Pineapple Chicken Recipe

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This is quite possibly the best pineapple chicken recipe ever. I know… I know… That’s a hard sell. But seriously, this stuff is delicious! I’ve made it both spicy and not spicy, and it’s fantastic either way.

Counter-level view of a bowl filled with Pineapple Chicken and rice.

This is a great dish for those nights when dinner has to be on the table fast because you still have a laundry list of things to do. Possibly, even laundry. This dish is quick, easy, and dinner will be on the table in under 30 minutes. Not bad for one little chicken dinner!

What’s So Great About This Recipe?

  1. Quick and easy – This chicken dinner comes together in just 20 minutes, so dinner at home on a busy weeknight is a breeze!
  2. Budget-friendly – It’s much cheaper than takeout and doesn’t need any hard-to-find ingredients.
  3. Versatility – You can make this gluten-free, soy-free, spicy, or not spicy. Your choice!
  4. Easy meal prep – Make a double batch so you have a delicious lunch for the week ahead.


Tools For This Recipe

To make this recipe, you’ll need a large skillet, a cutting board, a good knife, and some measuring cups and spoons.

Angled view of a white bowl full of Pineapple Chicken and rice.

Pro Recipe Tips

  1. If you don’t have enough sauce, you can add some more soy sauce and 2 tbsp. of the pineapple juice from the can.
  2. The garnishes really do add a lot of wonderful flavor to this dish. Don’t skip them!

What To Serve With Pineapple Chicken

Closeup of a white bowl filled with Pineapple Chicken over rice.

About The Ingredients

Oil – Extra virgin olive oil is a great choice. I used virgin coconut oil. The flavors were great here.

Yellow onion – Dice this small. In a pinch, a red onions will work too.

Chicken breasts – These should be boneless and skinless.

Rice vinegar

Soy sauce – You can also use tamari or, if you are soy-free, use coconut aminos.

Franks red hot sauce – Frank’s is clean and a great condiment to keep on hand. However, it is optional. It’s delicious, and a bit of spice is great in this dish. But if you prefer to avoid spice, it will taste great without it too.

Sucanat – You can use any unprocessed, granular sweetener you prefer here. Coconut sugar, monk fruit, or granular date sugar. All of these will work fine here.

Garlic – You can use pre-minced garlic, but for the best flavor, I highly recommend mincing or pressing your own fresh garlic cloves.

Diced pineapple – You can use fresh or canned pineapple here, but if you use canned, look for a can with no added sugar. Just pineapple in juice works best here.

Green onions – For garnish.

Sesame seeds – For garnish.

How To Make Pineapple Chicken

Pineapple Chicken recipe ingredients in individual containers.

Measure and prep all ingredients.

Onions sautéing in a skillet.

In a large pan add in the oil and onion and stir on a medium to high heat for 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.

Sauce mixed in a bowl.

Add rice vinegar, soy sauce, franks red hot and sweetener to a small bowl, stir until everything is mixed together.

Chicken pieces added to onions in a skillet.
Sauce poured over chicken and onions in a skillet.

Add the chicken and sauce to the onions and stir well to make sure everything is coated in sauce. Cook until the chicken is completely cooked through and the sauce has became a glaze.

Pineapple chunks added to a skillet of meat, onions, and sauce.

Add in the garlic and pineapple chunks and stir for 1 minute more to cook the garlic.

A white bowl holds a pile of Pineapple Chicken served over rice.

Serve over rice and top with scallions and sesame seeds.

Storage

Store in a airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Freezing

This will freeze well if you wrap it well. Keep it in the freezer for up to 4 months.

Reheating

This is best reheated in a microwave. If you want to reheat it on the stovetop, you’ll may need to add some soy sauce and pineapple juice (as mentioned above) if the sauce has dried up too much.

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Counter-level view of a bowl filled with Pineapple Chicken and rice.

Pineapple Chicken Recipe

Delicious pineapple chicken that is the answer to "what's for dinner tonight."
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Hawaiian
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 380kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp. oil (whatever type you are comfortable using)
  • 1 cup diced yellow onion
  • 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into chunks)
  • 3 tbsp. rice vinegar
  • 3 tbsp. soy sauce (or tamari, or coconut aminos for soy-free)
  • 2 tbsp. Franks red hot sauce (optional if you want this spicy)
  • ¼ cup Sucanat (or coconut sugar, or monk fruit)
  • 2 tbsp. minced garlic
  • ½ cup diced pineapple (fresh or canned – no added sugar if canned)
  • sliced green onions (for garnish)
  • sesame seeds (for garnish)

Instructions

  • Measure and prep all ingredients.
    Pineapple Chicken recipe ingredients in individual containers.
  • In a large pan add in the oil and onion and stir on a medium to high heat for 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.
    Onions sautéing in a skillet.
  • Add rice vinegar, soy sauce, franks red hot and sweetener to a small bowl, stir until everything is mixed together.
    Sauce mixed in a bowl.
  • Add the chicken and sauce to the onions and stir well to make sure everything is coated in sauce. Cook until the chicken is completely cooked through and the sauce has became a glaze.
    Sauce poured over chicken and onions in a skillet.
  • Add in the garlic and pineapple chunks and stir for 1 minute more to cook the garlic.
    Pineapple chunks added to a skillet of meat, onions, and sauce.
  • Serve over rice and top with scallions and sesame seeds.
    A white bowl holds a pile of Pineapple Chicken served over rice.

Notes

Please note that the nutrition data given here is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25the recipe | Calories: 380kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 1250mg | Potassium: 969mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 81IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1mg

Author: Tiffany McCauley

Title: Food and Travel Journalist

Expertise: Food, cooking, travel

Bio:

Tiffany McCauley is a nationally syndicated journalist and an award-winning cookbook author and food blogger. She has been featured on MSN, Huffington Post, Country Living Magazine, HealthLine, Redbook, and many more. Her food specialty is healthy comfort food recipes.

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