot sat. And sat. And sat, for well over 5 years, running up to nearly 10.

Along comes Pinterest, muddling my already busy life with another digital habit that I don't need or have time for, and I start discovering crockpot recipes that look easy, recipes that I might actually eat. I start a crockpot pin board. I start thinking, 'I may actually want to USE this thing'. Today, I did.

The recipe I'm trying came from Mommy Savers, whatever that means; as I said, I found it on Pinterest.

The recipe requires 3 ingredients:
* 4-6 chicken breasts (I used organic, free range)
* a specific brand of Hawaiian BBQ Sauce
* a 20oz can of pineapple.

Pretty simple, right? Mostly, except that I couldn't find Archer-whatever BBQ Sauce so I had to find a substitute. Easier said than done but I did find one BBQ sauce that seemed to fit the bill, at my grocer: World Harbors Tropical Honey Mango BBQ Sauce; I bought two bottles since they were smaller than other BBQ sauce bottles.

I'll update after dinner.

...

It turned out all right. The sauce isn't my favorite but it worked with the chicken and pineapple; it also had a bit of kick to it that some people might prefer. The texture of the meat came out great; it shredded easily when cut, definitely something I'll try next time I make Mexican food (cooking the chicken in salsa).

I served it over last night's leftover rice and that worked really well. I'd hoped to find coconut rice at the grocer but the ones they had in stock contained ingredients I didn't think would sell well to the small child.

Next time, I think I'll try it with a teriyaki sauce and two cans of pineapple, instead of one, and see if I like it better. Once I find a sauce that I like, this recipe will work for my family.