Sweet Hawaiian Crock Pot Chicken

Sweet Hawaiian Crock Pot Chicken fills your entire house with the most incredible caramelized pineapple aroma hours before dinner is even ready. Tender chicken slowly cooks in a glossy, sticky sauce of pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, and garlic.

Love More Recipes? Try My Garlic Parmesan Chicken Crockpot or this Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup next.

Why You’ll Love This

• Ten minutes of prep — the slow cooker handles everything else.
• Sweet, savory, sticky, and completely irresistible — even picky eaters clean their plates.
• Kid-approved every single time — that pineapple glaze wins everyone over.
• Works on white rice, jasmine rice, or coconut rice — endlessly versatile.
• Leftovers taste even better the next day — the flavors keep deepening overnight.

Print

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs (thighs stay juicier — use them if you can)
• 1 cup pineapple juice (from a can of chunks or fresh — do not discard the can liquid)
• 1 can (8 oz) pineapple chunks, drained (save a few pieces to garnish at the end)
• 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce (or coconut aminos for a slightly sweeter, soy-free option)
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (or 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger for brighter flavor)
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch + 2 tablespoons cold water (for thickening)
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Cooked jasmine rice, for serving
• Sliced green onions and sesame seeds, for garnish

Why These Ingredients Work

Pineapple juice does triple duty as a tenderizer, a sweetener, and the base of the glaze. The natural enzymes in pineapple break down the chicken proteins slowly during the long cook, resulting in meat that is incredibly tender without any dryness.

Brown sugar provides the deep caramel color and that sticky, glossy finish that makes this sauce look as good as it tastes. Light or dark both work — dark brown sugar gives a slightly more molasses-forward, richer flavor if that is your preference.

Soy sauce is the savory counterweight that keeps this dish from tipping into dessert-sweet territory. It adds umami depth and salt that make the sweet pineapple flavors taste balanced and complex rather than cloying.

Cornstarch slurry transforms the thin cooking liquid into a beautiful, glossy glaze at the end. This step is worth the extra 15 minutes — it is what makes the sauce look and taste like something from a proper restaurant rather than a home slow cooker.

Tools Needed

• 6-quart slow cooker / crock pot
• Small mixing bowl (for the sauce and cornstarch slurry)
• Whisk or fork
• Two forks (for shredding or pulling apart chicken)
• Rice cooker or medium saucepan (for the rice)

How To Make Sweet Hawaiian Crock Pot Chicken

Step 1: Season and Layer the Chicken

Trim any excess fat from the chicken and season lightly with salt and black pepper on both sides. Place the pieces in a single layer in the bottom of your slow cooker. You do not need to brown the chicken first — the slow cooker handles all the cooking magic without that extra step.

Step 2: Mix the Hawaiian Sauce

Whisk together the pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, and ground ginger in a medium bowl until the sugar dissolves completely. Taste it — if you want it tangier, add a little more pineapple juice; if you want it sweeter, add another spoonful of brown sugar. Pour the sauce directly over the chicken in the slow cooker.

Step 3: Add the Pineapple and Peppers

Scatter the drained pineapple chunks and sliced red bell pepper over the top of the chicken. Do not stir — you want the chicken to stay submerged in the sauce while the fruit and peppers sit on top and slowly caramelize as they cook.

Step 4: Cook Low and Slow

Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. Resist the urge to lift the lid — every peek adds 15 to 20 minutes of cook time because it releases the built-up steam and heat. The chicken is ready when it pulls apart very easily with a fork.

Step 5: Thicken the Sauce

Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and cold water together until completely smooth — no lumps. Stir the slurry into the hot liquid left in the slow cooker, turn the heat to HIGH, and cover for 15 minutes until the sauce thickens into a glossy glaze. Return the chicken to the pot and coat everything in that beautiful sauce.

Step 6: Serve Over Rice

Spoon the chicken and pineapple glaze generously over bowls of warm jasmine rice. Scatter sliced green onions and sesame seeds across the top. Add a few of the reserved pineapple chunks as a garnish if you saved them.

You Must Know

Do not skip the thickening step. Straight from the slow cooker, the sauce is thin and watery — it coats nothing and lands in a puddle under the rice. The cornstarch slurry transforms it into the sticky, clingy glaze that makes this dish look and taste like something special.

Chicken thighs are strongly preferred over breasts here. Thighs have more fat and connective tissue that render down slowly over 5 to 6 hours, keeping the meat juicy and tender. Breasts can dry out in a slow cooker if cooked too long, so check them at the 5-hour mark if using breasts.

Amelia’s Secret: Add 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar to the sauce mixture before cooking. It adds a subtle tanginess that you will not identify by flavor alone, but it keeps the sauce from tasting flat or one-dimensionally sweet.

Pro Tips & Mistakes to Avoid

• Do not lift the lid while it cooks — each peek adds significant extra cooking time.
• Use a 6-quart slow cooker for this recipe — smaller pots make it hard to fit the chicken in a single layer.
• Let the chicken rest on the plate for 5 minutes before shredding or slicing for the juiciest result.
• Double the sauce if you love extra glaze for the rice — it reheats and stores beautifully.
• Low-sodium soy sauce prevents the dish from becoming too salty as the sauce reduces and concentrates.

Flavor Variations

Spicy Hawaiian: Stir in 1 to 2 teaspoons of sriracha or a pinch of red pepper flakes along with the sauce. The heat plays beautifully against the sweetness of the pineapple and brown sugar.

Teriyaki Twist: Add 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil and 1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger to the sauce for a deeper, more teriyaki-style flavor profile.

Coconut Rice Upgrade: Serve over coconut rice instead of plain jasmine rice — cook the rice in coconut milk instead of water for a tropical richness that elevates the whole dish.

Pineapple BBQ: Replace 1/4 cup of the soy sauce with your favorite BBQ sauce for a smoky, tangy American twist on the Hawaiian flavors.

Make-Ahead

Mix the sauce the night before and store covered in the refrigerator so morning assembly is just 5 minutes. The fully cooked chicken and sauce store together in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days — the flavors deepen overnight and leftovers are genuinely even better than the first serving. Freeze the cooked chicken and sauce in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring often.

Serving Suggestions

Serve over fluffy jasmine rice or coconut rice with steamed broccoli or snap peas on the side. The vegetables provide a fresh green contrast to the sticky, sweet sauce and make the plate look colorful and complete.

Load it into Hawaiian rolls for an insanely good slider situation — perfect for casual family dinners, game day, or any time you need to feed a crowd without much effort. Add a slice of grilled pineapple on each slider and people will lose their minds.

A cold glass of pineapple lemonade or sparkling water with a squeeze of lime pairs perfectly with the sweet-savory flavors of this dish. The citrus cuts through the richness of the sauce and refreshes the palate between bites.

How to Store

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The sauce thickens further overnight in the refrigerator — reheat in a saucepan over medium-low with a small splash of pineapple juice or water to loosen it up. Microwave reheating works fine — cover with a damp paper towel and reheat in 60-second intervals, stirring between each. Freeze for up to 3 months in a sealed freezer bag.

Allergy Info

• Contains: Soy (soy sauce)
• Gluten-free: Use tamari or certified gluten-free soy sauce; serve over rice which is naturally gluten-free
• Soy-free: Use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce
• Dairy-free: Naturally dairy-free as written
• Lower sugar: Reduce brown sugar to 1/4 cup and add a tablespoon of apple juice concentrate to maintain body

FAQs

Can I use frozen chicken straight from the freezer?

The USDA advises against cooking frozen chicken in a slow cooker because the meat spends too long in the temperature danger zone. Always thaw chicken completely in the refrigerator overnight before adding it to the crock pot.

My sauce is still thin after adding the cornstarch. What do I do?

Make a second small slurry (1 teaspoon cornstarch + 1 tablespoon cold water), stir it in, and give it another 10 minutes on HIGH with the lid on. Each addition of cornstarch slurry thickens the sauce further — just give it time to activate properly.

Can I make this in the oven instead of a slow cooker?

Yes — place everything in a covered Dutch oven at 325°F for 2 to 2.5 hours until the chicken is fork-tender. Remove the lid for the last 20 minutes to let the sauce reduce and thicken slightly naturally.

Can I use fresh pineapple instead of canned?

Yes, and fresh pineapple gives a slightly brighter, less sweet flavor. Use 1 cup of fresh pineapple juice and 1 cup of fresh diced pineapple chunks in place of the canned versions.

How do I know when the chicken is done?

The chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165°F on an instant-read thermometer and pull apart very easily when pressed with two forks. If it resists shredding, it needs another 30 to 45 minutes.

💬 Tried it? Leave a comment and rating below!