Weeknight Dinner Win: Quick and Easy Hawaiian Chicken Recipe

Hawaiian Chicken is a delicious and easy-to-make dish that is perfect for busy weeknights or for entertaining guests. This sweet and savory dish is made with juicy chicken chunks, flavorful sauce, and sweet pineapple, making it a well-rounded meal that is both satisfying and nutritious. Whether you’re looking for a simple dinner idea or want to impress your dinner party guests, this recipe is sure to be a fave!

Ingredients

• boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• butter
• soy sauce
• pineapple tidbits
• honey
• sugar
• cloves and ginger (see note below)
• flour (gluten-free? see note below)
• Green onions, optional.
• Cooked rice, optional. (try my Instant Pot Rice– it’s easy!)

Key Ingredient Tips

• My family prefers chicken breasts but chicken thighs are absolutely delicious in this!
• Drain the pineapple tidbits but save the juice to thin out your sauce, if needed!
• Honey can be subbed for brown sugar with great success!
• Cloves and ginger, or cloves and cinnamon, or cinnamon and ginger…one of those combos of warm spices will give you the best flavor!

Can this be made gluten-free?

Hawaiian Chicken can easily be made gluten-free! You can simply use a gluten-free substitute for the flour when it’s time to thicken the sauce. One great option is to use a cornstarch slurry. (Double-check your label to be sure the brand of cornstarch you use is gluten-free.) Or, of course, sub your fave gluten-free flour for the all-purpose one.

Variations:

• Use full chicken breasts. Be sure to add additional cooking time for the larger breasts.
• Try using other proteins such as shrimp, beef, or even tofu.
• Add any vegetable of your choice. Cook them until they are crisp-tender and then add them to the sauce with the chicken.
  • Chopped bell peppers
  • Snow peas
  • Onions
  • Tiny corn cobs
  • Broccoli
• Add extra flavor by using different spices such as chili powder, cumin, or coriander.
• Add finely chopped nuts like peanuts, cashews, or sesame seeds.

How to Make Hawaiian Chicken

1. Melt your butter in a large skillet. Add chicken and cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
2. Immediately add the pineapple, soy sauce, honey, sugar, and spices to the pan scraping the bottom a bit to bring up the browned bits. Let the sauce come to a boil.
3. Turn the heat down a bit so it is lightly simmering but not boiling hard. Push aside the pineapple and add the flour or cornstarch slurry to the liquid, slowly…whisking with a fork as you add it.
4. Add enough flour to bring the sauce to the thickness you prefer. If necessary, add some of the saved juice to thin out the sauce.
5. Remove the sauce from the heat, and add the chicken.
6. Serve on top of cooked rice with chopped green onions.

Tips for Prep:

1. To get a nice golden brown chicken don’t be tempted to repeatedly stir your chicken while it cooks. Let it sit and brown stirring only as needed.
2. Pro-tip to avoid lumpy sauce, stir the flour and a bit of pineapple juice into a glass to create a slurry. Add the slurry (instead of the raw flour) to the sauce a bit at a time until the thickness you want.
3. The sauce will continue to thicken as it sits, keep that in mind as you add the flour.

How to Store?

To keep your Hawaiian Chicken fresh, store it in an air-tight container in the fridge. It should keep for about 3 days. (And it makes for some delicious leftovers!)

What goes well with Hawaiian chicken?

For me, Hawaiian Chicken must be served with a side of rice. And it doesn’t get much easier than Instant Pot rice. Or try it with some fried rice. If you’re looking to round out the meal with some veggies, try a nice side salad, coleslaw, or steamed broccoli.