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Sweet Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken

Sweet Hawaiian crockpot chicken with tender shredded chicken simmered in a glossy pineapple-soy sauce. Set-and-forget slow cooking delivers caramelized pineapple chunks and a thick, spoon-coating glaze for a tropical chicken dinner over white rice.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 620
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken and sauce
  • 2 lb boneless chicken breasts or thighs Use either breasts or thighs for fall-apart shredding.
  • 1 can (20 oz) pineapple chunks with juice Include the juice for the sauce base.
  • 0.25 cup soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp ketchup
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp water Mixed with cornstarch to make a slurry.
Serving
  • 1 cooked rice For serving; adjust amount to taste.
  • 1 green onions Sliced, for topping.
  • 1 sesame seeds Optional topping, for sprinkling.

Equipment

  • 1 crock pot

Method
 

Cook the chicken
  1. Place the chicken in the crockpot.
  2. Whisk together pineapple juice (from the can), soy sauce, honey, ketchup, garlic, and ginger, then pour over the chicken and add pineapple chunks.
  3. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3–4 hours, until the chicken is fall-apart tender.
Shred and thicken the sauce
  1. Remove the chicken and shred with two forks.
  2. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the sauce in the crockpot, turn to high, and cook for 15–20 minutes until thickened (look for a glossy, spoon-coating consistency).
  3. Return the chicken to the sauce, toss to coat, and serve over rice with green onions and sesame seeds.

Notes

For thicker, more glossy sauce, whisk the cornstarch slurry until smooth before adding and be sure to cook on high after stirring it in. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 4 days; freezer yes—freeze shredded chicken and sauce (and rice separately) for up to 2 months. For a lower-sugar option, use sugar-free honey or reduce honey slightly while keeping ketchup and pineapple unchanged for the Hawaiian flavor balance.