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Sweet Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken Recipe
Ash Tyrrell

Sweet Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken Recipe

I still remember the first time I made this sweet Hawaiian crockpot chicken. I was juggling three things at once and just needed dinner to handle itself. I tossed everything into my slow cooker, walked away, and came back hours later to a kitchen that smelled like a tropical takeout joint.
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Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
  • 6 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari for a gluten-free version
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1.5 teaspoons brown sugar
  • Black pepper to taste
  • 2 red bell peppers diced
  • 16 ounces canned pineapple chunks with juice
  • Scallions sliced, for garnish (optional)
  • Cooked rice for serving (optional)

Method
 

  1. Start by adding the soy sauce, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, brown sugar, and black pepper straight into the crockpot. Stir it all together until it looks like a smooth, glossy sauce. This forms the backbone of flavor for everything that goes in next.
  2. Add your cubed chicken, diced red bell pepper, and the full can of pineapple chunks, juice included, right into the pot. That pineapple juice is doing double duty here, adding sweetness and helping tenderize the chicken as it cooks.
  3. Give everything a gentle stir so the chicken and peppers are evenly coated in that sauce. You don't need to overdo it, just make sure nothing is sitting dry at the bottom or piled up out of the liquid.
  4. Cover the crockpot and set it to low for 4-6 hours, or high for 2-3 hours if you're short on time. Low and slow is the better route whenever your schedule allows for it, since the flavors have more time to develop.
  5. About 30 minutes before you plan to eat, lift the lid and taste the sauce. If it needs more punch, stir in a little extra soy sauce or brown sugar until it tastes right to you.
  6. Once it's done, scatter some sliced scallions over the top if you like, and spoon it over a bed of rice. That's it, dinner is ready.

Notes

  • I always cook on low instead of high whenever I have the time, because the chicken comes out noticeably more tender.
  • I like stirring in a cornstarch slurry during the last 30 minutes if I want a thicker, glossier sauce that clings to the rice.
  • I never fill my crockpot to the brim, since it needs room for the heat to move around and cook everything evenly.
  • I keep the lid on the whole time I'm cooking, because every peek lets out heat and adds extra time.
  • I taste the sauce before serving every single time, since brands of soy sauce vary a lot in saltiness.