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Sweet Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken

Sweet hawaiian crockpot chicken made in a slow cooker with pineapple chunks and a teriyaki-style soy-brown sugar sauce. The chicken turns very tender, then the sauce is thickened with a quick cornstarch slurry for glossy spoon-coating texture.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 620
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken
  • 2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
Pineapple and sauce
  • 1 can (20 oz) pineapple chunks with juice
  • 0.3333 cup soy sauce
  • 0.3333 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 0.25 tsp red pepper flakes
Thickener and garnish
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp cold water
  • 0.25 green onions for garnish
  • 0.25 sesame seeds for garnish
Serving
  • 1 cooked white rice for serving

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Load the slow cooker
  1. Place the chicken thighs in the slow cooker.
  2. Scatter the pineapple chunks over the chicken.
Make the teriyaki-style sauce
  1. Whisk together the pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, apple cider vinegar, ground ginger, and red pepper flakes until smooth.
  2. Pour the sauce over the chicken and pineapple.
Cook until tender
  1. Cook on low for 4–5 hours until the chicken is very tender, or cook on high for 2–3 hours until very tender.
Shred and thicken the sauce
  1. Remove the chicken and shred it into large pieces.
  2. Whisk the cornstarch with the cold water, then stir the slurry into the slow cooker.
  3. Cook on high for 15 minutes, stirring once, until the sauce thickens and turns glossy.
Serve
  1. Return the shredded chicken to the sauce and stir to coat.
  2. Serve over cooked white rice, topped with green onions and sesame seeds.

Notes

For the best texture, shred the chicken while it’s hot so the fibers absorb sauce faster. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days in a sealed container; freeze up to 2 months. For a lower-sugar option, reduce the brown sugar to 1/4 cup and use a brown-sugar substitute blend that measures like sugar.