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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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
Pineapple Chicken
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.
Chrissy says
Made this tonight and it was fabulous. I was afraid it would be very sweet so I cut back on sugar and add the onions with peppers. Best recipe I have liked so much in quite a while. Thanks for sharing.
Sharon H says
really good, next time I will use a 20 oz can of pineapple and 2 red peppers
Mark Maxwell says
Just made this recipe for dinner. What a great combination of flavors! Served with egg roll and jasmine rice.
Susan says
I doubled the recipe . I made my own housing sauce. Just delicious. I suggest preparing all ingredients before starting to cook.
Bonnie Stanchiu says
Yes, prepping ingrédients in advance helps because this gets done FAST. I was surprised that I actually had a jar of hoisin sauce in the house. I followed the recipe exactly. Next time I will add extra vegetables. I used chicken breast and yellow bell pepper. Next time I may use chicken thighs.
Sarah says
Do you think this can be made in a slow cooker or instapot?
Sara says
I think it would probably be ok but I haven’t tested it that way!
Connie Wright says
Absolutely delicious. Will definitely share recipe with friends. Thank you
Steve K says
This turned out very good. I ended up adding a little onion and a chopped jalapeño. I couldn’t find pineapple juice, so I used a 6 oz can of pineapple-orange. Overall I felt there was too much sauce, so I made a note to halve it next time. Overall it was very good though and I will certainly make it again.
Christine Segatti says
Very good!! Quick, easy, and so tasty. I love recipes that aren’t fussy. This was just perfect. Thanks!
Tara says
Oh wow! I love all the color and the chicken looks amazing served in the pineapple. So much flavor!
Vixenvena says
Love it! Wish it had more pineapple!
Boozy Lifestyle says
Excellent recipe. Easy to make with ingredients on-hand. Pineapple juice makes the sauce extra delicious!
Bonnie says
This was so very good! I added some broccoli & chopped onion. Next time i’ll make a double batch!!
Suzanne says
Really good! I didn’t have hoisin sauce, so I left it out. I added a bit of red pepper flakes and some sweet Thai sauce to kick the spice up a notch, and I ate it over cauliflower rice. I will definitely make this again!
Gail Glasgow says
For Mother’s Day I asked my son to make lunch and I chose this recipe for him to try. It was wonderful! Also the sauce went well with the rice & egg rolls he served along with the dish. Great recipe and instructions! I will add this recipe to our regular lineup! Made for a really nice Mother’s Day present!
Barb says
This was so delicious! I didn’t have chicken so I used shrimp. Definitely a keeper!!
Bonnie says
I agrée. Great instructions. Great results. I did not serve in the pineapple. But, that présentation is beautiful.
Charlene says
I made this recipe for my husband, who normally doesn’t care for Asian-style recipes, and my son, who is just incredibly picky. They both loved this recipe! I have added it to my menu rotation to serve on a regular basis. I also shared it with my grown children who also loved it and are now serving it to their families.
Denise says
I love this recipe. I made it for my overly picky husband who says he doesn’t care for pineapple and my son who doesn’t like chicken and they both loved it. I made it just as the recipe stated but I think next time I might put a little more pineapple just because it was so good. I am adding this to my weekly rotation Thank you.
Marcia says
This was very good and I will definitely make it again. I used fresh pineapple, a couple tsp Mariani Uncrystallized Ginger, 1 clove fresh garlic, and sweet onion rather than green onions, and served it over brown rice. I will add more veggies next time… almost any veggies on hand will do to make this a healthier, more complete meal.
Marcia says
Just a question… did you use fresh garlic and ginger or dried from a spice bottle?
Sara says
I use fresh garlic and ginger!
Jill O says
Oh my, this was good. Just what I wanted. I followed the recipe pretty closely, except I used chicken tenders cut up, which I was careful not to overcook. I used fresh pineapple, which has been particularly good at my grocery store recently.I added a little extra chicken broth to ensure plenty of sauce. I had green onion and sesame seeds on hand so I used them as recommended for garnish. It was so delicious, really just perfect, and easy too. Thank you for posting!
Carol says
Quick, easy recipe! Thank you!!
Leigh says
This was a delicious recipe. I made it on the spur of the moment so I had to improvise a few ingredients as I did not have them. Even so, it turned out great. Thank you for sharing.