I am a lover of everything with complex flavors, and this is one of those recipes. It looks simple. It’s easy to cook and tastes amazing. Sweet Hawaiian chicken has many flavors.
The sweet flavor of pineapple juice, the savory flavor given by soy sauce, and a mix of veggies like onions, bell peppers, garlic, and pineapple make it even more delicious.
Slow-cooked to tender perfection, it is delicious when eaten with white rice to absorb all the wonderful sauce created by the chicken juices in combination with pineapple juice and other ingredients.
Using a slurry of cornstarch and juice, the sauce thickens and coats the chicken and veggies beautifully. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we did!
Here are some more recipes with pineapple you might enjoy: Pineapple Chicken and Rice, Pineapple Pretzel Fluff, Pineapple Juice Cake, and Pineapple Dream Dessert.
Ingredients For Sweet Hawaiian Chicken
- Chicken tenderloins: these are, to me, the best part of the chicken and, as the name says: tender
- Red and green bell peppers: For flavor and color, to me, they are a must-add.
- Onion: I like white onion, but sweet yellow onions are great too.
- Garlic: minced garlic along with onion, in my opinion, makes all food taste better.
- Pineapple: you can use fresh pineapple if you wish.
- Pineapple juice: If you buy canned pineapple, use the juice that comes with it. No need to buy extra.
- Soy sauce: try if you can use reduced-sodium soy sauce. Regular soy sauce is loaded with sodium.
- Brown sugar: I think brown sugar works better than regular sugar in this dish.
- Cornstarch: this will make the sauce thicker. You don’t have to add it if you don’t mind a thin sauce.
How To Make Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken
- In the pot of a slow cooker, place the chicken tenderloins, veggies, and pineapple.
- Pour ¾ cups pineapple juice, soy sauce, and brown sugar inside the pot. Give everything a good stir.
- Mix the ¼ cup of pineapple juice remaining with one tablespoon of cornstarch to make a slurry and add it to the pot. Cook on low for 6 hours.
What To Serve With Sweet Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken
White rice is the best to serve with Hawaiian crockpot chicken. It is so good with the sauce! The only thing this dish really needs is a delicious dessert.
Since this dish requires no hands-on cooking, you can spend your time making a delicious recipe like Pecan Pie Cheesecake or my kid’s favorite Chocolate Orange Cake.
If you ask me, Flan de Queso is the way to go. I absolutely love it. But, if you are using the crockpot because you don’t want to cook, why not try our No-bake Banana Pudding Cheesecake?
It comes together in just a few minutes and is great for those days when you either have time or no desire to cook.
How To Store Leftovers?
If you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
If you want to freeze the leftovers or make double to store half for a rainy day, wait for it to completely cool down, put it inside a freezer bag, label it with the date you made it and freeze it for up to three months.
Tips And Variations
- If you can, give it a stir mid-cooking time to make sure everything is well mixed together.
- You can add more veggies or change the ones I used. I sometimes add diced carrots, snow peas, or broccoli. If you’re using snow peas and broccoli, add it until one hour before cooking time is over. These veggies are best eaten with a little bit of bite still left in them.
- Always check the seasoning. If you feel it needs a bit more salt or pepper, feel free to add it.
- If you prefer smaller chunks of chicken, you can dice the tenderloins or use chicken breast or thighs.
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Baked Sweet And Sour Chicken
- Crock Pot Chicken Thighs
- How To Make Oven-Baked Bbq Chicken Wings
- Baked Teriyaki Chicken Thighs
Sweet Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken tenderloins
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- ½ white onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1-20 oz can pineapple chunks in pineapple juice
- 1 cup of pineapple juice, divided (from the can of pineapple)
- ½ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Dice all your veggies the same size as the pineapple chunks. It makes the dish look well made, and every bite has the same amount of veggies. Mince the garlic cloves very finely, so no one gets a big chunk of garlic.
- Add the chicken tenderloins, veggies, and pineapple chunks to the pot.
- Pour ¾ cup of pineapple juice, soy sauce, and brown sugar into the pot. Mix the remaining ¼ cup juice with the cornstarch until a slurry forms. Mix it with a fork until no lumps remain, and add the slurry to the pot. Give everything a good mix, and cook on low for 6 hours.
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
- What kind of chicken to use for Hawaiian Chicken?
The one you like best. Some people prefer dark meat to white meat, so feel free to use boneless chicken thighs if you like them better.
Chicken breast is also great for this recipe. You can use whatever you like as long as you use boneless chicken cuts.
- Is it better to cook chicken on high or on low on the crockpot?
This depends on how much time you have. If you need it fast, cook it for 3 hours on high.
As long as the chicken is cooked through, time depends on when you need it done.
I always try to plan my cooking to be slow-cooked on low, but sometimes you can’t do that.
I think slow-cooked meats come out more tender.
Yummy! over white steamed rice with a side of southern green beans! daughter loved it too! thank you
So glad you were able to customize it to your liking!