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Home » Dinner » Pineapple Chicken

April 15, 2018 By Sara 87 Comments

Pineapple Chicken

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This pineapple chicken is a stir fry of chicken, pineapple and vegetables all tossed in a sweet and savory sauce. Serve this Chinese style pineapple chicken over rice for an easy dinner that everyone will love!

In the mood for something tropical for dinner? Try some pineapple chicken with sauteed chicken thighs, chunks of fresh pineapple and crisp red bell peppers. You can have this easy meal on the table in less than 30 minutes.

Pineapple Chicken | Hawaiian Chicken | Chicken Stir Fry #pineapple #chicken #dinner #stirfry #dinneratthezoo

Pineapple chicken stir fry in a skillet, topped with sauce, sesame seeds and green onions.

I’m constantly searching for easy chicken dinners that my whole family will love, and I’m happy to say that this quick and easy pineapple chicken is always a huge hit! It’s essentially a chicken stir fry with the addition of juicy pineapple, and the sauce is also infused with pineapple flavor. You’ll feel like you’re on a tropical vacation when you serve this dish for dinner.

How to make pineapple chicken

The basis of this dish is chicken thighs, pineapple and red bell peppers. These ingredients are sauteed to golden brown, then flavored with garlic and ginger and tossed in a sweet and savory sauce. Add some rice on the side, and you’ve got a complete meal. If you’re feeling really fancy, you can even serve this dinner in a hollowed out pineapple for a fun presentation.

A skillet of cooked chicken, pineapple and red bell peppers.

You can use either fresh or canned pineapple here, but I wouldn’t recommend frozen pineapple. If you use a can of pineapple, be sure to reserve the juice to use in the sauce. I use a red bell pepper here because it adds flavor and crunch, but you could use a different colored pepper if you prefer. A yellow or orange pepper tastes the same as a red pepper if you’ve got one of those on hand. Sometimes I also add a little chopped onion for extra flavor.

A skillet of pineapple chicken with a wooden spatula in it.

I like to make this dish with chicken thighs because it’s more traditional, and the dark meat chicken adds a little bit of richness to the recipe. If you’re a white meat fan, you can absolutely use cut up chicken breasts in lieu of the thighs.

I finish this dish with sesame seeds and green onions, but if you don’t have those garnishes on hand, don’t even worry about it. You can omit those finishing touches and still end up with a fabulous meal.

A skillet of pineapple chicken with chunks of chicken, pineapple and bell peppers..

I typically put a pot of rice on the stove at the same time as I start cooking my pineapple chicken, that way everything is done at the same time. Pineapple chicken with rice is really a complete meal as is, because you’ve got fruit, vegetables, protein and your starch. That being said, sometimes I add a side of steamed broccoli, because I don’t think it’s possible to eat too many green veggies!

Pineapple chicken stir fry over rice served inside half a pineapple.

While serving this meal inside a pineapple is clearly optional, it’s also super impressive and not a lot of work to pull off. It’s a great one to serve to company, or just to make a weeknight dinner feel a little more special.

More easy chicken recipes

  • Chicken Caprese
  • Baked Lemon Chicken
  • Chicken Santa Fe
  • Slow Cooker Orange Chicken
  • Monterey Chicken
Pineapple chicken stir fry in a skillet, topped with sauce, sesame seeds and green onions.
Print Pin
4.95 from 55 votes

Pineapple Chicken

This pineapple chicken is a stir fry of chicken, pineapple and vegetables all tossed in a sweet and savory sauce. Serve this Chinese style pineapple chicken over rice for an easy dinner that everyone will love!
Course Main
Cuisine Asian Fusion
Keyword pineapple chicken, pineapple chicken stir fry
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 393kcal
Author Sara Welch

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 red bell pepper seeded. cored and cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 cup pineapple chunks fresh or canned
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon minced ginger
  • 3/4 cup pineapple juice
  • 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup low sodium chicken broth
  • 1/3 cup hoisin sauce
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons corn starch
  • 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
  • 1 tablespoon sliced green onions
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste and add to the pan.
  • Cook the chicken for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through. 
  • Add the red bell pepper and pineapple to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes or until tender. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the pineapple juice, soy sauce, chicken broth, hoisin sauce and brown sugar.
  • Add the sauce mixture to the pan and bring to a simmer.
  • Mix the corn starch with 1 tablespoon of cold water; stir until smooth.
  • Add the cornstarch mixture to the pan and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute or until sauce has just thickened.
  • Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions, then serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 393kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 615mg | Potassium: 664mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 1030IU | Vitamin C: 55.7mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 2.4mg

Filed Under: Asian Food, Dinner, Featured Recipes Tagged With: Chicken, Pineapple

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Comments

  1. Jen says

    February 14, 2019 at 1:29 am

    5 stars
    I had a pineapple that needed to be cut so I tried this recipe tonight and it was a big hit with the family. I followed the recipe, adding half a chopped onion and thinly sliced carrots. This makes a lot of sauce so I’ll freeze half and make it again another time.

    Reply
    • Sara says

      February 14, 2019 at 9:21 am

      So happy to hear you enjoyed it, thank you for reporting back!

      Reply
  2. catbail says

    February 11, 2019 at 12:27 pm

    5 stars
    Prepared this without my glasses on, and added Worcester sauce instead of soy! Still tasted lovely though. It is sweet, but i like that. We all really enjoyed it – definitely one to make again (I guess I’ll use soy next time, but it would be hard to beat as it was).

    Reply
    • Sara says

      February 11, 2019 at 12:40 pm

      So happy to hear you enjoyed it, thanks for reporting back!

      Reply
  3. Alyssa says

    February 10, 2019 at 1:13 pm

    5 stars
    YUM!
    I had a can of pineapple opened because I needed some pieces of pineapple for my pizza. LOL
    I quickly googled pineapple chicken recipes and yours was the first up.
    I had all of the ingredients except hoisin sauce. I left it out and it still came out YUMMY!
    I made this today and ate it just now lol
    Husband said he’d remarry me in a second. lol
    Thanks for the recipe!

    Alyssa

    Reply
    • Sara says

      February 10, 2019 at 1:29 pm

      So happy to hear you enjoyed it, thank you for reporting back!

      Reply
  4. Kristen says

    January 4, 2019 at 3:36 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious and not too sweet! Even my picky 5 year old ate it. Thanks for posting!

    Reply
    • Sara says

      January 5, 2019 at 8:44 pm

      So glad you enjoyed it, thanks for reporting back!

      Reply
  5. Tramalian says

    December 31, 2018 at 3:36 am

    5 stars
    Thanks for the recipe! It was very tasty, will definitely do it again.

    Reply
    • Sara says

      December 31, 2018 at 9:13 am

      Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for reporting back!

      Reply
  6. Nnika Johnson says

    December 22, 2018 at 12:24 pm

    5 stars
    I’m tempted to add shrimp as well. What do you think?

    Reply
    • Sara says

      December 23, 2018 at 8:02 am

      I think that would be an excellent addition!

      Reply
  7. Charo Holloway says

    December 19, 2018 at 12:41 pm

    Can i make this recipe without the hoisin sauce?

    Reply
    • Sara says

      December 19, 2018 at 6:44 pm

      Yes that should work fine!

      Reply
  8. Will Stevens says

    November 29, 2018 at 11:40 am

    4 stars
    It worked pretty well, and certainly looked pretty. I’m likely to try it again. I did, however, omit the sugar completely, and, even then, the resulting dish was really quite sweet — by British standards. In the absence of advice, i served it with plain boiled rice, and that seemed right. By the way, shouldn’t the sesame seeds be toasted?

    Reply
    • Sara says

      November 29, 2018 at 1:01 pm

      Glad you enjoyed it! You can absolutely toast the sesame seeds if you prefer, it will work either way.

      Reply
  9. Margie says

    October 31, 2018 at 4:31 pm

    5 stars
    I made this adding a little broccoli and carrot. The recipe is easy and delicious!

    Reply
    • Sara says

      November 1, 2018 at 10:46 am

      So glad to hear you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  10. Rachel says

    July 23, 2018 at 9:18 am

    5 stars
    So happy I chanced upon this recipe. This is fantastic!

    Reply
  11. melony walker says

    May 27, 2018 at 4:32 pm

    5 stars
    Made this for dinner tonight and it was wonderful. I served it over white rice with a side of broccoli.

    Reply
  12. DR. Mantis toboggan says

    May 26, 2018 at 3:54 pm

    5 stars
    Pineapple and chicken!?!? I hope Satan isn’t watching .

    Reply
  13. Jack Smith | BBQRecipez.com says

    May 18, 2018 at 8:51 am

    5 stars
    Very tasty and a quick meal during the week!

    Reply
  14. Debbie says

    April 23, 2018 at 8:28 pm

    5 stars
    I just love stir fry recipes and the pineapple adds a new twist!

    Reply
  15. Annu says

    April 18, 2018 at 9:12 pm

    5 stars
    Sounds real easy and flavourful. Such a genius recipe!

    Reply
  16. Chichi says

    April 16, 2018 at 1:38 pm

    5 stars
    Omg. This looks sooo good. I love easy recipes like this and I know it will be delicious

    Reply
  17. Veena Azmanov says

    April 16, 2018 at 10:50 am

    5 stars
    Yum Yum Yum! I can’t WAIT to try this. Is good food and this looks like one of the BEST. Sounds totally delicious. Beautiful presentation. Thank you for this great recipe!

    Reply
  18. Jacque Hastert says

    April 16, 2018 at 10:27 am

    5 stars
    I am in LOVE with all these flavors! I can’t wait to make this dish.

    Reply
  19. Adriana Lopez Martin says

    April 16, 2018 at 10:23 am

    5 stars
    Stir fries are so easy to make and so flavorful, yours looks scrumptious I am sure it is so tasty! Glad you used chicken thighs as those have so much flavor too.

    Reply
  20. Britt | Sweet Tea and Thyme says

    April 16, 2018 at 10:17 am

    5 stars
    This is so pretty and colorful! And I love the pineapple presentation, I might give this a go and see how my family likes it. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
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With 3 young kids, dinner can feel like feeding time at the zoo! I'm a mom on a mission to create easy, healthy and family friendly recipes ...Read More
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