As a busy working parent, I know how tough it can be to get a wholesome meal on the table on busy weeknights or when you’ve got a weekend full of activities. With five easy to follow steps and about 10 minutes of hands on time, our dump-and-go sweet Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken recipe will bring a flavorful, high protein meal that’s packed with fruit and veggies to your table for an easy lunch or dinner.
If your family loves easy slow cooker recipes like we do, this sweet and savory Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken needs a slot in your family’s meal rotation. Like our Crockpot Salsa Chicken and Crockpot Chicken Bacon and Ranch Tater Tot Casserole, this easy chicken breast dinner idea has minimal hands-on time and makes a meal with maximum flavor!
If you love this sweet and savory chicken recipe, then you also have to try my Chicken Mango Lettuce Wraps (they only take 30 minutes to make)!
Jump to:
- Why You’ll Love This Crock Pot Hawaiian Chicken
- Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken Ingredients
- How To Make Hawaiian Chicken (Crockpot)
- Crock Pot Hawaiian Chicken Variations
- Tips For Making Crock Pot Hawaiian Chicken
- How to Serve Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken
- Storing Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken
- Sweet Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken FAQs
- Love This Recipe? Try One of These Easy Dinner Recipes Next!
- More Recipes You’ll Love
- Crock Pot Hawaiian Chicken
Why You’ll Love This Crock Pot Hawaiian Chicken
Quick and easy to make. Your hands-on time for Sweet Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken is only about 15 minutes. Minimal effort is needed before the rest of the ingredients are dumped into the crockpot to slow-cook for the day.
Full of flavor and texture. The chicken, pineapple, and bell peppers are slow-cooked for hours in a tangy and delicious sauce. The sauce coats the meat, fruit, and veggies as it thickens up at the end of cooking time. You’re left with plenty of extra sauce for drizzling over rice. Most Hawaiian chicken recipes only call for pineapple juice or pineapple puree. I add large, pineapple chunks so that each bite has a mouthful of sweet and fruity flavor!
Simple ingredients. This Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken recipe only calls for 3 main ingredients. The rest of the ingredients that are used to make the sauce are readily found in most kitchens.
Dump and go recipe. This is a low-maintenance, dump-and-go recipe that cooks low and slow while you’re at work for the day.
Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken Ingredients
- Chicken Breast. Use boneless skinless chicken breasts. Always trim any visible fat, tendons, and connective tissue. Trimming the meat will leave you with perfectly clean and tender chicken breast pieces.
- Bell Peppers. Choose two different colors of bell peppers. Red bell peppers and yellow bell peppers will make the dish look as tropical as it tastes! Orange bell peppers and green bell peppers are also an option though.
- Pineapple. You’ll need canned pineapple chunks in 100% pineapple juice. Don’t drain the pineapple juice! You’ll need to reserve some of the juice to use during the final steps in this recipe.
- Brown Sugar. You can use either light brown sugar or dark brown sugar. The brown sugar will dissolve as the slow cooker warms up and will be the main ingredient that sweetens up the sauce.
- Low Sodium Soy Sauce. Double-check that your soy sauce is the low-sodium variety. I’ve developed this recipe specifically using low-sodium soy sauce. If you use full-sodium soy sauce, then your sauce may turn out too salty.
- Hoisin Sauce. Hoisin sauce is a sweet and salty sauce commonly used in Asian-inspired recipes. Hoisin is my secret ingredient that will deepen the rich, sweet, tangy, and umami flavors in this crock pot recipe!
- Ginger and Garlic. Ground ginger (grated fresh ginger is okay too) and freshly minced garlic are added for extra flavor!
See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for all ingredient measurements and full recipe directions.
Helpful Equipment for Making Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken
You’ll need to use a larger-sized slow cooker to make this recipe. I love this 6-Quart Programmable Crock Pot Slow Cooker.
How To Make Hawaiian Chicken (Crockpot)
Add chicken breast and bell peppers to the basin of a large crockpot.
Then add brown sugar, minced garlic, and ground ginger to the slow cooker.
Drain and reserve approximately ¼ cup of the pineapple juice from the can, and then pour the pineapple chunks and any remaining juice into the crock pot.
Finally add the soy sauce and hoisin sauce in and place the lid onto the slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours.
During the last 30 minutes of cooking, whisk the reserved pineapple juice and cornstarch together in a small bowl.
Pour the cornstarch slurry into the crockpot, and stir to combine. Allow the Hawaiian chicken to cook for 30 minutes longer.
Serve over rice of choice, with the option to add optional toppings like sesame seeds and sliced green onions, and enjoy!
Crock Pot Hawaiian Chicken Variations
- Use different cuts of chicken. I prefer to use chicken breast because it’s one of the healthiest cuts of chicken. Boneless skinless chicken thighs or chopped chicken tenderloins would also be an option though. I suggest trimming some of the fat off of the chicken thighs if you make this substitution.
- Add BBQ sauce. Adding BBQ sauce to Crock Pot Hawaiian Chicken will give the sauce a smokey flavor. BBQ sauce is a common addition to Hawaiian chicken recipes.
- Make it spicy. If you love to add a little bit of heat to your meals, then a pinch of red pepper flakes or a dash of cayenne pepper powder would do the trick! Another option is to add chopped jalapeno peppers.
- Use fresh or frozen pineapple. Instead of canned pineapple, you can use fresh or frozen pineapple chunks. I prefer to use canned pineapple though because canned pineapple will supply you with the pineapple juice needed in this recipe. Canned pineapple also significantly cuts down on prep time, compared to chopping up fresh pineapple.
- Add more veggies. I really like to make Hawaiian chicken using the traditional veggie choice of bell peppers. If you want to be creative with your vegetable additions, then you could also try adding cauliflower, broccoli, onions, or carrots!
Possible Dietary Restrictions?
This slow cooker Hawaiian chicken is dairy free as it’s written. This recipe can be gluten free as long as you make sure gluten hasn’t snuck into your soy sauce or your hoisin sauce!
Wheat is a common ingredient in most traditionally produced soy and hoisin sauces. Luckily you can find San-J Gluten Free Tamari Low Sodium Soy Sauce and San-J Gluten Free Hoisin Sauce in most grocery stores!
I don’t suggest trying to make this recipe vegetarian or vegan because chicken is the main ingredient.
Tips For Making Crock Pot Hawaiian Chicken
Cut everything into bite-sized, even pieces. This ensures your chicken and bell peppers cook at the same rate and are easy to eat in every bite.
The cornstarch slurry is essential. This final step transforms the cooking liquid into that sweet and sticky sauce that coats the chicken perfectly – don’t skip it!
Easy to double for a crowd. Simply double all the ingredients while keeping the cooking time and steps exactly the same.
Serving options beyond rice. Try shredding the chicken for soft tacos or pile it on Hawaiian sweet rolls for delicious sliders.
How to Serve Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken
The best way to enjoy Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken is to simply serve it over rice! While white rice may be the most common, you can also amp up the nutrition of your meal and serve this over brown rice. If you’re looking for a way to minimize carbs, cauliflower rice may be the perfect option for you (try one of the steamer packets from your grocery store’s frozen aisle to keep your dinner easy!). Or lean into that tropical flavor and serve this chicken dish over coconut rice!
Hawaiian Chicken is often topped with chopped green onions and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. You could also add fresh cilantro or some finely diced jalapenos if you like spice.
While Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken over rice can be a meal in itself, pairing it with some additional steamed or sautéed veggies is a nice way to round out your meal. Broccoli, green beans, snap peas, brussel sprouts, or asparagus would all be great options.
Storing Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken
Store leftover Hawaiian pineapple chicken in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. I suggest storing the crockpot portion separately from any leftover rice.
This is also a freezer friendly recipe! You can freeze this recipe for up to 3 months. Let the Hawaiian crockpot chicken cool completely. Transfer leftovers into a freezer bag and squeeze out all of the air. Seal the freezer bag, label it with the recipe name and date, and lay it flat on your freezer shelf.
Sweet Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken FAQs
Hawaiian chicken sauce is made with pineapple juice or chunks, a sweetener like brown sugar or honey, a salty ingredient like soy sauce, and added flavors like garlic and ginger.
Low and slow is always recommended when it comes to cooking chicken in the crock pot. While it’s possible to cook on high, you’ll get more tender and juicier chicken if it’s cooked on low over a longer period of time.
Pineapple has a naturally occurring digestive enzyme called bromelain. This enzyme will tenderize tough connective tissue in chicken breast, resulting in fork-tender, pull-apart meat.
Love This Recipe? Try One of These Easy Dinner Recipes Next!
More Recipes You’ll Love
Crock Pot Hawaiian Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 medium bell peppers, de-stemmed and de-seeded, cut into bite-sized pieces (any combination of colors)
- 1 20oz can pineapple chunks in 100% pineapple juice (¼ C juice reserved for the cornstarch slurry)
- ¼ C low sodium soy sauce
- ¼ C hoisin sauce
- ¼ C brown sugar (light or dark)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- cooked white rice for serving
- optional toppings: sesame seeds, sliced green onions
Instructions
- Chop bell peppers and chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- Drain approximately ¼ cup of pineapple juice from the can of pineapple chunks and reserve for later.
- Add chicken breast and bell peppers to the basin of a large crockpot. Then add the brown sugar, minced garlic, ground ginger, pineapple, pineapple juice (except the ¼ cup reserved for later), soy sauce, and hoisin sauce to the slow cooker.
- Place the lid onto the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours.
- During the last 30 minutes of cooking, whisk the reserved pineapple juice and cornstarch together in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the slow cooker to help thicken the sauce, stirring to combine. Allow the Hawaiian chicken to cook for 30 minutes longer.
- Serve warm over rice of choice.
Video
Notes
- Use different cuts of chicken. I prefer to use chicken breast because it’s one of the healthiest cuts of chicken. Boneless skinless chicken thighs or chopped chicken tenderloins would also be an option. I suggest trimming some of the fat off of the chicken thighs if you make this substitution.
- Add BBQ sauce. Adding BBQ sauce to Crock Pot Hawaiian Chicken will give the sauce a smokey flavor.
- Make it spicy. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes or a dash of cayenne pepper powder if you prefer spicier meals.
- Serve over different types of rice. The most common way to serve Hawaiian chicken is over white rice. You can also serve over brown rice, coconut rice, or cauliflower rice.
- Use fresh or frozen pineapple. If doing this, be sure to purchase pineapple juice too (as this comes with the canned version).
- Add more veggies. Try adding cauliflower, broccoli, onions, or carrots!
Adelle says
I made this for my grandparents a while back and they loved it! I took the recipe suggestion and added cayenne to make it a little spicier and threw some extra veggies in (broccoli, carrots, cauliflower) and we ate it over wild rice. SOOO GOOD! They had never had pineapple in a main dish before so they found it very exciting and delicious!
Meredith says
I’m so happy to hear everyone loved it, and I’ll have to try it on wild rice next time!
Amy says
Doubled the recipe and made for a large group dinner. Paired perfectly with coconut rice. It was a hit for adults and littles.
I will definitely be making this again.
Meredith says
I’m so happy to hear everyone loved it Amy! Thanks for giving our Hawaiian chicken recipe a try 🙂
Teresa says
If your using fresh pineapple, how much pineapple juice do you add?
Meredith says
Hi Teresa, a 20-ounce can of pineapple contains about 2.5 cups. I have not tried making this with fresh, but if I were to do this, I would start by using 2.5 cups of fresh pineapple + a small 6-ounce can of pineapple juice to start, and adjust accordingly. Let me know how it turns out! I hope you love it!
David says
Delicious stuff. Tangy and savory and sweet. I like mine with a little extra hoisin on the plate, but that’s just me!
Meredith says
So glad you love it too! Great way to kick up the flavor with the added hoisin.