Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken (Printable)
Tender chicken cooked slowly with sweet pineapple, bell peppers, and a tangy-sweet sauce — a tropical-inspired, crowd-pleasing dish.
# What You'll Need:
→ Chicken
01 - 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
→ Vegetables
02 - 1 red bell pepper, chopped
03 - 1 green bell pepper, chopped
04 - 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
→ Fruit
06 - 1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks in juice, drained with juice reserved
→ Sauce
07 - 1/2 cup reserved pineapple juice
08 - 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
09 - 1/4 cup ketchup
10 - 3 tbsp brown sugar
11 - 2 tbsp rice vinegar
12 - 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
13 - 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
→ Thickener
14 - 2 tbsp cornstarch
15 - 2 tbsp cold water
→ Garnish
16 - 2 green onions, sliced
17 - 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
# Directions:
01 - Whisk together pineapple juice, soy sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes in a medium bowl until smooth.
02 - Arrange chicken thighs in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add bell peppers, onion, and pineapple chunks on top.
03 - Pour sauce mixture evenly over all ingredients. Cover and cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours until chicken is tender and fully cooked.
04 - Combine cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl, stirring until completely dissolved and smooth.
05 - During the last 30 minutes of cooking, stir cornstarch slurry into the slow cooker. Replace lid and continue cooking until sauce thickens.
06 - Transfer to serving plates and garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds. Serve with steamed rice if desired.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The sauce does something magical in five hours that no stovetop recipe can quite replicate
- Its the kind of meal that makes people think you tried way harder than you actually did
02 -
- The cornstarch needs to be mixed with cold water first or it will turn into weird clumpy lumps that never dissolve
- Taking the lid off for the last 30 minutes is non negotiable if you want that sauce to actually thicken
03 -
- Trim excess fat from the chicken thighs so your sauce does not end up greasy
- Fresh ginger makes such a difference that it is worth the extra grating time