Sweet Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken
A tropical, sweet-and-savory chicken dish cooked low and slow in your crockpot with pineapple, soy sauce, and ginger. Perfectly tender, juicy, and loaded with Hawaiian flavor — it's a taste of the islands with no stress!
Equipment
- Slow cooker
- Medium bowl
- Whisk
- forks for shredding
- Knife
Ingredients
- 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 20 oz can pineapple chunks, undrained
- 0.5 cup soy sauce (low sodium)
- 0.5 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 0.25 cup ketchup
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp cold water
- Sesame seeds and chopped green onions, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Trim any excess fat from the chicken breasts or thighs.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the pineapple juice (from the can), soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, ketchup, and rice vinegar.
- Place the chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Pour the sauce evenly over the chicken.
- Scatter the pineapple chunks over the chicken.
- Cover and cook on low for 6–8 hours or high for 3–4 hours, until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
- Use two forks to shred the chicken directly in the crockpot.
- In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and cold water to make a slurry.
- Pour the slurry into the crockpot and stir well to combine.
- Optional: Cook on high for 15–30 more minutes to thicken the sauce.
- Serve over rice, noodles, or quinoa. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.
Notes
Chicken thighs are more tender, but breasts work well too. Use low-sodium soy sauce to control salt levels. For spice, add red pepper flakes or hot sauce. Great for tacos, rice bowls, or sliders. Store leftovers in the fridge up to 3 days.