This Hawaiian chicken recipe is made with tender chicken thighs flavored with a tropical pineapple marinade and cooked in one pot with fluffy coconut rice. This one pot dinner is great for any night of the week!
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My husband is obsessed with all things Hawaiian and coconut. His favorite pizza is Canadian bacon and pineapple, so I figured it was time to make a flavorful Hawaiian chicken dish at home. He went crazy for this meal!
What makes this recipe so good?
- It's really healthy! Full of protein and healthy fats, plus it's gluten free and dairy free.
- This recipe takes less than 30 minutes to make.
- It's all made in one pot, so that means one pot to clean!
How to make Hawaiian chicken
- Make the marinade: Combine the marinade ingredients then add the chicken and toss to coat well. After that, marinate in the fridge for 1-24 hours.
- Cook the chicken: Sear the chicken to a hot pan with olive oil and discard the remaining marinade. Sear for 3-4 minutes on one side then flip it over and cook for another 1-2minutes then transfer to a plate.
- Make the rice: Add the coconut milk and pineapple juice to the same skillet the chicken was cooked in then add the spices. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat then stir in the uncooked rice and reserved pineapple chunks and stir well.
- Close the lid and cook: Add the browned chicken on top then close the lid, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the rice is fluffy and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
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How long to marinate chicken
The chicken thighs should marinate for 1-24 hours. The longer the better! If you're short on time, one hour will do. Pro tip: throw the chicken and marinade together the night before so it's ready for dinner the next day.
Does the pineapple juice make the chicken mushy? Canned pineapple juice infuses the chicken with a bright, sweet flavor while also tenderizing the meat. Be careful not to marinade it well over 24 hours to avoid it being mushy.
How to make the chicken extra crispy
The key to getting the outside of the chicken crispy is to sear the tops for 3-4 minutes over medium-high heat without moving them at all. This gives them an extra crispy crust. Color equals flavor in cooking!
What to serve with Hawaiian Chicken
This recipe is a great one pot meal, so my first recommendation is the tropical coconut rice. However, you could serve it with air fryer asparagus or a fresh cucumber tomato salad.
Want to add more veggies? Add some diced red bell peppers to the rice with the coconut and stir in spinach to wilt at the end.
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
More of our favorite one pot meals:
- Sweet and spicy pork lettuce wraps
- 30 Minute chicken Pad Thai
- One pot creamy cajun shrimp pasta
- Lemon garlic chicken asparagus pasta
- One pot creamy cajun chicken pasta
- One pot taco pasta
Recipe
One Pot Hawaiian Chicken with Coconut Rice
Ingredients
For the chicken and marinade:
- 1/2 cup coconut aminos
- 1/2 cup full fat canned coconut milk shaken
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup 100% pineapple juice (use the juice from the canned pineapple below)
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
For the tropical coconut pineapple rice:
- 1 (13.5 ounce) can full fat coconut milk shaken
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked jasmine rice (or long grain white rice)
- 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks in 100% pineapple juice
- To garnish: cilantro, chopped cashews or toasted coconut
Instructions
- Strain the pineapple chunks from the pineapple juice and store the chunks in an air tight container until you're ready to make the dish. Measure out 1/4 cup of the pineapple juice and add it to a plastic or reusable storage bag with the rest of the marinade ingredients. Store the leftover juice for later as well.
- Add the chicken thighs to the marinade bag, close the lid and toss well to coat. Marinate in the fridge for 1-24 hours. The longer you can marinade the better, but even 1 hour will work. This makes a great recipe to prep the night before.
- Heat the olive oil in a deep saute pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chicken to the hot pan and discard the remaining marinade. Sear for 3-4 minutes on one side then flip it over and cook for another 1-2minutes. The chicken should have a crispy brown skin. Transfer it to a plate. It doe not need to be cooked all the way through.
- Measure out the reserved pineapple juice in a large liquid measuring cup, then add the canned coconut milk to reach 3 cups. If there isn't enough coconut milk, top it off with water.
- Add the mixture to the same skillet the chicken was cooked in and use a wooden spoon to scrape off any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add add the garlic powder, onion powder, ground ginger, salt and pepper. Bring the liquid to a simmer over medium-high heat then stir in the uncooked rice and reserved pineapple chunks and stir well.
- Add the browned chicken on top of the rice then close the lid, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the rice is fluffy and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Top with chopped cashews, toasted coconut or chopped cilantro if desired.
Marge Lejeune says
incredible. you won't be disappointed
Molly Thompson says
Love that! Thanks!
Michele says
Good golly Miss Molly! Loved this! Keeper for sure! And can we take a moment and appreciate the level of care she put in this post? Her directions included videos for every step. Wow!
Katie says
Delicious! Actually just returned from a trip to Hawaii and was looking for a meal to ease the transition back to the midwest 🙂 Easy, tasty, and will make again
Amanda says
This recipe is amazing! My entire family loved it and my incredibly picky 5 year old (seriously she eats like 5 foods) loved the chicken so much she asked for seconds and to eat the leftovers the next day. She has dubbed this "Beach girl Chicken". I made the recipe as is but added a little bit of better than boullion to the rice for a stronger chicken flavor. My husband and I added some sirracha to our plates for a little extra kick. This will absolutely be added to our normal rotation.
Amy says
Definitely adding this one to the rotation. SO GOOD.
Emma Hoar says
This is one of our go to's!! I love it. Yesterday I made it with chicken breast (I just cut it up and then cooked it first) and then did all the other steps like normal. I also used an instant pot and it turned out great! I did 7 minutes on high pressure after the chicken was cooked. SO GOOD!
Emily O says
This was SO good! We used half the amount of pineapple it called for (we weren’t sure we’d like it) and we realized it needs all. We also chopped the chunks. Next time I’ll use fresh ginger and garlic. But this deserves 5 stars because it was that good with dried spices. Going into rotation for sure
Niki says
This recipe is super good. It’s also a great, pretty easy one pot dinner:)
Jenna says
Delicious. Would it be possible to make this in the instant pot?
Djr says
See the post from April 12th.