Huli Huli Chicken

A dish that feels festive matters, and this roast chicken is built to feed a table. The marinade does the heavy lifting while you go about your day, and what comes out of the oven is browned, glazed, and worth gathering around. This is whole-food cooking that happens to look and taste like a celebration.

Pineapple brings vitamin C and manganese, both involved in tissue repair and the everyday work of your immune system. The chicken itself is a clean source of protein, the building material your body uses to rebuild as you move toward Remission. This is a generous plate that gives back.

Cooking this is mostly waiting, and waiting can be its own kind of care. The bird gave its life for this meal. Baste it with attention, let the pineapple and ginger fill the kitchen, and set it down for the people you love. A beautiful plate is not a luxury here. It is part of how you remember that nourishing yourself can also be a pleasure.

Ingredients

• 1 spatchcocked chicken, about 3 pounds
• 0.5 cup pineapple juice
• 0.25 cup coconut aminos
• 0.25 cup maple sugar
• 1/6 cup carrot ketchup or nomato sauce (about 2 tbsp plus 2 tsp; see the nomato carrot and beet ketchup)
• 1/8 cup chicken broth
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 inch ginger, grated

The source calls for 1/8 teaspoon mustard, left out here because mustard is a seed-based spice excluded on the elimination phase. The source also uses ketchup; standard ketchup is tomato-based, so this version uses carrot ketchup or a nomato sauce in its place to keep the dish nightshade-free.

Method

• Spatchcock the chicken so it lies flat.
• Combine the pineapple juice, coconut aminos, maple sugar, carrot ketchup or nomato, chicken broth, garlic, green onions, and ginger. Coat the chicken in the marinade and refrigerate 6 to 10 hours.
• Heat the oven to 425F.
• Set the bird skin-side up in a roasting pan.
• Roast 30 to 40 minutes, basting with the marinade every 10 minutes and flipping once midway, until the skin is browned and crisp and the chicken is cooked through.

Air fryer variation

For a smaller portion, cut the bird into pieces and air fry at 400F, basting partway, until browned and cooked through. Cook in batches so the pieces are not crowded.

*Adapted from acleanplate.com*