Sweet Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken (Printable)
Sweet pineapple and soy-ginger glazed chicken with bell peppers, slow-cooked until tender — perfect over steamed rice.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Chicken
01 - 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
→ Vegetables & Fruit
02 - 1 large red bell pepper, cut into chunks
03 - 1 large green bell pepper, cut into chunks
04 - 1 small yellow onion, sliced
05 - 1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks in juice, drained (reserve juice)
→ Sauce
06 - 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce (use gluten-free if needed)
07 - 1/2 cup reserved pineapple juice
08 - 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
09 - 2 tablespoons ketchup
10 - 2 tablespoons rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
11 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
12 - 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (or 1 teaspoon ground ginger)
13 - 1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional, for thickening)
14 - 2 tablespoons water (for cornstarch slurry)
→ Garnish (Optional)
15 - Sliced green onions
16 - Sesame seeds
17 - Fresh cilantro
# How To Make It:
01 - Place the chicken pieces in the bottom of the slow cooker in an even layer.
02 - Scatter the red and green bell pepper chunks, sliced onion, and drained pineapple chunks evenly over the chicken.
03 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, reserved pineapple juice, brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar, minced garlic, and ginger until the sugar dissolves. Pour the mixture evenly over the chicken and vegetables.
04 - Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 6 hours or on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and fork-tender.
05 - For a thicker sauce, combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl to form a slurry. Stir it into the slow cooker during the final 30 minutes of cooking and allow the sauce to bubble and thicken.
06 - Serve hot over steamed white or jasmine rice. Garnish with sliced green onions, sesame seeds, and fresh cilantro as desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The sauce practically makes itself while you go about your day, and the house smells incredible when you walk back through the door.
- It uses pantry staples and one can of pineapple to create something that tastes like you ordered takeout from a really good Hawaiian spot.
02 -
- Resist the urge to lift the lid and stir during cooking, because every peek adds roughly 15 to 20 minutes to your cook time as the heat escapes.
- Chicken thighs will hold up better than breasts if your schedule is unpredictable and the chicken might sit a little longer than planned.
03 -
- If you want that thick, sticky restaurant quality sauce, do not skip the cornstarch slurry step at the end, it takes two minutes and changes the entire dish.
- Grate your ginger fresh right before adding it, because pre grated ginger loses its punch quickly and that zingy warmth is what makes this recipe sing.