Crock Pot Sticky Hawaiian Chicken cooks up wonderfully tender and is coated in a sweet and sticky sauce full of chopped pineapple. This easy slow cooker recipe tastes great served over rice or as a pulled chicken sandwich. It’s a meal the whole family will love and the crock pot does all the work.
Easy Prep
No pre-cooking needed. Just about 5 to 10 minutes of prep and 4 to 6 hours in the crock pot. Crock Pot Sticky Hawaiian Chicken makes a great meal anytime of year.
Type Of Chicken To Use
I use boneless, skinless chicken thighs because I love how tender and juicy they cook up in the crock pot with so much flavor. You could use chicken breasts instead if you wish.
Other Ingredients
Red bell pepper, onion, and onion flavor the sauce. The base of the sauce is brown sugar, ketchup, and soy sauce. Just simple, inexpensive ingredients you likely have on hand. I also like to add some crushed red pepper flakes to balance the sweetness of the sauce.
I take half of the pineapple rings, chop them and add them to the sauce. The other top I place on top for presentation.
Thicken The Sauce
After 4 to 6 hours in the crock pot, the chicken thighs can be easily shredded with 2 forks. If the sauce is too thin for your liking, add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with an equal amount of cold water. Mix it into the sauce and bring the sauce to a simmer either in the crock pot or in a saucepan.
How To Serve Crock Pot Sticky Hawaiian Chicken
I think Crock Pot Sticky Hawaiian Chicken makes a great meal over rice served with King’s Hawaiian Rolls.
More Crock Pot Chicken Recipes
- Crock Pot Bourbon Bacon Pulled Chicken
- Crock Pot Chicken and Noodles
- Crock Pot Chipotle Pulled Chicken
- Crock Pot Honey Soy Chicken with Broccoli
- Slow Cooker Crack Chicken Pasta
- Slow Cooker Garlic Parmesan Chicken
Crock Pot Sticky Hawaiian Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1/2 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 medium yellow or sweet onion, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup packed dark or light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger
- 2 (8-ounce) cans pineapple rings, undrained
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- sliced green onion, optional
Instructions
- Place the chicken thighs in a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the bell pepper and onion.
- In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, garlic, and ginger.Chop up the pineapple rings from 1 can and add to the ketchup mixture. Add the pineapple juice from the one can. Stir and pour over the chicken.
- Lay the pineapple rings from the second can on top of the chicken. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 6 hours.
- Remove the pineapple slices and set aside. Remove the chicken and shred it. Mix the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of cold water. Add to the crock pot and mix it in. Cover and cook on HIGH for 15 minutes to thicken.Return the chicken to the crock pot and stir it into the sauce. Place pineapple slices back on top.Serve with green onions if desired.
Nutrition
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Originally published July 22, 2014.
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I made this for supper tonight and have to agree with the person who said it’s a little bland. It smelled great as it cooked in the crock pot, but those smells didn’t translate to flavor when it was done. The flavor that was there was ok, but it just wasn’t flavorful enough. If I make it again, I’ll try some modifications to try and get more flavor. I’m hoping the leftovers will taste better tomorrow after they sit overnight, and hopefully some flavor will get into the actual chicken.
I really like the flavors and ease of this recipe but found it a little bland for my family’s taste. I followed the recipe exactly but my sauce was not dark like the photos above, maybe because I used light and not dark brown sugar? It also wasn’t particularly sticky. Next time I will use more crushed red pepper, onion, and dark brown sugar. The flavors were nice and the chicken was tender, just not quite enough “oomph,” looking forward to trying again.
Just made this…substituted one fresh, chopped pineapple, and cooked it in an Instapot in less than an hour (dumped everything in except the cornstarch +water…added it after cooking and shredding the chicken). It was amazing! Very flavorful, easy and quick! Pleased even my ‘picky’ eater. Served it on plain rice with milk bread rolls. Highly recommend and will definitely make again! Great recipe!
This looks and sounds delicious. And who doesn’t like for the crock pot to help cook their dinner. Gotta try it soon. 😋