I’m not sure where I came up with this idea. Maybe I read it somewhere, saw something similar in a magazine, or maybe I was just desperate to get something on the table for dinner. I’m not entirely sure. But this clean eating slow cooker pineapple chicken verde recipe was a hit!
I get my inspiration as I’m driving along on the freeway, or when Mini Chef asks for some strange concoction, or even still from Pinterest or from some random photo in a book somewhere. Creating recipes is my passion. I love every second of it. I love playing with flavor combinations in my mind, or going to my cabinet to see what I have on hand as a challenge. Creating recipes is, for me, much like painting is to a painter. My pots and pans are my canvas, and food is my paint. A splash of broth here or a smattering of spices there, it really is an artistic sort of outlet for me. I love to create things, and food is an endless medium for creation.
This time around, I kept my creation very simplistic. But I find that beauty often lays in simplicity, and this dish was no exception. This chicken would be wonderful used for tacos, or simply served with some rice and veggies.
YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY THESE CLEAN EATING SLOW COOKER RECIPES:
WANT A SMALL SLOW COOKER LIKE MINE?
Give this 1.5 quart slow cooker a try. It’s totally affordable at under $15!!
WATCH THIS VIDEO TO SEE HOW FAST AND EASY THIS IS TO MAKE!
RECIPES USED:
Clean Eating Slow Cooker Pineapple Chicken Verde Recipe:
- 2 large chicken breasts (about 7 oz. each)
- 1 cup crushed pineapple no sugar added, packed in pineapple juice
- 1/2 cup clean chili verde sauce (store-bought or homemade - see link above)
Place the chicken breasts in your slow cooker.
Pour 1/2 cup crushed pineapple over each chicken breast.
Pour 1/4 cup chili verde sauce over each chicken breast.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours or until the chicken easily falls apart when poked at with a fork.
Serving Suggestions: Serve over brown rice or quinoa and with a green side salad.
Please note that the nutrition data below is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.
From the Gracious Pantry archives. Originally posted March 11, 2013.
Sheila says
OK this sounds so good! I will be making this tonight.
Jessamyn Patterson says
Got this in my email this morning and am making it tonight! I am using fresh pineapple since I have a kiddo with a metal allergy but I am very excited! Serving with rice pilaf, roasted asparagus and green garden salad (kale, spinach, green leafy etc..) I am excited its cooking now! <3
The Gracious Pantry says
I hope you enjoy it. 🙂
Lindsay says
Wow! How simple and yummy! I love adding pineapple to about everything so I am excited to try this!!
Pam K. says
I just discovered your website and it’s outstanding! I will be trying your recipes and I think so many women can relate to your story. Thanks for sharing and keep up the great work you do.
The Gracious Pantry says
Thanks Pam!
Heather says
This was an easy and quick recipe! It was great with rice but I think ill try tacos next time! I added some jalapeños to add a kick to it. It was great!! Thank you!!!
Dannnie says
This is amazing! I made it last night, and it didn’t look like the picture exactly, it was muh more liquidy. But the flavor was to die for!
kelli says
This looks and sounds inceredible. I do have to track my calories though and I don’t see any information. I know it varies, but with what you used, how many calories are in this dish?
The Gracious Pantry says
Once you have your verde sauce, you can enter the entire recipe into a nutrition calculator on line. It really will depend on the sauce.
Leslie says
Drain the pineapple or not?
The Gracious Pantry says
If it’s crushed pineapple, no. If it’s chunks, yes, you can drain it.
Kathy says
Just made this! LOVE IT!!!
Robyn says
I’m new to clean eating so this might be a silly question. How do I know if chili Verde is clean? No trader Joe’s around here.
The Gracious Pantry says
This should help: https://www.thegraciouspantry.com/reading-labels-for-clean-eating/
Jolene Ann says
Can this be made with fresh pineapple?
The Gracious Pantry says
Jolene – Sure!
deb thomas says
Oh my goodness. I have been wanting to make this recipe for awhile now and am finally getting around to it. The smell coming from my kitchen is amazing. I have brown rice going to eat it over. I threw in some sliced fresh jalapeno for some kick and will probably top with some chopped fresh cilantro. Not sure what green side I will have yet, maybe a salad with home-made cilantro avocado dressing.
The Gracious Pantry says
Deb – Sounds like a wonderful dinner!
Jessica Grimes says
Making this tonight over brown rice and some roasted Brussels sprouts! YUM!
The Gracious Pantry says
Jessica – Sounds wonderful!
Katie says
Made this today! It was wonderful and my 6 and 7 year olds ate seconds! Also, want to add that it was perfectly done right at 4 hours, I shredded it in the crock pot and turned it to the warm setting while I cooked my rice! Loved it.
The Gracious Pantry says
Katie – Fantastic! 🙂
Mona says
This recipe looks so yummy and easy! I already bought the pineapple and the chili verde sauce from Trader Joe’s. When I use the crock pot, I prefer to cook on a high setting. Would it be possible to cook this recipe for a shorter time on high? Thanks.
The Gracious Pantry says
Mona – If the chicken is raw (which it should be), not frozen, you’ll probably get it cooked on high in about 3-4 hours. Just be very sure the chicken is completely cooked. It should easily shred when stirred.
Mona says
Would it be possible to use drumsticks or thighs for this recipe?
The Gracious Pantry says
Mona – You could, but you’ll obviously want to remove the bones before stirring it up to shred it.
JoAnn says
Hi! I’ve recently started to clean up my diet and your website is AWESOME!!
Quick question on this recipe: the ingredients lists 1 cup pineapple and 1/2 cup chili verde sauce, but the directions say to add half those amounts in to crock pot- am I reserving the rest for a side sauce?
The Gracious Pantry says
JoAnn – No, since you are putting 2 breasts in, you will put half the sauce on one and half the sauce on the other. Sorry for the confusion.
JoAnn says
Thank you! It DOES say over each chicken breast doesn’t it?!? :/ Am running home on lunch break to get it going and can’t wait to try tonight over some quinoa!!
The Gracious Pantry says
JoAnn – Yes, it does. I believe it’s step 2. 🙂
Katie says
If I was going to add jalepeno, should I just wait until it’s completely cooked or should I add them earlier?
The Gracious Pantry says
Katie – I would add it in to begin with and cook it with everything else.
Ronda says
Silly question…No Trader Joes here & all I could find at my local Hy-Vee is Salsa Verde. Is this the same as Cili Verde?
Also, I need to make this for our large family & will be using 6-7 chicken breasts. I’m assuming I just adjust the other two ingredients accordingly?
Thanks SO much! Love your recipes. Just made the spinach & strawberry salad with strawberry vinegarette tonight…Loved it!!!
The Gracious Pantry says
Ronda – It’s hard to say without seeing the bottle, but my guess is that they are indeed the same. And yes, just use a larger slow cooker and multiply the salsa and pineapple accordingly. I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Ronda says
*Chili Verde 🙂
Allison says
I just made this tonight and it was AMAZING. It was just the right amount of spice to be interesting, but the pineapple made it sweet, too.
The Gracious Pantry says
Allison – Thanks for letting me know! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Kendall says
I left this in the slow cooker for my hubby since I had to work late yesterday. He looooves spicy food so I tossed in some extra hatch green chiles I had. This recipe is to die for! Thanks so much for all you do- I have made a ton of your recipes and they have all turned out wonderfully. I couldn’t talk my husband into clean eating until I made him some of your recipes- now he believes me when I say, “Just because it’s clean, doesn’t mean it won’t be delicious!”
The Gracious Pantry says
Kendall – Awww, thank you! That’s the best kind of compliment! 😀
sarah pena says
so is this spicy or what is the flavor like
The Gracious Pantry says
sarah pena – the slow cooker really mellows the actual spice. So I wouldn’t say this is really spicy. Have you ever had a green salsa?
Sarah says
My kids LOVE this rolled up in corn tortillas!
The Gracious Pantry says
Sarah – Awesome!! 🙂
Jeanette says
So is it the Salsa Verde from Trader Joe’s? I didn’t find a chill verde sauce, just TJ’s Salsa Verde. Thanks!
The Gracious Pantry says
Jeanette – Yup! clear bottle, white and green label, green sauce. That’s the one!
Leah says
Does anyone know where you can buy the Chili Verde in Australia? I can’t find it anywhere and wanted to make it this week 🙁
The Gracious Pantry says
Leah – Have you tried amazon.com? It might not arrive by this week, but it’s an option…
Cheryl says
I’m new to clean eating, and have a general and/or specific question. I have a poultry allergy (actually anything with feathers, birds too). Do you think I could substitute pork chops or pork loin for the chicken? Thanks!
The Gracious Pantry says
Cheryl – I don’t see why not. Should work fine. Let me know how it goes!
Amy says
Hi! I’m trying to get back into doing some freezer meal preparations. Would this recipe freeze well? I would assume, if it does, I could put the chicken in a bag and then cover them with the pineapple and chilli verde sauce and freeze?
The Gracious Pantry says
Amy – I would just cook everything and freeze in portions. Unless you are trying to pre-prep meals. In that case, yes. The way you describe would work. 🙂
Lynn says
I really enjoyed this recipe except that I find chicken always gets dry when I cook it in the slow cooker. Can you recommend a modification for the oven? Thanks in advance! This was my first recipe if yours I have made and it won’t be the last.
The Gracious Pantry says
Lynn – If the meat is dry, chances are your slow cooker is too big for that amount of meat. You could make a double batch and freeze it, or get a smaller slow cooker. I’ve never made it in the oven, but I would guess you would just bake the chicken, shred it with forks or a processor, then mix everything else in.
Abigail says
I just found your website and this is the first recipe that I tried. It turned out delicious! I used 3 chicken breasts for a total of (5) 3/4 cup servings. I am eating it over cooked spinach for my lunch today. The flavors are wonderful!
The Gracious Pantry says
Abigail – Wonderful! I’m so happy you enjoyed it! 😀
Brigid says
Your video shows equal parts pineapple and salsa verde, but the recipe shows double pineapple from salsa verde. What is best? Thanks! I’m making it tomorrow.
The Gracious Pantry says
Brigid – Follow the recipe here on my blog. I may have made a mistake in the video. I hope you enjoy it!
Julie says
What size slow cooker do you use for this recipe? I’m thinking it would fit in my small 1.5-qt, but may take a longer cooking time.
The Gracious Pantry says
Julie – I used my small one as well, so if you follow the directions as stated, it should be okay. You may want to check with thermometer at the end though, just to be sure.
crystal says
Would I just double everything if I wanted to make extra
The Gracious Pantry says
Crystal – Sure!
Shea says
I made this tonight, and it’s a new favorite! The whole family loved it! I served them in hard taco shells with a bit of sour cream on top. Such a genius recipe. We have liked every one of your recipes so far
The Gracious Pantry says
Shea – Yay! That makes me so happy! Enjoy! 😀
nicole says
Making this now. I really wanted to cook the rice with it just like I do with cream of chicken and rice bit wasn’t sure if there was enough liquid in it. Any thoughts for next time?
The Gracious Pantry says
Nicole – Sorry, no. I didn’t formulate this recipe for cooking rice. In theory, you could use chicken broth as per package directions (subbing for water) and add the broth and rice to the pot. But I have no idea how that would turn out. If you try in, let me know how it goes! 🙂
Mindy gambrell says
Calorie content?
The Gracious Pantry says
Mindy – I no longer offer nutrition data. But MyFitnessPal.com has a great calculator. Very easy to use.
Feliza Koon says
Okay. I got the recipes mixed up. I had two I wanted to try so I put the chicken in the post, then the pineapple, then the salsa verde, then I added a bag of gold & white corn. (oops) – I hope it turns out okay. 🙂
The Gracious Pantry says
Feliza – I’m sure it will be fine. 🙂 Let me know how you like it!
Susan Quesada says
Hello, just stumbled onto this recipe. I’m considering making it into a freezer meal for my daughter who is away at college. She is very sensitive to spicy food. Is this spicy or does the pineapple cool it down? Thanks!
The Gracious Pantry says
Susan – That is totally dependent on the salsa verde sauce you use. The pineapple doesn’t really cut back on any actual spice, so you’ll want to use a very mild sauce.