Aloha pineapple chicken is an easy chicken dinner the whole family will love. Juicy pineapple chunks and chicken covered in a mouthwatering pineapple sauce served over warm rice, this is the perfect easy weeknight dinner.
Plus, it’s something your kids will absolutely love!
In fact, this dish has a permanent spot on our meal planning rotation. All four of my kids gobbled it up and asked for more. It was then that I knew this pineapple chicken recipe was truly a winner!
If you have picky kids like mine can be, you understand how wonderful it is to have a meal the whole family loves, especially when it’s filled with protein!
Give this yummy dish a try and you’ll see what I mean.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe. For the full recipe details, please see the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Gluten-free or all-purpose flour
- Coconut oil
- Pineapple chunks (I use canned pineapple)
- Cornstarch
- Honey
- Coconut aminos or soy sauce
- Black pepper
- Salt
- Rice
How To Make Aloha Pineapple Chicken
This recipe is a breeze, and it’s ready in under 30 minutes, making it perfect for busy weeknights! Here’s how to make it.
Step 1
Cook your chicken. You can cook in a large skillet with oil over medium heat for a few minutes on each side until cooked through.
Or, for faster, no-standing-over-the-stove required cooking, use an Instant Pot! See the tips section below for more on this.
Step 2
Next, shred it or cut it into pieces.
Put the flour into a gallon-sized zippered bag, add the chicken, seal, and toss to coat.
Step 3
Then, drain the pineapple and set aside some of the juice. Mix the cornstarch and some of the juice in a small bowl until it’s smooth.
Step 4
Then, add to the warm pan. Stir in the honey, soy sauce, and pepper and cook and stir over medium-high heat until it boils.
Step 5
Next, cook and stir your aloha pineapple sauce, letting it simmer until it thickens. Add the pineapple chunks and chicken and stir well.
Step 6
Heat your aloha pineapple chicken until everything is hot.
Tips And Variations
Here are a couple of things you can do to help make this recipe easy peasy.
- Are you in a hurry? Save time by cooking your chicken in an Instant Pot, following the directions. I select the poultry feature for 8-10 minutes (depending on how much chicken I use.) While you’re here, don’t forget to check out 19 surprising things to cook in your Instant Pot.
- Also, while the chicken is cooking, go ahead and cook some rice. I love using my Instant Pot for fast and no-maintenance rice cooking. Cooking is so much quicker and simpler with my Instant Pot. If you’ve debated getting one, do it! Truly, they’re amazing and 110% worth the investment.
- If you don’t have honey on hand, you could use agave nectar or brown sugar to add a touch of sweetness.
- To add a little variety to this recipe, you can include some chopped red bell peppers or cashews for a little crunch. Plus, you can also add various garnishes, such as green onions or red pepper flakes.
- Do you like it spicy? Add red pepper flakes to the dish!
Easy Pineapple Chicken Recipe FAQs
Here are some questions that I frequently see readers ask about making aloha pineapple chicken. If you don’t see your question answered below, please leave it in the comments!
How can I make this recipe gluten free?
This chicken dish only needs a simple flour tweak to make it a gluten-free recipe. Rather than use basic all-purpose flour use a gluten-free all-purpose flour instead! Super simple.
I make this dish gluten free all the time and you truly can’t tell the difference.
Can I use chicken thighs in this recipe?
Yes, you can. Chicken thighs are dark meat, so they have more fat. We prefer using white meat (chicken breasts) because its leaner is chock full of protein.
Can I freeze Aloha Pineapple Chicken?
Yes, you can freeze this dish (without the rice) in a freezer-safe container if you want to make it ahead of time. To thaw when you’re ready to enjoy it, you can place it in the fridge overnight. Then heat it up in the microwave or a skillet, cook the rice, and you have an easy weeknight meal ready to go!
If you have leftovers, you can definitely freeze those too. Follow the same process I just outlined.
Can I use fresh pineapple in this recipe?
I recommend using canned pineapple chunks because it’s packed in the juice that you can use to make this dish.
What should I serve with this pineapple chicken recipe?
We serve this delicious dinner over warm brown or white rice.
Since this dish includes fruit, protein, and carbs when you serve it that way, all you really need to add are some vegetables (like sautéed broccoli) to make a complete meal.
You can also serve this dish with my Roasted Buffalo Cauliflower Bites or Strawberry Spinach Salad.
I hope you enjoy this quick meal!
More Delicious Chicken Recipes
- Tasty Chicken And Rice Casserole
- Curried Chicken Shepherd’s Pie
- Crispy, Baked Chicken Nuggets
- Unbelievably Easy Crockpot Chicken Tacos
- Waldorf Chicken Salad
Aloha Pineapple Chicken Dinner
With juicy pineapple chunks and chicken covered in a mouthwatering pineapple sauce served over warm rice, Aloha Pineapple Chicken is a perfect easy weeknight dinner.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: main meal
- Method: cooking
- Cuisine: american
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon gluten-free or all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 can (16 oz) pineapple chunks
- 1.5 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 2 Tablespoons coconut aminos or soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups cooked rice
Instructions
Follow cooking instructions for your rice to prepare while you are making the chicken. I use my Instant Pot.
Cut the chicken into strips. Put the flour into a gallon bag and add the chicken. Shake to coat.
Brown the chicken with the oil over medium heat in a skillet. Cook for 3-5 minutes each side or until cooked through and juices are clear. Set the chicken aside.
While the chicken is cooking, drain the pineapple juice and reserve 1/4 cup. (You can discard the remaining juice or drink it.)
Combine the cornstarch and 1/4 cup pineapple juice in a small bowl. Add to the skillet after you’ve removed the chicken. Add the honey, soy sauce, and pepper; stir well.
Increase the heat to medium-high and cook and stir. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for another 30-60 seconds or until the juice mixture is thickened.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the pineapple and chicken, heating through.
Serve over rice.
Kayla Skjaret says
The chicken recipe looks absolutely delicious! I had a set of Chicago cutlery, and I have to agree one of the best sets of knives I’ve ever owned! We passed them on to a friend after we bought a new set because their knives were so poor they were dangerous to use. They love them! Thanks for this post! Wonderfully written post by the way. 🙂
Krissie M says
Those handles look absolutely comfy! My hubby would love this set of knives I think. He would also love your chicken recipe! Thank you for the wonderful review, awesome giveaway and yummy recipe!
Bernadette says
They seem to be of high quality. The knives I use now really wouldn’t cut hot butter.
Melinda Dartmann says
I own only 1 of these knives I would love to have more. Can’t beat the quality of them.
Annette says
Could you explain when to add broccoli and red pepper to the cooking process?
Gretchen Gerth says
I love the handles, they look easy to grip (all knives say they are but these actually look like they are). I have weak wrists from breaking them in the past and using them constantly on the computer and my wrists get tired very easily when prepping dinner.
Christina Almond says
I really love that these knives have a lifetime warranty…that shows how much the company really stands behind their products!
Sherry Compton says
love that the knives cut without much force
Andrea says
PROUD TO BE FROM CHICAGO AND TO SUPPORT CHICAGO CUTLERY. LIFETIME WARRANTY AND GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE.
TOMYCook says
Love this recipe! Pineapple works so perfectly with soy sauce, it’s like they were meant to be together 🙂
Kate says
This was so easy and quick! It was also delicious! Served over jasmine rice and topped with sliced scallions. Will definetly be making again and sharing! Thank you!
Nicole Peters says
Really good! However, I did make a few alterations to the recipe. After cooking the chicken (according to instructions), I then put the chicken in the air fryer because I love my chicken crunchy (ex: orange, sesame). As I was tasting the glaze I quickly realized it tasted like soy sauce and not at all like pineapple/coconut flavor I thought it would have! So, I had to then alter the recipe because of the lack of pineapple flavor. I wouldn’t even put soy sauce in at all…skip that ingredient. Stick with pineapple and coconut flavoring!
Renee Schouten says
Hi Erika,
I do not have coconut oil. Can I use olive oil instead?
Renee
Erika says
Yes, you can. Or avocado oil.
Renee Schouten says
Ok. Great! Thanks!
Wendy says
I have never breaded chicken without the egg wash. I imagine it has less crustiness. I am curious and now I need to try it. Thanks for sharing
Kitchengeeky says
I love this type of dish. The sweet flavor with chicken is really mouthwatering. My mom sometimes made chicken wings with honey. I loved that. Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe. I will definitely try this.
Stephanie says
Would this work with frozen pineapple instead of canned?
Erika says
You need pineapple juice too, so you can use frozen pineapple (thaw it first) but you will need to buy juice separately.
Carlen says
Great recipe! Do you think this could be cooked and frozen for defrosting/reheating later?
Erika says
I haven’t tried freezing this recipe, I’m not sure how it would work. If you’re looking for a faster prep time, you could pre-cook and freeze the chicken; that would make the whole prep/cook time faster when you are ready to make this for dinner.
Christiana Peck says
Great recipe! I have lots of home-canned pineapple so I might have added like a lot more pineapple than suggested but I don’t think you can have too much. We will be saving this for future busy nights, thanks!!
A.S. says
This was soo good! We doubled the sauce recipe and did less pepper. Will definitely make again! Very quick and easy meal.