This pineapple chicken is a stir fry of chicken, pineapple and vegetables all tossed in a sweet and savory sauce. Serve this Chinese style pineapple chicken over rice for an easy dinner that everyone will love!
In the mood for something tropical for dinner? Try some pineapple chicken with sauteed chicken thighs, chunks of fresh pineapple and crisp red bell peppers. Add some sides and appetizers like veggie fried rice, Asian slaw or cream cheese wontons for a memorable meal.
I’m constantly searching for easy chicken dinners that my whole family will love, and I’m happy to say that this quick and easy pineapple chicken is always a huge hit! It’s essentially a chicken stir fry with the addition of juicy pineapple, and the sauce is also infused with pineapple flavor. You’ll feel like you’re on a tropical vacation when you serve this dish for dinner.
Pineapple Chicken Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need vegetable oil, chicken thighs, red bell pepper, pineapple, garlic, ginger, pineapple juice, soy sauce, chicken broth, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, corn starch, sesame seeds, green onions, salt and black pepper.
How Do You make pineapple chicken?
Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over medium high heat. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper, then add them to the pan. Cook the chicken until it is golden brown. Add the bell peppers and pinapple to the pan, and cook until tender. Next, add ginger and garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Place the sauce ingredients in a bowl, and whisk to combine. Add the sauce to the pan and bring to a simmer. Whisk together the corn starch with cold water, and pour it into the pan. Bring to a boil and cook until the sauce is thick. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions, then serve and enjoy.
Tips For The Perfect Dish
- Leftovers will stay fresh in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- You can use either fresh or canned pineapple here, but I wouldn’t recommend frozen pineapple. If you use a can of pineapple, be sure to reserve the juice to use in the sauce.
- I use a red bell pepper because it adds flavor and crunch, but you could use a different colored pepper if you prefer. A yellow or orange pepper tastes the same as a red pepper if you’ve got one of those on hand. Green bell peppers are not as sweet as red, orange and yellow peppers.
- Hoisin sauce is an Asian condiment that can be purchased in the international foods aisle of most grocery stores.
Quick Tip
Feel free to swap out the chicken thighs for boneless skinless chicken breast.
Recipe FAQs
Choose a flavorless oil that can withstand high heat for stir frying. Some great options include vegetable oil, canola oil, peanut oil or avocado oil.
Chicken and pineapple pair well together because the mild flavor of the chicken really lets the sweet, tropical flavor of the pineapple shine through. Pork also pairs well with pineapple.
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Flavor Variations
Pineapple chicken is delicious as-is, but you can easily customize the flavors to suit your taste.
- Protein: Swap out the chicken thighs for pork tenderloin, thinly sliced flank steak, ground chicken or even shrimp.
- Vegetables: Feel free to add extra vegetables to this recipe. Some great options include onions, mushrooms, broccoli or carrots.
- Flavorings: Amp up the flavor of the sauce with additions such as sriracha, toasted sesame oil or orange zest.
While serving this meal inside a pineapple is clearly optional, it’s also super impressive and not a lot of work to pull off. It’s a great one to serve to company, or just to make a weeknight dinner feel a little more special.
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Slow Cooker Orange Chicken
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Monterey Chicken
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Pineapple Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 red bell pepper seeded. cored and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 cup pineapple chunks fresh or canned
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 3/4 cup pineapple juice
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1/3 cup hoisin sauce
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon sliced green onions
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste and add to the pan.
- Cook the chicken for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through.
- Add the red bell pepper and pineapple to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes or until tender. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the pineapple juice, soy sauce, chicken broth, hoisin sauce and brown sugar.
- Add the sauce mixture to the pan and bring to a simmer.
- Mix the corn starch with 1 tablespoon of cold water; stir until smooth.
- Add the cornstarch mixture to the pan and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute or until sauce has just thickened.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions, then serve.
Notes
- Leftovers will stay fresh in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- You can use either fresh or canned pineapple here, but I wouldn’t recommend frozen pineapple. If you use a can of pineapple, be sure to reserve the juice to use in the sauce.
Made this tonight and it was fabulous. I was afraid it would be very sweet so I cut back on sugar and add the onions with peppers. Best recipe I have liked so much in quite a while. Thanks for sharing.
really good, next time I will use a 20 oz can of pineapple and 2 red peppers
Just made this recipe for dinner. What a great combination of flavors! Served with egg roll and jasmine rice.
I doubled the recipe . I made my own housing sauce. Just delicious. I suggest preparing all ingredients before starting to cook.
Yes, prepping ingrédients in advance helps because this gets done FAST. I was surprised that I actually had a jar of hoisin sauce in the house. I followed the recipe exactly. Next time I will add extra vegetables. I used chicken breast and yellow bell pepper. Next time I may use chicken thighs.
Do you think this can be made in a slow cooker or instapot?
I think it would probably be ok but I haven't tested it that way!
Absolutely delicious. Will definitely share recipe with friends. Thank you
This turned out very good. I ended up adding a little onion and a chopped jalapeño. I couldn't find pineapple juice, so I used a 6 oz can of pineapple-orange. Overall I felt there was too much sauce, so I made a note to halve it next time. Overall it was very good though and I will certainly make it again.
Very good!! Quick, easy, and so tasty. I love recipes that aren't fussy. This was just perfect. Thanks!
Oh wow! I love all the color and the chicken looks amazing served in the pineapple. So much flavor!
Love it! Wish it had more pineapple!
Excellent recipe. Easy to make with ingredients on-hand. Pineapple juice makes the sauce extra delicious!
This was so very good! I added some broccoli & chopped onion. Next time i’ll make a double batch!!
Really good! I didn’t have hoisin sauce, so I left it out. I added a bit of red pepper flakes and some sweet Thai sauce to kick the spice up a notch, and I ate it over cauliflower rice. I will definitely make this again!
For Mother's Day I asked my son to make lunch and I chose this recipe for him to try. It was wonderful! Also the sauce went well with the rice & egg rolls he served along with the dish. Great recipe and instructions! I will add this recipe to our regular lineup! Made for a really nice Mother's Day present!
This was so delicious! I didn’t have chicken so I used shrimp. Definitely a keeper!!
I agrée. Great instructions. Great results. I did not serve in the pineapple. But, that présentation is beautiful.
I made this recipe for my husband, who normally doesn't care for Asian-style recipes, and my son, who is just incredibly picky. They both loved this recipe! I have added it to my menu rotation to serve on a regular basis. I also shared it with my grown children who also loved it and are now serving it to their families.
I love this recipe. I made it for my overly picky husband who says he doesn't care for pineapple and my son who doesn't like chicken and they both loved it. I made it just as the recipe stated but I think next time I might put a little more pineapple just because it was so good. I am adding this to my weekly rotation Thank you.
This was very good and I will definitely make it again. I used fresh pineapple, a couple tsp Mariani Uncrystallized Ginger, 1 clove fresh garlic, and sweet onion rather than green onions, and served it over brown rice. I will add more veggies next time... almost any veggies on hand will do to make this a healthier, more complete meal.
Just a question... did you use fresh garlic and ginger or dried from a spice bottle?
I use fresh garlic and ginger!
Oh my, this was good. Just what I wanted. I followed the recipe pretty closely, except I used chicken tenders cut up, which I was careful not to overcook. I used fresh pineapple, which has been particularly good at my grocery store recently.I added a little extra chicken broth to ensure plenty of sauce. I had green onion and sesame seeds on hand so I used them as recommended for garnish. It was so delicious, really just perfect, and easy too. Thank you for posting!
Quick, easy recipe! Thank you!!
This was a delicious recipe. I made it on the spur of the moment so I had to improvise a few ingredients as I did not have them. Even so, it turned out great. Thank you for sharing.