Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken Recipe

This is a four-ingredient dump and go crock pot dinner, and I mean that literally. You cut up some chicken, stir three things together in a measuring cup, pour it over, and walk away for six hours.

Our crock pot runs at least twice a week, and this is one of the recipes it runs the most. It is sweet, a little salty from the soy sauce, and the chicken comes out tender enough to cut with a fork.

One thing to know up front: the sauce is thin. It is not a thick takeout glaze, it is more of a sweet pineapple soy juice that you spoon over rice, and that is exactly how we like it.

If you are picturing something sticky and glossy like a restaurant plate, I will show you how to thicken it below. But honestly, the juice at the bottom of the crock pot is the best part of this whole dinner.

Four Ingredients and a 4-Quart Crock Pot

Here is the whole shopping list: chicken tenderloins, pineapple juice, brown sugar, and soy sauce. Then white rice to serve it over, and sesame seeds if you want to be fancy about it.

A 4-quart crock pot is the right size for this. It is only 20 ounces of chicken, so in a big 6 or 7-quart the sauce spreads out too thin across the bottom and the chicken dries out faster.

If a bigger crock pot is all you have, it still works. I would either double the recipe or plan on checking it at the five-hour mark.

Chicken tenderloins

Tenderloins are what I use because they cook evenly and stay moist, and they are already roughly the right size before you cut them. A 20-ounce package is what the recipe is built around.

Chicken breasts work if you cut them into similar chunks. Thighs work too and are a little more forgiving if your crock pot runs hot, but they do make the sauce greasier.

Pineapple juice

Half a cup of pineapple juice does two jobs here. It is most of the sweetness and it is what tenderizes the chicken over the long cook.

Do not skip it or swap it for orange juice. Orange juice is not the same thing at all and the whole dish stops tasting like Hawaiian chicken.

The little cans of pineapple juice work great and you will use about one. If you are draining a can of pineapple chunks anyway, that juice works too, just measure it.

Brown sugar

A quarter cup of brown sugar is the amount in the recipe card, and yes, this is a sweet dinner. I am not going to pretend otherwise.

If your family leans less sweet, drop it to 2 tablespoons. It will still taste right, just less like teriyaki and more like plain pineapple chicken.

Light or dark brown sugar both work. Dark gives you a slightly deeper, more molasses flavor, and that is the only difference you will notice.

Soy sauce

One ounce of soy sauce is about 2 tablespoons. That is all the salt in the entire recipe, so do not leave it out thinking the dish will be fine without it.

Low sodium soy sauce works, but you may want to add a pinch of salt at the end. Regular soy sauce is what I use.

White rice and sesame seeds

Plain white rice is the right call here because it soaks up the sauce and does not fight with the flavor. Brown rice or jasmine rice work fine if that is what is in the pantry.

Sesame seeds are optional but they do make it look like you tried. If you have a few extra minutes, spread them on a sheet pan in a 250 degree oven for a few minutes and they toast up nicely.

How to Make Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken

Cut the chicken tenderloins into 1 to 2-inch chunks on a cutting board and put them in the crock pot. Bigger than bite-size, and I will explain why in a minute.

In a measuring cup or a small bowl, stir together the pineapple juice, brown sugar, and soy sauce. Stir until the sugar is mostly dissolved, it does not have to be perfect.

Pour that over the chicken and put the lid on. Cook on low for 6 hours.

That is it. There is no browning step, no stirring halfway, and nothing to add at the end unless you want to thicken the sauce.

When it is done, serve the chicken over cooked white rice and spoon the juices from the bottom of the crock pot over everything. Do not skip that part, those juices are what make this dinner worth making.

Cut the Chicken Bigger Than You Think

This is the one thing that goes wrong with this recipe. The chicken shrinks quite a bit over six hours, and if you cut it into small bites it will fall apart and basically shred itself in the sauce.

Shredded is not the end of the world, it still tastes good. But if you want actual pieces of chicken on your rice, cut them 1 to 2 inches and leave them alone while they cook.

Every time you lift the lid you lose heat and add time, and with a recipe this simple there is no reason to check on it. Six hours on low and it is done.

If your crock pot runs hot, and a lot of the newer ones do, five hours is probably enough. The chicken is done when it is 165 degrees and pulls apart easily with a fork.

Gone Longer Than Six Hours? Here Is What Happens

Six hours on low is the sweet spot, but real life does not always cooperate. If you leave at 7 and get home at 5, that is ten hours, and this chicken will not survive ten hours on low.

What you get is shredded chicken sitting in a lot of thin sauce. Still edible, still tastes like pineapple and soy, but it is a different dinner than the one in the pictures.

If your crock pot has a timer that switches to warm, set it for 6 hours and let it hold on warm for the rest. The chicken will keep getting a little softer on warm, but it will not dry out the way it does on low.

If you have a basic crock pot with no timer, a cheap outlet timer from the hardware store does the same job. Plug the crock pot into it and set it to turn on a few hours after you leave.

Or lean into it and plan on shredded Hawaiian chicken. Pile it on Hawaiian rolls with a little coleslaw and it makes a really good sandwich.

Too Thin, Too Sweet, Too Salty: Fixing the Sauce

Like I said up top, this sauce is thin on purpose. The chicken lets out a lot of liquid over six hours and it mixes with the pineapple juice into something you spoon rather than something that clings.

If you want it thick like a glaze, stir 1 tablespoon of cornstarch into 2 tablespoons of cold water, pour it into the crock pot, and cook on high for 15 to 20 more minutes with the lid on. It will thicken up noticeably.

Too sweet is an easy fix next time. Cut the brown sugar to 2 tablespoons, or add a splash of rice vinegar at the end to balance it.

Too salty almost never happens with only 2 tablespoons of soy sauce. If it does, more rice underneath solves it.

Adding Pineapple Chunks, Peppers, and Other Ways We Change It Up

If your family really likes pineapple, warm up some pineapple chunks and add them on top when you serve the chicken over rice. Canned is fine, and the juice from the can is what goes in the sauce anyway.

You can also drop the pineapple chunks into the crock pot for the last hour. Any longer than that and they turn soft and kind of mushy, which some people like and some people do not.

Sliced bell peppers and onion added for the last hour turn this into something closer to a sweet and sour chicken. Red peppers look the best against the sauce.

A teaspoon of minced garlic or grated ginger stirred into the sauce makes it taste more like teriyaki. If you like that flavor, my Huli Huli chicken is the pressure cooker version of the same idea with a lot more ginger.

Want to make it in the Instant Pot instead? Use the same ingredients, add a quarter cup of water, and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes with a 5-minute natural release.

It is done in under half an hour that way. The chicken will not be quite as fall-apart tender as the six-hour version, but on a night you forgot to start the crock pot it gets the job done.

What Goes on the Plate Next to It

Rice, and then whatever green thing is in the fridge. Steamed broccoli is the usual at our house because it soaks up the extra sauce the same way the rice does.

A bag of frozen stir fry veggies microwaved and tossed on top is completely fine and I do it more often than I would like to admit. Frozen edamame, snap peas, or a simple cucumber salad all work too.

For a crowd, this is good served over rice in a big bowl with the pineapple chunks, green onions, and sesame seeds set out on the side. Everyone builds their own and nobody complains about pineapple touching their chicken.

Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken FAQ

Can I use frozen chicken?

Technically yes, but I would not for this one. You cannot cut frozen chicken into chunks, so you end up with whole tenderloins that you have to cut or shred at the end, and the sauce gets watered down as they thaw.

Thaw it in the fridge overnight and it takes two minutes to cut in the morning. That is the better plan.

Can I cook it on high instead of low?

Yes, 3 hours on high gets you there. The chicken is a little less tender and more likely to dry out on the edges, so low for 6 is still what I recommend if you have the time.

Can I double the recipe?

Yes, and this is when the bigger crock pot earns its spot. Double everything, keep the cook time the same, and you will have plenty of sauce.

Why is my sauce watery?

Because that is how this recipe is. Chicken releases liquid as it cooks and there is nothing in the sauce to thicken it.

Spoon it over the rice and it is exactly right. If you want it thicker, use the cornstarch trick above.

Can I make this ahead?

You can cut the chicken and stir the sauce together the night before and keep them in separate containers in the fridge. In the morning, dump both in and turn it on.

I would not put the chicken in the sauce overnight. The pineapple juice keeps working on it and the texture gets a little soft.

Leftovers, Day Two, and Whether It Freezes

Leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge in a covered container. Store the chicken and sauce together and the rice separately, or the rice soaks up every bit of sauce overnight.

Reheat in the microwave with a splash of water or pineapple juice if it looks dry. It is honestly just as good on day two, maybe better, because the chicken has been sitting in the sauce.

It freezes fine for up to 3 months. Cool it completely, put the chicken and sauce in a freezer bag, and thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.

Leftover chicken chopped up and mixed with the rice makes a good fried rice the next night. Scramble an egg into it, add a bag of frozen peas and carrots, and nobody knows it was leftovers.

More Crock Pot Dinners That Run at Our House

• Philly Cheese Steak Crock Pot Recipe
• Buffalo Chicken Crock Pot Sandwiches
• Crockpot Ravioli Casserole
• Crock Pot Maid Rites (Iowa Loose Meat Sandwiches)
• How to Make Crock Pot Baked Potatoes
• 22 All Day Crockpot Recipes Worth Coming Home To

If you make this Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken, leave a comment below and let me know how it turned out.