Sweet Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken (Printable version)
Slow-cooked chicken in a sweet-tangy Hawaiian-style sauce with pineapple and bell peppers, served over rice.
# What you need:
→ Meats
01 - 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
→ Vegetables & Fruit
02 - 1 large red bell pepper, cut into chunks
03 - 1 large green bell pepper, cut into chunks
04 - 1 small yellow onion, sliced
05 - 1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks in juice, drained, juice reserved
→ Sauces & Condiments
06 - 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce (use gluten-free if needed)
07 - 1/2 cup reserved pineapple juice
08 - 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
09 - 2 tablespoons ketchup
10 - 2 tablespoons rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
11 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
12 - 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (or 1 teaspoon ground ginger)
13 - 1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional, for thickening)
14 - 2 tablespoons water (for cornstarch slurry)
→ Garnish
15 - Sliced green onions
16 - Sesame seeds
17 - Fresh cilantro
# How To:
01 - Arrange the chicken pieces in an even layer across the bottom of the slow cooker.
02 - Scatter the red and green bell pepper chunks, sliced onion, and drained pineapple chunks evenly over the chicken.
03 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, reserved pineapple juice, brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar, minced garlic, and ginger until the sugar dissolves. Pour the sauce evenly over all ingredients in the slow cooker.
04 - Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 6 hours or on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and fork-tender.
05 - For a richer, thicker sauce, whisk the cornstarch together with the water in a small bowl to form a slurry. Stir it into the slow cooker during the final 30 minutes of cooking.
06 - Serve hot over steamed white rice. Garnish with sliced green onions, sesame seeds, and fresh cilantro as desired.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The sauce practically builds itself while you are off living your life, and it tastes like you spent hours hovering over a stove.
- Chicken thighs come out so tender they practically fall apart, and the sweetness balanced by vinegar makes everyone at the table go quiet after the first bite.
02 -
- Do not skip draining the pineapple and reserving the juice because the sauce needs that liquid and the fruit needs to lose its canned heaviness.
- Opening the slow cooker lid repeatedly lets all the heat escape and adds roughly thirty minutes of cooking time each time you peek.
03 -
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels before placing it in the slow cooker so the sauce does not get watered down by excess moisture.
- Toast your sesame seeds in a dry skillet for two minutes before sprinkling them on top because that tiny step makes them taste nutty and fragrant instead of like nothing at all.