Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken Skillet— 🍗🍍🏝️Tender pieces of chicken are cooked with bell peppers and pineapple chunks, then coated in a SWEET and TANGY sauce! Pineapple chunks and pineapple juice create layers of tropical island flavor! This is a FAST and EASY recipe that’s ready in 30 minutes, made in a single skillet, and perfect for busy weeknights!
Table of Contents
If you’re a fan of sweet and sour chicken, you’re bound to love this Hawaiian pineapple chicken skillet, too!
The sauce that coats the chicken and veggies strikes the perfect balance between sweet, salty, and tangy thanks to a blend of ingredients including soy sauce and chicken broth add saltiness and richness.
And honey and pineapple juice add the perfect sweet touch. It’s a definite winning flavor combination!
I like to spoon the chicken, bell peppers, and pineapple over a bed of rice, cauliflower rice, brown rice, or quinoa to soak up the tasty sauce. But it’s up to you of course.
This is a quick and easy recipe that’s made in one skillet and is ready in just half an hour. Make this recipe on nights when you’re short on time and need to get a hot meal on the table now!
Ingredients for Hawaiian Chicken Recipe
This pineapple chicken skillet uses easy-to-find ingredients, including the following:
Pineapple Sauce:
- Pineapple juice – use the liquid from the canned pineapple chunks
- Chicken stock – I prefer using low-sodium broth
- Soy sauce – I used reduced sodium soy sauce
- Honey
- Rice vinegar – sometimes labeled as “rice wine vinegar” (they’re the same thing). Apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, or lime juice will also work. You just need a tangy acid
- Cornstarch
- Ground ginger – or use freshly grated if you prefer
- Garlic clove or garlic powder
- Red pepper flakes, to taste
Chicken and Veggies:
- Olive oil
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts – I prefer chicken breasts although thighs will work
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Bell peppers – I used a mix of yellow, orange, and red bell peppers but use what you have
- Garlic
- Canned pineapple chunks – packed in juice, NOT in syrup which is way too sweet for an overall savory dish
- Green onions, optional for garnishing – Or try fresh cilantro, basil, mint, etc.
- Sesame seeds, optional for garnishing
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken Skillet
The Hawaiian chicken and pineapple skillet comes together quickly and with minimal prep work. Here’s an overview of the recipe steps:
- Whisk together the sauce ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook for about 5 minutes, or until cooked through, and then remove it and place on a plate.
- In the same pan, saute the bell peppers until they’re crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. In the final minute, add the garlic.
- Pour the sauce into the skillet. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes to thicken it up.
- Add the canned pineapple chunks and cooked chicken and cook for just a couple minutes to heat everything through.
- Garnish the chicken and pineapple with chopped green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.
Recipe FAQs
I used canned pineapple packed in its own juice. It’s inexpensive, requires no advance prep, and it’s really two ingredients-in-one since you need to use both the pineapple chunks AND the juice they’re canned in for this recipe. So as a bonus, canned pineapple lets you make this tropical dish year-round!
Make sure to select chunks, not tidbits. Tidbits are about half the size of a chunks, which I guess would be fine, but for more of a nice mouthful of pineapple, I prefer chunks.
Do NOT use pineapple chunks packed in syrup or else your chicken will taste far too sweet and the sauce will likely also be the wrong consistency.
Possibly, but you also need the pineapple juice from the canned pineapple to make this recipe. For that reason, I suggest sticking with canned pineapple chunks.
Go for it! I suggest using veggies with a similar cook time as the bell peppers. You could try adding chopped zucchini, mushrooms, snap peas, green beans, and if you want to bulk up the dish, saute a yellow or sweet Vidalia onion along with the chicken chunks.
Rice wine vinegar is a mildly acidic, lightly sweet vinegar made from fermented rice. You might see it labeled as ‘rice wine vinegar’ at your local grocery store — the two products are the exact same thing!
If you don’t have rice vinegar, try replacing it with apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar is more acidic and fruitier in flavor, but it should work well in this recipe.
No, I don’t recommend omitting the cornstarch. Cornstarch is a powerhouse ingredient that not only thickens the sauce, but makes it smooth and cling-worthy so it sticks to the chicken, veggies, and pineapple chunks.
We didn’t find this to be spicy at all. The red pepper flakes just add a touch of flavor but no real heat. If you’d like to make the sauce spicier, you’re welcome to add more, to taste. A tiny pinch (1/8 tsp) of cayenne pepper is my recommendation for adding a bit more spiciness. Of course, always dial the heat in to your personal preferences.
Yes, but like most any recipe, it’s best hot and fresh from the skillet. If you want to meal prep this recipes, it’s fine to store portions of it in individual containers with cooked rice on the side and then just zap the container in the microwave for 30-60 seconds, or as needed.
What to Serve with Skillet Pineapple Chicken
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Fridge: Store leftover chicken and pineapple in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
Freezer: I don’t particularly recommend freezing this recipe. The bell peppers and pineapple will change texture once frozen and thawed, although everyone’s preferences vary.
To Reheat: Warm individual portions in the microwave in approximately 30-second intervals.
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Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken Skillet
Ingredients
Sauce
- ½ cup pineapple juice from a 15-ounce can canned pineapple chunks, reserve the chunks for later (make sure to select pineapple packed in juice, NOT in syrup)
- ¼ cup chicken broth, I use reduced sodium
- 3 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger , (or use freshly grated)
- 1 to 2 garlic cloves, finely minced (or 1/2 to 1 teaspoon garlic powder, to taste)
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
Chicken and Veggies
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 to 1 ¼ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced into bite-sized pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste if desired
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 3 cups bell peppers, seeded and diced into small pieces (I used 1 cup each of red, orange, and yellow peppers, mix-and-match as desired)
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- Pineapple chunks, that were reserved (from the 15-ounce can)
- Green onions, optional for garnishing and to taste
- Sesame seeds, optional for garnishing and to taste
Instructions
- Sauce – To a medium bowl, add all the sauce ingredients, and whisk to combine, set aside. Set the pineapple chunks aside from the can of canned pineapple to be used later.
- Chicken – To a large skillet, add the olive oil, chicken, evenly season with salt and pepper, and saute over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, or until chicken is done and cooked through. Stir and flip intermittently to ensure even cooking. When chicken is done, remove it using a slotted spoon and set it aside on a plate.
- Peppers – To the same skillet (don't wipe it out), add the peppers, add a bit more olive oil if needed, and saute over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, or until as crisp-tender as desired. Stir and flip intermittently to ensure even cooking.
- Add the Sauce – Whisk the sauce for a couple seconds again to redistribute the honey which may have settled, and then add it to the skillet with the peppers, noting it will bubble up and steam when you add it. Allow it to simmer for about 2 minutes; stir very frequently to encourage it to thicken.
- Add the Chicken + Pineapple – Add the chicken back in, add the reserved pineapple chunks, and stir to combine, tossing and flipping the ingredients to ensure that everything is coated in sauce. Cook for about 1-2 minutes, just until the chicken and pineapple are warm. Taste and if desired, add additional salt, pepper, sprinkle more ground ginger, red pepper flakes, etc., to taste. Flavor Tips – If the dish tastes at all boring or flat, it likely needs additional salt, so don't be afraid to add it. The same is true for pepper, but it's less critical usually than salt.
- Serve immediately. I recommend serving it with rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa, etc. or some sort of grain to soak up the sauce.
- Storage – Recipe will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months, noting that there will be texture changes to the peppers and pineapple after you freeze/thaw it. Reheat as desired in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This was delicious and easy! Even my picky husband, who doesn’t like sweet anything, loved it. Thanks, Averie! I’ll definitely be trying more of your recipes.
Thanks for the 5 star review, Linda, and I am glad this was a hit even with Mr. Picky :) I am glad it didn’t read too sweet for him because it really doesn’t – it’s nice and well balanced. I hope you try more of my recipes!
I made this for dinner last night. Loved this recipe, my honey said it reminds him of one his mother used to make!
Thanks for the 5 star review, Martha, and I am glad this gave your honey nice memories of something his mother used to make!