When my daughter-in-law proclaims “This is one of the best things you’ve ever made!” and my wife eats the whole dish without feeding the dogs, this recipe becomes a keeper!
The original concept came out of a Costco Connections magazine where they featured Firefighter’s Recipes. I loved the presentation, so I had to give it a try. Improvised a bit, and didn’t smoke a darn thing, but it was really, really good.
Here’s what you’ll need to make these show stopping babies:
- 2 whole pineapples
- 1 bunch chopped cilantro
- 3 plumb tomatoes, chopped
- 2 mangoes, chopped
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 2 jalapeños, minced
- 2 limes
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1/2C soy sauce
- 2T water
- 1t sesame oil
- 1/2C brown sugar
- 1/2C rice wine vinegar
- 2t ginger
- 8 garlic cloves, minced
- 2t flour
- 4T bourbon
- 2# boneless chicken breast
- 2C uncooked jasmine rice
- Sesame sees & green onions, for garnish
For the Grilled Garlic & Herb Shrimp Skewers
- 4t paprika
- 4T minced garlic
- 4t Italian seasoning
- 4T lemon juice
- 1/2C olive oil
- 1t black pepper
- 4t dried basil
- 2T brown sugar
- 2# large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 12 skewers
Start with the shrimp. Wisk together all the ingredients above until thoroughly blended. Drop the shrimp in a gallon Ziploc bac and pour in the mixture. Seal the bag and toss to evenly coat the shrimp with the marinade. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, tossing every 30 minutes.
Next make the Pineapple/Mango salsa. Cut each pineapple in half lengthwise, including the leafy top. I used an electric knife, which was still tough to get through the green. May try my Sawzall next time. Cut and scoop out the pineapple, leaving 4 hollowed-out pineapple boats. Chop the removed pineapple and set the boats aside. Mix the chopped pineapple, cilantro, tomatoes, mangoes, red onion and jalapeño. Squeeze the juice of one lime over the mixture and season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate to let the flavors meld. I prepared the salsa about 2 hours before we planned to eat, wrapping the boats in plastic wrap and refrigerating as well.
Prepare the rice according to the package. For the jasmine rice I had, I used 2 cups of dry rice with 4 cups of water. Brought it to a boil uncovered, then reduced the heat to a low simmer and covered for 20 minutes, after which I removed from the heat and let rest for 10 minutes before fluffing and serving.
While the rice is cooking, preheat your BBQ grill. Season the chicken breasts with whatever your heart desires. Grill for about 8 minutes/side, until the bird gets to 165F. While the chicken is cooking, prepare the Bourbon sauce mixture. Wisk together the soy sauce, water, sesame oil, brown sugar, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, flour and Bourbon. When the chicken is done, chop into one inch chunks, and place in a cast iron frying pan or skillet. Over high heat, add the Bourbon sauce mix and simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens, about 10-15 minutes.
While the chicken is cooking, skewer 4-6 shrimp together. When the chicken is about done in the pan, grill the shrimp for 2-3 minutes/side.
To assemble, layer a base of rice in each pineapple boat. Add a helping of chicken on one end and the pineapple/mango salsa on the other. Garnish with a slice of lime, green onions and sesame seeds. Lay 2 or 3 shrimp skewers across each and enjoy!
NOTE: the limiting factor in this dish is the size of the pineapple. you can only get so much in each boat. I ended up with enough rice, chicken and shrimp for another 1-2 meals, and enough pineapple/mango salsa for a week! That’s a good thing!
