Polynesian Chicken

This recipe came into my life at a church group for young couples called Ceiling 70 (the name meant that your combined ages as a couple should be 70 or less, although there were exceptions in the latter part of our membership). The lady who brought the recipe to the cooking committee had learned it at Weight Watchers. It's low in fat, but it isn't low in sugar or carbs (since it's served over rice). However, it IS delicious. The first half is the original recipe, and at the end is a version modified for the stove-top or campfire.

Polynesian Chicken (Baked)
Serves 8.
Prep-time: less than 10 minutes; cooking time: 1 hour.

8 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thawed
1 packet onion soup mix
8 oz. Russian dressing
6 oz. peach preserves
1 regular-sized can of pineapple tidbits, mostly drained (a little juice or syrup is okay)
1 medium onion, halved and sliced thin
cooked rice

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Arrange the chicken breasts in a 9x13 casserole. In a mixing bowl, combine the onion soup mix, dressing, preserves, pineapple, and onions thoroughly. Break the onion slices up a little bit.

Pour the mixture over the chicken. There's plenty to cover all of the chicken completely, so take the time to do that.

Bake for 1 hour. There's no skimping on this. If you crank up the heat, you'll burn the sauce before the chicken cooks through.

Serve over rice.

Polynesian Chicken (Stove-top)
Serves 8
Prep-time: less than 10 minutes; cooking time: 15-20 minutes

2 (12.5 oz) cans of white meat chicken, drained
1 packet onion soup mix
8 oz. Russian dressing
6 oz. peach preserves
1 regular-sized can of pineapple tidbits, mostly drained (a little juice or syrup is okay)
1 medium onion, halved and sliced thin
cooked rice

In a saucepan, combine the onion soup mix, dressing, preserves, pineapple, and onions thoroughly. Break the onion slices up a little bit. Heat and cook until the onions turn translucent and limp. Stir in the chicken, and continue heating until everything is hot.  

Serve over rice.

Notes:

The main difference between the two versions: What you save in time, you sacrifice in taste--at least a little. I don't particularly like canned chicken, but it works in this recipe well enough to make it a camp-out possibility. I prefer the portion-controlled whole piece of chicken, but if all I have is a propane stove or a campfire, canned chicken is great. 

I haven't found Russian dressing in less than 16 oz bottles, nor peach preserves in smaller than 18 oz jars, so of course it's half of the dressing and one third of the preserves. 

You can use regular-sized pineapple bits rather than the smaller tidbits (the size of the can is the same), but don't try to use crushed pineapple.