Remembering SunFest: West Palm Beach’s Steamy Fever Dream and My Favorite Pineapple Chicken Recipe
SunFest was West Palm Beach’s signature waterfront music and arts festival for more than 40 years. I personally attended from the late 2000’s until its final festival. Each year, festival-goers braved the hot, humid, often-stormy weather for the concerts, the juried art show, the cold drinks, the fragrant food court offerings and the familiar feeling that much of the Palm Beach County population had gathered along Flagler Drive, yet again, for one memorable weekend.
I’ve enjoyed watching the Kentucky Derby ever since one of my college writing professors ‘assigned’ it to the class as part of a larger writing project. However, SunFest, typically occurring that first weekend of May, is the reason I didn’t catch the derby for more than a decade.
SunFest was unlike any other event I’d attended. You could spend the afternoon browsing original artwork, listening to an up and coming band, eating Mexican street corn, running into people you know and then watching the sun begin to set, all before the evening performances began.
And about that steamy weather: preparation was key. One year I wore rain boots to see Keith Urban perform and I can’t tell you how many compliments I received. “You’re so smart to wear those!” What can I say? It wasn’t my first SunFest.
And then there was my personal favorite dish. An absolute delicacy: the pineapple chicken. A savory, curry-like dish, served warm inside a fresh pineapple. This meal, for me, was as much a part of SunFest as the music itself. Every year, it was the meal I looked forward to most. I’ve never found another dish quite like it.
Because SunFest sadly is no more, I can no longer spend $9, sit on the sea wall and enjoy my pineapple chicken while enjoying the breeze and overlooking the Intracoastal. This recipe isn’t the recipe, but it’s my attempt to bring back a small piece of SunFest. Bon appetit!
SunFest-Inspired Pineapple Chicken
This isn’t the original recipe served at SunFest; it’s my attempt to recreate the sweet, savory pineapple bowl that so many of us looked forward to every spring.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients
For the Rice
2 cups cooked yellow rice (made with turmeric or saffron)
For the Chicken
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Pineapple Mixture
2 tablespoons butter
½ sweet onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup fresh pineapple, cut into chunks
½ cup frozen peas
Sauce
½ cup pineapple juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon local honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (I personally prefer Publix brand Dijon mustard, as I find it milder than most)
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water
To Serve
2 fresh, ripe pineapples, halved lengthwise and hollowed out
Chopped green onions (optional)
Toasted coconut (optional)
Directions
Prepare the yellow rice according to the package directions and set aside.
Season the chicken with the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken until lightly browned and cooked through, about 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Reduce the heat to medium and melt the butter in the same skillet. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the pineapple chunks and cook for another 2 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, local honey, Dijon mustard, ginger and garlic. Pour into a skillet and bring to a gentle simmer.
Stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook until the sauce lightly thickens.
Return the chicken to the pan. Add the peas and cooked yellow rice, folding everything together until evenly coated and heated through.
Spoon the mixture into the hollowed pineapple halves and garnish with green onions or toasted coconut, if desired.
Serve immediately.
A Little Tip
If you’re feeling nostalgic, enjoy it outside on a warm evening with live music playing in the background.
It’s not quite Flagler Drive… but it’s close.
Cheers to SunFest.
Thank you for the music, the artists, the memories, the beads, the pineapple chicken and all the memories I cherish. You first introduced me to the Palm Beaches and made the Downtown West Palm Beach Waterfront feel just a little more magical.
About Rachel Jackson
Rachel is the founder of Pink Pedals and a longtime Palm Beach County resident sharing firsthand guides to dining, entertaining and life in the Palm Beaches.
