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The Best Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken Recipe

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Inside: This slow cooker crockpot Hawaiian Chicken recipe has only 3 ingredients and is super easy to make.

crockpot hawaiian chicken

 

When it comes to making dinner, I LOVE to use my crockpot. With after-school activities ramping up again soon it is just so nice to know that dinner is ready to go and I don’t have to spend precious time in the kitchen during those after school hours. I have a Hamilton Beach Crock Pot and I love it!  It is perfect for feeding a family of four and we always have leftovers when I make this crockpot Hawaiian chicken recipe so if you have a larger family it would work well too.

We’ve got a slight break this winter with the activities but in the next month, we will be back to the crazy routine of soccer, Girl Scouts and running club. My son has also informed me that he wants to play t-ball, hockey, take karate AND organ lessons.  Yes, ORGAN. I’m all about having well-rounded kids but something has got to give. I limit it to two activities at a time per child so he’s got some decisions to make. At least I don’t have to worry about dinner on those crazy busy nights when I make this Crock Pot Hawaiian Chicken recipe.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Get dinner on the table in record time with this 3 Ingredient #Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken” quote=”Get dinner on the table in record time with this 3 Ingredient #Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken”]

A Few Recommendations 

Before I get to the oh-so-easy slow cooker crockpot Hawaiian chicken recipe, I want to let you know about some items you’ll want to pick up to make this process run smoothly.  In addition to the crockpot, I recommend the following:

Slow Cooker Liners – these are a lifesaver and make clean up a breeze!
Slotted Spoon – there are many types of slotted spoons to choose from. I just recommend you get one that has slots small enough so the pineapple chunks do not fall through.  You’ll want to use this spoon to drizzle the pineapple sauce over the chicken. 


 

Other than that, nothing else is needed to enjoy this Hawaiian chick crockpot recipe, except a crockpot and an empty stomach of course!

slow cooker hawaiian chicken

Ready for some serious taste with only 3 ingredients?

CROCKPOT HAWAIIAN CHICKEN RECIPE

4.8 from 5 votes
Print

3 Ingredient Crock Pot Hawaiian Chicken

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword crock pot chicken, crock pot hawaiian chicken, hawaiian chicken
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 5 minutes
Servings 4 -6 servings
Author Kelly

Ingredients

  • 4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 can 8 oz. crushed pineapple, drained
  • 1 bottle 16 ounces barbeque sauce

Instructions

  1. Place chicken in a greased 3.5-5 quart crock pot
  2. Combine drained pineapple and BBQ sauce in a bowl and pour over meat
  3. Cook on high heat for 3-4 hours or on low heat for 6-8 hours
  4. Serve over rice

MORE DELICIOUS CROCKPOT RECIPES

20 CrockPot Freezer Meals
10 CrockPot Meals for Busy Weeknights
CrockPot Baked Potato Soup
10 Summer CrockPot Recipes
Slow Cooker Turkey Chili
Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup

WHAT TO SERVE WITH HAWAIIAN CHICKEN

This crockpot Hawaiian chicken recipe is so versatile and is great for leftovers.  You can serve this over rice but if you are trying to limit the amount of white rice in your diet, it also goes well with a side of green beans.  If you have enough for leftovers the next day (and you may not because it is just THAT good), shred the crockpot Hawaiian chicken with a fork, pile it high on a bun and top it with coleslaw for a delicious twist on the typical BBQ sandwich. This recipe would be great for a party too! Make a big batch of it and place the crock pot out on the buffet so your guests can make their own sandwiches.

hawaiian chicken crockpot recipe

 Be sure to pin this to your Dinner Recipes or Crock Pot Board!slow cooker hawaiian chicken recipe

Make sure to add this in your meal plan this week! 

Speaking of meal plans, have you ever tried freezer cooking? I’ve done it a few times and really like how easy it is to prep everything in one day and have meals ready to go for an entire week. This crockpot Hawaiian Chicken recipe works really well as a freezer meal. In addition to this hawaiian chicken recipe, I’ve got 20 MORE Crock Pot Freezer Meals on the blog.

I’ve recently discovered a service called Once a Month Meals that lets you build a custom menu from their database of over 600 recipes. 

crockpot hawaiian chicken recipe

After you build your menu, you then print out the menus, shopping lists, and prep instructions to create an entire month’s worth of meals in one day. Think of all the time you will save when you have an entire month’s worth of dinners ready to go! If you want dinner time to be stress-free, I encourage you to check it out. 

Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken Recipe FAQ’s

I’ve been getting lots of comments/questions on this recipe. Here are some answers to the most commonly asked questions so you don’t have to scroll through all the comments!

Q. My slow cooker Hawaiian chicken turned out soupy.  How do I fix this?
A. If the sauce is too thin for your liking, drain the pineapple before adding it to the crockpot. 

Q. Can I use fresh pineapple and not canned?
A. Yes.

Q. How many people does this Hawaiian chicken recipe feed?
A. The recipe feeds 4 people. If feeding more people, adjust the recipe as needed.

Q. Can I use frozen chicken breast?
A. Yes. I have found that very thin frozen chicken breasts do not require any additional cooking time. Thicker frozen breasts will require more time. You should check your crockpot user manual for exactly how much time to add when using frozen chicken.

Q. Can I use chicken thighs/quarters/wings etc. ?
A. I have never used anything other than chicken breasts with this recipe. Other parts of the chicken will most likely work but you may have to alter the cooking time.  Please check your crockpot user manual for cooking times.

 

Comments

    • Kelly says

      Hi Nancy. It’s up to you whether you drain the pineapple. I’ve done it both ways but prefer to drain it so it doesn’t get too runny.

      Reply

        • Kelly says

          Hi Michelle! One way is to drain the pineapple. You could also add a bit of cornstarch at the end of cooking to thicken things up. I usually use a slotted spoon when removing the chicken from the crock pot. This makes it less soupy.

          Reply

        • Adapter says

          Ok guys so I just made this chicken and I for one wouldn’t have liked how it came out if I didn’t tweak it a bit. So here’s what happened. I set my crock pot to high for 4 hours. I had my chicken breast, DRAINED pineapple, and BBQ sauce. Of course my favorite seasonings as well. So it was cooking and cooking and I checked on it 3 hours in and it was just this liquid BBQ. Tasted ok but not exactly what we want when we think bbq chicken. So I drained the bbq liquid and saved it in a cup. I kept some in the pot. If I knew it would just turn right back into soup I would have drained all of the liquid from the pot. But with the bbq sauce “liquid” I set aside I made a rue from butter and flour and add the liquid with an additional teaspoon or so of regular BBQ sauce. It thickened up really nice and taste pretty good so I was thinking I would drain more of the liquid and make more of the rue. THEN! I will broil the chicken in the oven and top it with the gravy and serve over rice! Mm

          Reply

        • Cheryl says

          I made this today, and by accident I didn’t realize that it called for an 8 oz can of drained pineapple and used a 20 oz drained can.. It was plenty thick enough without being runny at all. Very good!

          Reply

        • Marion Lansford says

          The bst way is to add 2-3 Tof coRn starch mixed with a little water. Add it at the end. Works well!

          Reply

      • Diane says

        I drained mine but I guess not enough so I and a little flour worked perfect ? Thank you for recipe so easy and tasty.

        Reply

    • Marie Christopher says

      I am making this tonight and will be draining the pineapple. I am using Chunk Pineapple instead of the Crushed. I am also going to add pepper strips. I always change something in a recipe, just my way of cooking.

      Reply

    • Kelly says

      Hi Irene! Do you mean prepare it like a freezer meal? I think that would probably work although I have never tried it. I would recommend cooking it for a bit longer if you do it that way. Hope that helps.

      Reply

      • Irene says

        Hi Kelly, Yes, I was wondering if this could be a freezer meal. It’s so simple and looks so yummy! I’ll give it a try and let you know how it turns out. Thanks much.

        Reply

        • Kelly says

          Hi Irene! I recently tried this as a freezer meal and it worked well. Make sure to use thin chicken breasts and you won’t have to add any additional cooking time.

          Reply

        • Cara says

          Pinnapple is acidic and works as a tenderizer. As long as it freezes quickly it should be OK but if pinnapple sits with chicken to long it will break it down and make it mushy.

          Reply

    • Kelly says

      I would bake it around 35-40 minutes at 300 degrees. I would check it at 35 minutes to see how well it is cooking and adjust from there if necessary. Hope this helps.

      Reply

    • Kelly says

      If you start with a frozen chicken breast, make sure that it is thin. If it is thin, you won’t have to add any extra cooking time.

      Reply

  5. Chantelle says

    Can you use fresh pineapple? I try to stay away from canned products (due to BPA lining in the majority of brands).

    Reply

    • Kelly says

      Hi Shelia. I’ve never tried it with chicken thighs but I don’t see why you couldn’t substitute them. I would just suggest cooking them 4-5 hours on low and removing the fatty skin from the thighs before cooking to prevent your meal from being too greasy.

      Reply

  12. Susan says

    I cooked it like the instructions, and it was not thick like the picture shows it was very soupy. Do you put it in the oven as well as crockpot? The basic recipe is good but I would add more to it because it’s kind of bland.

    Reply

    • Kelly says

      Hi Susan. I do not put it in the oven. If the sauce is too thin for you, I would suggest draining the pineapple before adding it to the crock pot.

      Reply

    • Amanda says

      Kelly,
      mine was the same, I cooked it with the top off (lid) for the last hr, it did thicken, but not like the picture.
      I drained the pineapple before, and used less BBQ sauce too, from the notes people had left about it being thin sauce.

      Reply

      • Kelly says

        Hi Amanda! If the sauce is too thin for your liking, you can use a slotted spoon when removing the sauce from the crock pot. Hope that helps.

        Reply

  13. Alexandra says

    I cooking this now its a awesome idea and it made my house smell really good I put white rice applam making baked sweet potatoes and apples with cinnamon as a side .

    Reply

    • Kelly says

      No, I don’t shred the chicken before putting it in the crock pot. I sometimes shred it after it is cooked.

      Reply

  15. Melissa says

    This sounds so yummy! Do you think you could use pork instead of chicken? If so, what would you say cooking time would be?

    Reply

  16. Linda says

    mine came out soupy as well I think the soupiness is due to the juices from the chicken coming out. is there any way to prevent that from making it soupy?

    Reply

    • Kelly says

      Hi Linda! If yours is coming out soupy, I would try draining the pineapple before placing it into the crock pot.

      Reply

        • Kelly says

          I did not thicken mine or drain the pineapple juice. I have suggested draining the pineapple juice and/or thickening with cornstarch because some readers have said that their version turned out a bit soupy.

          Reply

    • Susanne bean says

      Heating some Orange marmalade, pouring about a tablespoon maybe two over your chicken will but a a great delight . Place your chicken over white rice. Enjoy

      Reply

  17. Kerry says

    Hi! I just tried this and I loved it! I might drain a little bit of the pineapple juice next time so it’s not as liquidy. Also- I used the leftovers with the extra sauce the next day to make quesidillas and it was AMAZING! Thank you so much for this recipe 🙂

    Reply

  19. Brittany says

    What do u mean in a greases? I just got a crock pot as a gift nd trying to figure how to cook in it. Am I supposed to grease it or something before I put my ingredients in?

    Reply

    • Kelly says

      I have never thickened this sauce with cornstarch but have used it in many other recipes to thicken sauces. So yes, I think it should work fine. You may also try draining the pineapple before putting it in the crock pot.

      Reply

  23. Janine says

    I mixed the ingredients in the crockpot. Will this affect how well or how quickly the chicken cooks? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Kelly says

      Hi Kali! This would be great as a sandwich. I would suggest shredding the chicken and placing it on a hamburger bun. Another reader also commented that they used it for quesadillas.

      Reply

  25. Kourtney says

    I’m getting ready to make this myself, it sounds amazing! How many pounds was the chicken breast used for this recipe? Or did you use frozen?

    Reply

  26. Marianne Logan says

    I need to be careful of sugar and carbs. What barbecue sauce did you use without the extra fructose? I will use non-canned pineapple. Do you have other suggestions. Thanks.

    Reply

  28. Rose says

    I made this today and it looked just like yours and smelled delicious. Thanks for the easy recipe and everything you wrote couldn’t be any clearer.

    Reply

  30. DeAnna says

    Hi Kelly thank you for a really good recipe. I just made it for dinner and everyone loved it. I did drain my pineapple and I love green pepper with pineapple so I added one cut into chunks and a tsp. Minced garlic. Oh it was really yummy. We paired it with brown rice. Next time I am making spicy sweet potato wedges to go with it and serving it on Kings Hawaiian Buns.

    Reply

  31. Kris says

    Hi Kelly, I’ve just love this recipe. I made it a couple of months ago and added some green pepper. I did drain about 1/2 the pineapple after reading the comments. We loved it. Last night I was craving some pineapple (I have no idea why), and I had all the ingredients for this…except chicken. Well I threw it in the crockpot with several 1/2 slices of cooked ham and made the recipe the same way as before. OMG it was amazing. I only cooked it on low for 4 hrs because the ham was already cooked. Thank you for the inspiration. Love all your recipes.

    Reply

  32. Ronda says

    Hi Kelly
    I’m making this today with skinless/boneless thighs as my husband is not a huge chicken breast fan due to dryness. Would the thighs make it greasier? If so would you recommend me draining the pineapple first? Thanks for the recipe can’t wait to try it.

    Reply

  34. Tyler G. says

    Cooked this on low heat for 8 hours as recommended, and the chicken came out insanely dry. I was a little shocked haha. Next time I might cut down on the low cooking time to 4-6 hours.

    Reply

    • Kelly says

      Hi Jerry. I’m not sure if this would work or not. I don’t have a pressure cooker and have never tried it that way.

      Reply

  37. Erin G says

    Hi Kelly,

    I wanted to thank you for all of your helpful comments. I am looking forward to making this for a holiday party at work, next week. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
    Erin

    Reply

  40. Kay says

    Would it still be 6-8 hours if you are only using two chicken breast. I just bought a 2 quart slow cooker and would love to try this it sounds so good. Instead of doing Chinese take out.

    Reply

  41. Mary says

    When I make my hawaiian chicken i put in half a small jar of apricot jam this brings out the sweetness and allows the chicken shine..

    Reply

  42. Courtney Gitchel says

    I used a honey bbq sauce with my Hawaiian chicken and it tasted amazing! My family absolutely loved the honey bbq sauce better than the regular bbq sauce.

    Reply

  43. Kim says

    Hi,

    Can you provide the estimated weight of meat that you have used?

    Sometimes when recipes call for 4 chicken breasts, I only use 2 due to size. I look forwared to trying it! It would also be great between the Hawaiian -type rolls and on pizza,

    Reply

    • Kelly says

      Hi Kim! I usually use thin chicken breasts. I don’t know the exact weight. If the chicken breasts are thick, I sometimes slice them in half to make them thinner.

      Reply

  46. Kay says

    Hi Kelly,

    Making this tonight for myself, but only using 2lbs chicken breast, which is three breast would cooking time change if I’m doing it in hi temp.

    Thanks

    Reply

  47. Stacy says

    This looks great … we are taking our RV out soon, and I am always looking for easy crock-pot recipes and this looks perfect. Can’t wait to try it. Thank you!

    Reply

  48. Ashley says

    I’m making it for dinner tonight and being 9 months pregnant and being half asleep I forgot to cut the chicken breast in half as they were pretty quick how much longer do you think it will take to cook maybe as n additional hour or two on high??

    Reply

    • Kelly says

      It will be fine for 3-4 hours on high. I’ve used all sizes and thicknesses of chicken breast and they have all turned out good in the 3-4 hour range.

      Reply

  49. Ashley says

    I did thy his recipe today just now finished cooking and I cooked it on high for 4 hours and all chicken breast were very thick and they cooked in that time frame I check 2 and they were done so I figure the others were 2 because they were the same size and thickness 🙂

    Reply

  50. Debra says

    Hi Kelly I want to make this tonight but my crock pot is a 7 quart crock pot will I still use the same cooking time

    Reply

  51. Hollis says

    I was hesitant to try this because hey, what recipe that calls for only 3 ingredients is actually good? I was also leery because of the people who said theirs was soupy. So I took a leap of faith and it was good! I seasoned my chicken with some random spices, added some diced up yellow pepper, and followed the rest to a T (drained the pineapple really well) and cooked on low for about 5 hours and it was done (glad I checked it before or it would have been dry) and it was NOT soupy at all – I had a thick, sticky sauce. We will keep this to have again for sure! Thanks!

    Reply

    • Kelly says

      Thanks so much for stopping by, Hollis! I’m happy that you liked the recipe. The addition of the bell peppers sounds delicious!

      Reply

  52. Shannon says

    4 stars
    Made this recipe using the Instapot! Added a green bell pepper and two cloves of garlic. It was good! Will make again but will add a red bell pepper as well as a red onion!

    Reply

  55. Eliza Ducker says

    Hi Kelly, I have your recipe in my crockpot cooking. I used a metal strainer to drain my pineapple juice well then poured into a juice glass and drank it since it is good for digestion! My question is, if, and this is a big if..I have leftovers and decide to freeze them, how would I go about reheating them? Thank you for your advice.

    Eliza

    Reply

  56. Paige says

    The picture looks like there is breading on chicken. Did you put anything on chicken before putting it in crockpot?

    Reply

  57. Scott F says

    Like most others I experienced a little too much juice, so I shredded the chicken (in the crock pot) and it made it thicker. It turned out not too thick but just right. It tasted fabulous. I would recommend this to anyone. If I can do it, YOU can do it….

    Reply

  58. Pat says

    5 stars
    I made this with one huge chicken breast. I cooked on low for 8 hours. It literally fell apart so I shredded it and we ate it in a wrap. Yummy!

    Reply

  59. Blanca says

    5 stars
    I keep doing this recipe over and over again, my family loved it. If it’s to liquidly I’ll add a teaspoon of corn starch using the same sauce from the crockpot . It usually takes less that 3 hours. Thank you it’s Delicious and most important extremely easy, thanks thanks ❤️

    Reply

  60. Darlin1111 says

    5 stars
    I love this recipe!!! For some crazy reason, I hadn’t made it in a year so I made it today… I drain the crushed pineapple… I used some homemade bbq sauce that a friend made and sent me for Christmas… We had jasmine rice as our side and I toasted it in some sesame oil before adding 3 cloves of minced garlic… I used the Alton Brown “pour-over” method for the rice and it turned out perfect!!! I will never make rice any other way again…

    Reply

  61. Sharna says

    Can I ask if you can prepare this as a dump meal? Like put everything together in a zip lock bag not cooked and then dump it in slow cooker?

    Reply

  62. Bella says

    Can I do this in a Dutch oven? Using chicken thighs, and how long on stove or in oven? Thank you sounds delish!

    Reply

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