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!
Scroll down to the recipe video if you prefer to watch instead of read!
Jump to:
- What makes this recipe so good?
- Ingredients You Need
- How to Make Hawaiian Chicken
- Prefer to watch instead of read?
- How Long to Marinate Chicken
- How to Make the Chicken Extra Crispy
- What to serve with Hawaiian Chicken
- Recipe Variations
- Meal Prep & Storage
- More of Our Favorite One Pot Meals
- One Pot Hawaiian Chicken with Coconut Rice
- Comments
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!
We love one pot meals and sheet pan meals around here. They make for the perfect weeknight meal. For another easy chicken dinner, try our Instant Pot Greek Chicken and Rice.
What makes this recipe so good?
- It's really healthy! Full of protein, healthy fats, and fresh veggies, plus it's gluten free and dairy free.
- This go-to recipe takes less than 30 minutes to make, so it's great for busy weeknights.
- It's all made in one pot, so that means one pot to clean!
- Picky eater in the house? No worries! The whole family will love this easy weeknight meal thanks to its amazing flavors.
Ingredients You Need
Here is the simple ingredient list for this one pot Hawaiian chicken recipe. Most are pantry staples and easy (and affordable) to find at the grocery store. Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements and nutrition information.
Chicken and Marinade
- Coconut aminos: Substitute with soy sauce if needed.
- Full fat canned coconut milk: See our suggestions for coconut milk substitutes.
- Honey: Adds natural sweetness.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic is best.
- Sesame oil: Adds a deep, nutty flavor.
- Kosher salt: Kosher salt is best for cooking.
- Pineapple juice: Should be 100% pineapple juice. (Use the juice from the canned pineapple below.)
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs: Makes tender juicy chicken pieces.
- Olive oil: Substitute with avocado oil.
Tropical Coconut Pineapple Rice
- Full fat coconut milk: See our suggestions for coconut milk substitutes.
- Seasonings: garlic powder, onion powder, ground ginger, kosher salt, and pepper.
- Jasmine rice: Or any long-grain white rice.
- Can of pineapple chunks: In 100% pineapple juice
- Garnishes: Cilantro, chopped cashews, or toasted coconut.
How to Make Hawaiian Chicken
he full printable recipe is below, but let’s walk through the steps with some photos and a video so you have a clear idea of what to expect. This pineapple chicken recipe is really easy and these step-by-step instructions will make sure it turns out every time.
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 1-2 minutes 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 fresh 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 cooked chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
Prefer to watch instead of read?
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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 The chicken thighs should marinate for 1-24 hours. The longer the better! If you're short on time, one hour will do. For more tips on getting juicy, flavorful chicken, see our post on how to marinate chicken.
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 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.
This recipe is a great one pot meal, so my first recommendation is the tropical coconut rice. However, you could serve it with side dishes like snap peas or air fryer asparagus or a side salad like a fresh cucumber tomato avocado salad.
Want to add more veggies? Add some diced red bell pepper to the rice with the coconut and stir in spinach to wilt at the end.
Recipe Variations
- If you don't want to use white rice, use cauliflower rice or brown rice instead.
- Make some fun skewers on the side with leftover chunks of pineapple, bell peppers, grape tomatoes, and chunks of avocado.
- Add more fun toppings like green onions, sesame seeds, grated fresh ginger, or red pepper flakes for a little more heat.
Meal Prep & Storage
This is an easy recipe to meal prep. Just divide the chicken and rice evenly into individual storage containers. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days and reheat in the microwave in 30-second increments.
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
Looking for new recipes that make an easy dinner? Try any one of our one pot meals.
One pot Mexican beef and rice is another rice dish with savory flavor. If you're looking for other easy chicken recipes, lemon garlic chicken asparagus pasta and one pot creamy cajun chicken pasta both call for boneless skinless chicken breasts.
For a dish with Asian flare, give our sweet and spicy pork lettuce wraps or 30-minute chicken Pad Thai a try. Two favorite pasta dishes are our one pot creamy cajun chicken pasta and one pot taco pasta.
One Pot Hawaiian Chicken with Coconut Rice
Ingredients
For the chicken and marinade:
- ½ cup coconut aminos
- ½ cup full fat canned coconut milk shaken
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup 100% pineapple juice (use the juice from the canned pineapple below)
- 1 ½ 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
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 ½ 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 ¼ 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.
Amanda says
My boyfriend's favorite meal I make. We love it so much and try to make it once a month or so.
Molly Thompson says
Thanks, Amanda! This is one of my favorite recipes on our site! We make it at least once a month too. Thanks for taking the time to share.
Jacqui says
I wanted more flavor. The marinade smelled so good, I was super disappointed after soaking in jt almost 24 hrs that the flavor wasn't stronger. I think I would just add the marinade to the rice too next time.