Last Updated on Feb 13th, 2023 at 1:18 PM
Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken with Sweet & Sticky Pineapple Glaze - Juicy Chicken cooked with Pineapples in a slow cooker with healthy, natural ingredients is an easy summer crockpot meal. This recipe uses only 12-ingredients and if you love Asian recipes, you must be having them in your pantry!
Try this easy summer dinner recipe tonight!!
Hawaiian Chicken Crockpot is one of the most easiest recipes, you can ever imagine. It simply cannot get any easier than this.
Serve your Crockpot Pineapple Chicken Breasts with Traditional Hawaiian Macaroni Salad or steamed broccoli and you will have yourself a dinner that you'll never stop eating.
Alternatively you can serve this in the form of a Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken Taco. Check out how to make the best tortilla at home in less than 15-minutes.
The slow cooker Pineapple Chicken that you'll never stop eating
Pineapple Chicken in the Crockpot is one of those luscious, sweet, and savory chicken breast recipes, which the family will love.
Cooking it in the slow cooker, the chicken gets cooked slowly along with the juices of the Pineapple. Making it all the more tasty!
People are going crazy over this - Apple Butternut Squash Chicken in Crockpot and Honey Bourbon Chicken in Crockpot I'm sure you'll love it too.
Recommended Read:-
You can also make
Shredded Hawaiian Chicken Sliders
Instant Pot Shredded Hawaiian Chicken Tacos
It takes 2 hours on high and 4 hours on low heat to make this Juicy Slow Cooker Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken.
You can also make BBQ Pineapple Chicken Kabobs and then add them in your slow cooker with the sauce to transform this into - Crockpot Hawaiian BBQ Chicken
Don't miss out -
Popular Hawaiian Huli Huli Chicken
Apricot Chicken Thighs in Crockpot
Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken Recipe
Yay! I got my Brand New Slow Cooker few months back. And, Since then it's like impossible to stop me from making healthy and delicious Crockpot recipes. Or should I say - Crockpot Chicken Recipes. (I am a sucker for chicken)
I've got bazillion comments saying, that you guys are always looking out for healthy, and some really easy Crockpot Chicken Recipes.
As a blogger that lives and loves to create recipes healthy but exceptionally delicious food this Crock Pot Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken Recipe is one of my favorite ones to create.
Today morning I actually woke up quite early, and before I did anything I got out my slow cooker and kept it on my countertop.
I knew I had to make Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken today. I opened my can of Pineapples and took out the pineapple slices. I sliced them up real quick and prepared my chicken for the recipe.
I was so excited. Finally, I would be able to make this recipe for Hawaiian Chicken in my slow cooker. I couldn't wait to dump it into my slow cooker.
My favorite Crockpot chicken recipes:
- Crockpot Buffalo Ranch Chicken (5-ingredient)
- Crockpot Tomato Basil Chicken
- Crockpot Chicken Fajita
- Crockpot Parmesan Chicken and Rice
- Cajun Butter Crockpot Chicken Thighs and Rice
- Crockpot Chicken Thighs in Creamy Garlic Parmesan Sauce
Why You'll Love this Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken
- Juicy Chicken
- Minimum Effort
- One-Pot recipe
- Simply Dump and Forget
Ingredients Needed to Make Hawaiian Chicken in Slow Cooker
- Chicken - This recipe can be made with both Chicken Breasts and Chicken thighs.
- Corn Starch - Coat the chicken so that it gets crispy on the outside and remains juicy on the inside.
- Olive Oil - You can also use Canola oil for this recipe.
- Pineapple Juice, Ketchup, Soy Sauce, Vinegar, Chili Garlic Sauce, chopped Ginger, minced Garlic, and Honey - to make the sauce.
- you can replace honey with brown sugar if you want.
How to Make Hawaiian Chicken in the Crockpot
You can check out the video for this recipe
Jump to Videoor you may directly jump to the recipe card
Jump to RecipeBut, I highly recommend reading this so that you don't miss out on any tips and tricks.
Step 1: Make the Sauce for Pineapple Chicken Crock Pot
I like to start my recipe with the sauce.
- So, take a bowl or a pyrex measuring cup and pour Pineapple juice.
- You can use fresh Pineapple juice or canned pineapple juice.
- Add Ketchup, Dark Soy Sauce, Apple Cider Vinegar, Chili Garlic Sauce, chopped Ginger, minced garlic, and Honey.
- Mix lightly and your sauce is ready!
Step 2: Coat Chicken in Cornstarch
- Place Chicken (cut into small 1" cubes) in a bowl.
- Coat it with Cornstarch. I have used Cornstarch in this recipe.. I like to use my hands to coat chicken. That is how chicken is evenly coated. You can also coat your chicken with cornstarch in a ziplock bag.
Step 3: Place in the Slow Cooker
- Pour olive oil into the slow cooker.
- Add Chicken and sliced Pineapples.
- Pour the sauce, which you had made in Step 1.
- Stir well to combine.
Step 4: Slow Cook Hawaiian Chicken
- Plug-in your slow cooker.
- Cover the ceramic pot with your glass lid.
- Slow cook on High for 2-hours or on low for 4-hours. Easy right?
Can you put frozen chicken in the crockpot
No it is NOT safe to put frozen chicken directly in the crockpot. Thaw frozen chicken before putting it in the slow cooker.
But, make sure you cook it until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
If you are just getting out boneless skinless chicken thighs from the freezer and you want to serve dinner quickly, I would suggest using the instant pot. Check out Instant Pot Shredded Hawaiian Chicken Tacos
Another thing, make sure you cut your chicken to small 2-inch cubes when you purchase it from the store.
Or else if you are using a large chicken breast of 4 ounce or 6 ounce make sure that you cook your chicken on high for about 30-minutes and then reduce the temperature to low. Then, cook for the recommended time.
What can I serve this with besides rice & veggies?
Besides rice & veggies, you can serve Crockpot Pineapple Chicken with egg noodles or pasta. You can also serve this with a salad. I'd recommend some fresh salad such as Refreshing Pomegranate Orange Salad or something healthy such as Cucumber Red Onion Avocado Salad
Crockpot Pineapple Hawaiian Chicken
As you can see that in this recipe there is Pineapple Juice, there are small pineapple chunks that take this dish to a whole new level.
Then you have Honey which is a natural sweetener. So, basically this Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken recipe is "Sweet".
Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken with Pineapple can also be made with Brown Sugar.
If you prefer brown sugar over honey, you can simply sway honey with brown sugar. I would recommend using 1/3 cup brown sugar for 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts.
But, besides that what I love about this recipe for Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken is the juicy chicken...
The juicy chicken makes this slow cooker hawaiian chicken with pineapple taste so damn good.
When your Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken will be ready and you'll open the glass lid... what you'll have is pure gold. It would be soft, juicy chicken coated in a sweet Hawaiian Pineapple sauce.
How to Store, Reheat & Freeze
If you are lucky enough to save some of this delicious Slow cooker Pineapple chicken then you can refrigerate it for upto 4 days or freeze it for up to 3 months.
Before you refrigerate make sure it comes down to normal room temperature.
- To Store -Take it out in a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then you can refrigerate it for up to 4 days.
- To Reheat - Reheat it in the microwave until warm. or I prefer reheating it on the stove with a splash of water or broth, just to keep it from drying out.
- To freeze - Store it in an air-tight freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Hawaiian Chicken Crockpot freezer meal
This is probably the best pineapple chicken freezer crockpot meal you can ever make. Use a freezer-safe dish and freeze it for up to 3 months.
Thaw the chicken overnight and then reheat in the microwave until ready to serve.
Tips you'll thank us for
- Replace chicken with pork chops.
- Cut chicken into small 2-inch cubes for even cooking.
- Allow the chicken to marinate for 1-2 hours before cooking for better taste.
- Consider browning the chicken on a stovetop before cooking it in the slow cooker.
Recipe Adaptations
- To make Gluten-Free: You can swap Soy Sauce with Tamari and Rice Vinegar with Apple Cider Vinegar.
- To make Paleo: Swap Cornstarch with Arrowroot Starch.
Choosing between Thighs or Breasts? Bone-in or Bone-out?
- I have used Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts for this recipe. It's a leaner source of protein with zero carbs. Therefore, I cut down on the cooking time, because chicken breast gets chewy and dry. However, you can use boneless skinless chicken thighs. Chicken Thighs would certainly be much juicier.
- If you want to use slow cooker chicken breasts bone-in then I would recommend you to remove the skin first. The skin would make the sauce unnecessarily greasy. Secondly, bone-in chicken breast would take about 4-5 hours on low to cook depending on the size of the chicken pieces.
More Crockpot recipes you can make
- Slow Cooker Barbecue Pork Ribs
- Easy Crockpot Beef Stroganoff
- The Best Beef Barbacoa Recipe
- Crock Pot Pork Carnitas
- Turkey Chili in a Crockpot
- Leftover Turkey Casserole
Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken with Sweet Pineapple Glaze
INGREDIENTS
- 2 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken you can use chicken breasts or chicken thighs cut into small 1-2 inch cubes
- 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil can replace with canola oil
- 1 20 oz can Sliced Pineapples do not drain the juice
Ingredients to Make the Sauce
- ¼ Cup Pineapple Juice leftover juice from the can
- 1 Tablespoon Ketchup
- 1 Tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce make sure it is low sodium
- 1 Teaspoon Vinegar can use apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Chili Garlic Sauce can replace with red pepper flakes or harissa paste
- 1 inch Ginger (1 tablespoon grated)
- 1 Teaspoon minced Garlic
- 2 Tablespoons Honey can replace with brown sugar
Garnish
- Fresh Chopped Parsley for garnish (OPTIONAL)
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a bowl or a pyrex measuring cup combine the ingredients for sauce. Stir lightly. Taste it. Adjust with more honey if you want it sweeter. If it's already too sweet, then adjust with some vinegar or chili garlic sauce. HINT: You can add ¼ cup orange juice for added flavor.
- Place chicken pieces in a bowl. Coat them with cornstarch.
- Pour Olive Oil in slow cooker. Add Chicken and sliced Pineapples. Pour the sauce. Use a spoon to coat it evenly. HINT: You can add 1 red bell pepper and 1 yellow bell pepper cut into 1-inch chunks
- Cover the pot with a lid and slow cook on High for 2-hours or on low for 4-hours. Garnish with chopped parsley or sliced green onions (if desired) and serve. HINT: Add some lime zest for added flavor.
Video
Notes
- Adjust the sauce as per your taste. If it tastes too sweet then add some chili garlic sauce.
- You can add 1/4 cup orange juice for added flavor. Orange Juice and Pineapple pairs well.
- You can add in some red pepper flakes if you want some heat.
- You can add 1/3 cup hoisin sauce for added flavor.
- Instead of olive oil you could use toasted sesame oil or regular sesame oil.
Vanessa says
Really amazing and flavorful Hawaiian Chicken recipe! Love the Pineapple Glaze! So Good!
Dawn says
Should I have poured all of the juice from the can of pineapple into the crockpot after taking out what was needed for the glaze? I think I ruined it! It is not at all thick
Surup says
You only need to pour 1/4 cup of Pineapple Juice from the can for 2lbs of chicken. If your sauce is too runny make a cornstarch slurry (1 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water) and pour this into the crockpot. This will surely thicken your sauce. Hope this helps.