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Sweet Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken

Sweet Hawaiian crockpot chicken with pull-apart tender thighs in a sticky golden pineapple teriyaki sauce with visible pineapple chunks. Cook set-and-forget in a slow cooker, then thicken into a glossy glaze and serve over fluffy steamed rice.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Total Time 6 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Hawaiian-American
Calories: 540
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken thighs
  • 2.5 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
Pineapple teriyaki sauce
  • 20 oz pineapple chunks, drained (reserve 1/2 cup juice)
  • 1 can (20 oz) pineapple chunks (Reserve 1/2 cup juice from the can.)
  • 0.3333333333 cup soy sauce
  • 0.25 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 3 tbsp ketchup
  • 3 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 3 garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
Thickener and garnish
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 3 tbsp water for slurry
  • 1 steamed rice for serving
  • 1 sesame seeds for serving
  • 1 sliced green onions for serving

Equipment

  • 1 slow cooker

Method
 

Slow cook the chicken
  1. Place the boneless skinless chicken thighs in the slow cooker in an even layer.
  2. Whisk together the reserved pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil, then pour the mixture over the chicken.
  3. Add the pineapple chunks on top of the chicken so they’re partially covered by sauce.
  4. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours (or HIGH for 3-4 hours) until the chicken is tender and easily shredded.
Shred and glaze the sauce
  1. Shred the chicken in the slow cooker, then stir everything together so the pineapple chunks and juices distribute through the meat.
  2. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the slow cooker until smooth and evenly dispersed.
  3. Cook on HIGH uncovered for 20-30 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the sauce thickens to a sticky glaze.
Serve
  1. Serve the Hawaiian pineapple chicken over steamed rice, spooning sauce and pineapple chunks over the top.
  2. Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions before serving.

Notes

For extra clinging sauce, stir the chicken and glaze during the HIGH uncovered step so the cornstarch thickening coats every shred. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container up to 4 days; reheat gently in the microwave or on the stovetop with a splash of water. Freezing is not recommended because pineapple sauce can thin slightly after thawing. For a gluten-free option, use tamari instead of soy sauce (and confirm the other ingredients are gluten-free).