Easy Crock Pot Hawaiian Chicken made with pineapple juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, onion powder & garlic for a simple, flavorful weeknight meal!
Updated March 2026 to add flavor and adjust cooking time for chicken. Enjoy!
This Crock Pot Hawaiian Chicken is very simple but my whole family loves it and it’s easy to serve with rice and a vegetable on the side for a well-balanced meal. All you need is chicken, pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, onion powder and garlic – all ingredients that are easy to keep on hand!
This Hawaiian Chicken recipe can be made with fresh or frozen chicken tenders, although it can be made with chicken thighs or breasts as well. The chicken cooks in about 4-5 hours on low, or 2-3 hours on high.
Ingredients in Easy Crock Pot Hawaiian Chicken
-2 lbs. chicken tenders, thighs or chicken breasts
-1 cup pineapple juice or 8 oz pineapple tidbits (with juice!)
-⅓ cup soy sauce
-⅓ cup brown sugar
-2 tsp minced garlic
-1 ½ tsp onion powder
How to make the best Crock Pot Chicken
Crock pot chicken is a staple in our family! Here are a few tips that will help you have the most flavorful, tender chicken ever:
- Use defrosted chicken. Yes, technically you can use frozen chicken, although it will add cooking time and to be honest, I think it results in a tougher bite.
- Cook on LOW. Again, you can technically cook on high, but again, the texture of the chicken is so much better when you cook on low.
- Thicken the sauce at the end! Because the chicken gives off liquid as it cooks, the sauce will thin a bit. It’s easy to use cornstarch to thicken it, and it just takes a few minutes at the end of the cooking process. Don’t skip it!
How to add more flavor to Hawaiian Chicken
Our family really enjoys simple meals, but as my kids have grown older and their palates have matured, they’re good with more flavor! Hallelujah. Here are some ideas:
- I re-vamped the recipe after a few years and added onion powder and minced garlic to the sauce. These two simple additions make such a difference!
- Like a kick of heat? Add a few shakes of red pepper flakes!
- Instead of just using pineapple juice, you can swap out with crushed pineapple or pineapple tidbits. I love the added pineapple flavor in each bite!
- Swap out the soy sauce and brown sugar with about 1 ¼ cups of prepared teriyaki sauce. Our favorite comes from a local Hawaiian restaurant and is OMG so good.
EASY SLOW COOKER HAWAIIAN CHICKEN
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken tenders thighs or chicken breasts
- 1 cup pineapple juice or 8 oz pineapple tidbits with juice
- ⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 ½ tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp minced garlic
Instructions
- Place the chicken tenders in the Crock Pot and then add the pineapple juice, soy sauce and brown sugar. Place the lid on the slow cooker and turn on low for 4-5 hours or 2-3 hours on high.
- At the end of the cooking time, remove the lid and shred the chicken with two forks. The meat should pull apart very easily and should all be shredded and ready to eat within a few minutes!
- TO THICKEN THE SAUCE: About 30 minutes before you are ready to eat, turn the slow cooker to high heat. In a small bowl, mix 2 TBSP cornstarch with a ladle-ful of sauce from the crockpot. Stir together with a spoon until the cornstarch is dissolved and then pour back into the crockpot. Stir to combine.
- INSTANT POT INSTRUCTIONS: Place all ingredients in the IP. Pour ¼ cup chicken broth on top and do not stir in. Place lid on and cook on high pressure for 11-12 minutes, depending on size of pieces of chicken. NP release for 10 minutes. Follow directions for thickening sauce above.
- Serve chicken & sauce over hot cooked rice & enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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What to serve with Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken
Hawaiian chicken pairs very well with rice. I usually just make plain rice to go with it but it is absolutely delicious with Coconut Rice recipe! Pineapple is a wonderful side dish because of the pineapple flavor in the chicken, although any tropical fruit (papaya, mango, etc) would also go very well with this Hawaiian chicken recipe. Most green vegetables also complement this dish very well – broccoli, asparagus, green beans or even a nice side salad would work well.
How to make perfect rice in the Instant Pot
This Hawaiian Chicken is best served on top of rice. For years, I made rice in a rice cooker which works well but when I got my Instant Pot and realized how well it worked for making rice, I got rid of the rice cooker. My kitchen isn’t very big and I don’t have room for too many gadgets at once!
After a little bit of experimentation, the Instant Pot cooks rice perfectly every single time! You can use the Rice button on your instant pot, but I have found the rice to cook even better when using the following method. I just use a regular long grain white rice.
- Add the rice and water to the Instant Pot at a 1:1 ratio. 1 cup rice? Add 1 cup of water. 4 cups of rice? 4 cups of water. No matter how much rice you have, the ratio stays the same.
- Seal the Instant Pot and cook the rice on high pressure for 3 minutes.
- Let the pressure naturally release. This will take about 10-15 minutes but results in perfectly cooked rice! If you quick release, the rice won’t be done and if you cook the rice longer because you want to quick release, the rice will be mushy.
With the time that you need to allow the Instant Pot to get to pressure, the cooking time and the time to naturally release the pressure, it takes about 30 minutes to cook the rice. Not much faster than a rice cooker but so nice to be able to cook rice without having to keep an eye on it AND also being able to use an appliance that can do so many more things!
I actually got a small Instant Pot several months after getting my larger one – that way if I’m using the larger one to make the main dish, I can use the smaller one for rice. Absolutely love it – the 3 quart one works great for rice!
Like our Sweet Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken? Here are some easy Chicken Recipes you’ll want to make again and again:
- Once you make one easy chicken dinner, you’ll be hooked and want more! Our Best Homemade Chicken Strips are always a crowd pleaser, and our McDonald’s Copycat Chicken Nuggets are a guaranteed hit with the kids. If you love chicken off the grill, our BBQ Chicken Bacon Pineapple Kabobs are packed with flavor and perfect for summer!
- If easy slow cooker meals are your thing, you’ll also love our Slow Cooker Chicken Alfredo Soup — it’s creamy, comforting and so simple to throw together. Our Ranch Chicken Cheese Dip is another fan favorite that disappears fast at any gathering!
- For something a little different, our Chicken Pasta Salad is fresh, filling and perfect for potlucks, and our Easy Smoked Chicken Legs are fall-off-the-bone delicious. Happy cooking!
Easy Crock Pot Hawaiian Chicken made with pineapple juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, onion powder & garlic for a simple, flavorful weeknight meal!
Susan Lancaster says
no print option here, UGH!
Nellie says
Susan- you should see a Print Recipe button at the top of the post that will take you straight to the printable version of the recipe. Enjoy!
Ryan says
Love how easy and delicious this recipe is! My whole family enjoyed it!
B says
What is an alternative to the pineapple juice? I get heartburn from pineapples
Nellie says
You could probably use apple juice or a white grape juice? Both would add sweetness without using the pineapple juice.
Megan says
I have made this recipe a lot of times and love it but I’m wondering…do you have nutrition facts for it? I just found out my son has type 1 diabetes and I’m looking for a nutrition label
For carbs. Just curious if I’m overlooking it?
Nellie says
I just added the nutrition info to the recipe card on the post. So glad you enjoy the recipe!
Melissa says
Silly question, but can you substitute pineapple chucks in lieu of pineapple juice? I don’t have pineapple juice on hand but recently cut up a fresh pineapple. If not, I do have apple juice I can use instead.
Jessica says
I think that’d work perfectly Melissa!
Jason McDonald says
Made this today. Even though I was home all day I still used the low slow cook and let go for 8 hours. I did something a little different at the 6.5-hour mark I shredded the chicken, added corn starch mix, but also added green and red bell peppers. The last 90 minutes on high cook was a huge hit and I 100% be making this again in the near future. Next time I’m going to double the batch and can a bunch in mason jars to heat at work for lunch.
Nellie says
Great additions to the recipe – I’m going to have to try those!
Carol says
My husband and I loved this easy meal! Thank you – delicious!
CM in Oside
Nellie says
So glad you enjoyed it Carol!
Paula Clifton says
I’m sorry but this was awful. We threw it out and ate cereal for dinner. The chicken was over cooked and the sauce tasted horrible. I followed all directions to a t. Do not make this.
Nellie says
Sounds like something went wrong! Crockpot cooking isn’t an exact science…I’ve had some slow cookers that cook much faster and some that cook a bit slower. Sounds yours might be a little bit on the fast side!
John F Blackwelder says
Made this the other night. Horrible sauce, very runny and not much flavor. Don’t try it eat a hot dog instead. That’s what we did.
Nellie says
So sorry it didn’t turn out for you! It’s one of our favorites so I’m not sure what happened.
Ian says
Thought I would make a quick meal to watch Super Bowl. I’ve been a cook for over 60 years and this was the most disappointing meal I have ever made. Lacked a whole lot of everything. Never again
Jessica says
Sorry to hear that! It has 1/3 cup soy sauce + 1/2 cup brown sugar and pineapple juice. That’s a lot of flavor! Did you use more than 2lbs of chicken?
Skeeter says
I’m sorry as well 🤣, I was so excited,, bought extra supplies that would not haven’t just for this recipe and it was super sweet and that was all we could taste, it didn’t have any flavor that we could taste!!!! It did cook tender of course because I have I have an amazing crockpot!!!
Nellie says
So sorry it didn’t work out for you! It’s one of our favorite meals and we make it often…it definitely has some sweetness to it, but it shouldn’t be overly sweet. The soy sauce should help counter the sweetness of the pineapple and brown sugar.
Stephanie says
This is a good base. To flavor things a bit more, I would suggest adding some diced onion and garlic. Season the chicken maybe with some red cayenne pepper or paprika. I also used a whole can of chunk pineapple. You can also use a pressure cooker for this recipe to speed the process. Overall, I enjoyed it over a bowl of rice. Perfect for an autumn day.
Brittany says
This is a staple in our family! Super delicious!
Nicole says
So glad you like it!
Cody says
Very good and flavorful! I made this in my instant pot in high pressure for 20 mins, with a 10 minute natural release. I also swapped 1 cup pineapple juice for 1 c. Crushed pineapple, and just added 1/4 cup water to make sure there was enough moisture. Then I thickened the sauce on sauté mode after releasing pressure using cornstarch and water mixed. Will be making in the instantpot lots now!
Jessica says
So glad to hear you enjoyed it Cody!!
Jayne says
My daughter made this and it was a hit by all, including our 4 year old grand son. I’m giving it a go however did not have low sodium soy sauce, just the regular. Hope it turns out as good as hers!
Paula says
I followed the recipe to a T. Sorry but one of the worst meals I’ve ever made and I’m in my 70’s. Thin as water and too sweet. Chicken was way overcooked. I would have been happier with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, hot dog, or bowl of cereal.
Nellie says
So sorry it didn’t work out for you! Sounds like something went wrong…maybe your crockpot runs hotter than mine?
Lena says
Haven’t made it yet but could I use chicken thighs instead of breasts? I don’t have any breasts.
Nellie says
That should work just fine!
LINDA K DAMSCHRODER says
ok this sounds DELICIOUS I HAVE A QUESTION what if you bought already shredded chicken we have a store here that sells it and it is easy peasy to use for recipes . I was thinking of just adding the ingredients from your recipe to it and it would not take hours. What do you think?
Nellie says
I’ve never tried it that way, but I’m guessing it will work just fine. Let us know if you experiment!