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Sweet Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken

Sweet Hawaiian crockpot chicken with pineapple chunks and a glossy teriyaki-style sauce. Slow-cooked until tender, thickened with cornstarch, then served over white rice with green onion and sesame crunch.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 690
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken and pineapple
  • 2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 20 oz pineapple chunks with juice (canned) 1 can
Teriyaki-style sauce
  • 0.333 cup soy sauce
  • 0.333 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 0.25 tsp red pepper flakes
Thickener and garnish
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp cold water
  • 0.25 green onions for garnish
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds for garnish
Serving
  • 4 cooked white rice for serving

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Assemble in the slow cooker
  1. Place the boneless skinless chicken thighs in the slow cooker so they form an even layer.
  2. Pour the pineapple chunks (with juice) over and around the chicken, keeping some chunks visible on top.
Make the pineapple soy sauce
  1. Whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar (packed), minced garlic, apple cider vinegar, ground ginger, and red pepper flakes until the sugar looks fully dissolved.
  2. Pour the pineapple-soy sauce over the chicken and scatter any remaining pineapple chunks on top.
Slow cook until tender
  1. Cook on low for 4–5 hours (or high for 2–3 hours) until the chicken is very tender and easily pulls apart.
Thicken the sauce
  1. Whisk the cornstarch and cold water together into a smooth slurry.
  2. Stir the slurry into the slow cooker, then cook on high for 15 minutes until the sauce thickens and looks glossy.
Finish and serve
  1. Remove the chicken, shred into large pieces (or slice), then return it to the sauce.
  2. Serve the sweet Hawaiian chicken over cooked white rice, garnished with green onions and sesame seeds.

Notes

For best texture, shred the chicken while it’s hot so it breaks into large, juicy pieces. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 3 days; reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave until hot. Freezing is OK up to 2 months—freeze in portioned containers for quicker thawing. For a lower-sugar option, reduce the brown sugar to 1/4 cup and add 1–2 tbsp extra pineapple juice to keep the sauce balanced.