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Sweet Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken

Sweet Hawaiian crockpot chicken with tender shredded chicken and caramelized pineapple chunks in a glossy pineapple-soy sauce. Set-and-forget slow cooker Hawaiian chicken is thickened right in the crockpot and served over white rice.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken and pineapple base
  • 2 lb boneless chicken breasts or thighs
  • 1 can (20 oz) pineapple chunks with juice
  • 0.25 cup soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp ketchup
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger
Thickener
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp water
Serving
  • 1 cooked rice
  • 0.25 green onions
  • 1 sesame seeds

Equipment

  • 1 slow cooker

Method
 

Start the crockpot
  1. Place the boneless chicken breasts or thighs in the slow cooker.
  2. Whisk together pineapple chunks with juice (using the juice), soy sauce, honey, ketchup, garlic cloves, and fresh ginger; pour the mixture over the chicken and add the pineapple chunks.
Slow cook until fall-apart tender
  1. Cook on low for 6 hours (or high for 3–4 hours) until the chicken is fall-apart tender.
Shred and thicken the sauce
  1. Remove the chicken and shred it with two forks until it’s fully broken into bite-size pieces.
  2. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the sauce in the crockpot, turn to high, and cook for 15–20 minutes until thickened, glossy, and lightly coats a spoon.
Coat and serve
  1. Return the shredded chicken to the sauce and toss to coat until the chicken is well covered and shiny.
  2. Serve over cooked rice and top with green onions and sesame seeds.

Notes

Pro tip: Thicken on high until the sauce visibly thickens and looks glossy; if it tightens too much, loosen with a splash of pineapple juice. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 4 days; reheat gently in the microwave or stovetop. Freezing is yes—freeze chicken and sauce (without rice) for up to 2 months, then thaw and reheat. For a lower-sugar option, use pineapple chunks in juice plus reduced-sugar honey (or half honey) to keep the sweet flavor with less added sugar.