Meet your new favorite dish: Aloha Chicken! Tender and delicious chicken in a savory marinade with sweet grilled pineapple slices. It’s super easy to make ahead and throw on the grill on a busy weeknight, and the whole family will love it!
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Why You'll Love This Grilled Hawaiian Chicken Recipe
This recipe was originally part of my Dump it 'til it's hot series of dump recipes. It's all about making delicious food with minimal prep, no pre-cooking, and the ability to freeze for a good make-ahead meal. And trust me when I say, easy never tasted so good!
A while back, I made a killer Hawaiian Pork Chops recipe that quickly became one of the most popular recipes on my site. And with good reason — it’s seriously delicious. And while this is NOT an authentic Hawaiian recipe- it's inspired by some of the delicious flavors I enjoyed on the trips I've taken to the Hawaiian Islands and more importantly the rich and beautiful culture in Hawaii.
We’re big eaters of grilled chicken breast, no matter what time of the year it is (which is saying a lot since it’s pretty cold around here for most of the year!). So naturally, I’m always looking for a grilled chicken marinade that I can throw together and cook when I’m ready. And PS- I also made a Grilled Salmon variation of this recipe that is SO good!
This Hawaiian Chicken BBQ recipe has the most delicious sweet and savory flavor. It's kind of like a pineapple teriyaki chicken. I also like to grill up the pineapple rings and serve them along with the chicken — my kids are always excited to see the pineapple! Here are a few more reasons to love it:
- Easy to make
- Satisfyingly sweet and savory
- Budget-friendly
- Perfect for weeknight dinner
- Full of unique flavor
Ingredient Information And Substitutions:
- Chicken - I opt for boneless skinless chicken breast for this pineapple chicken recipe. You could theoretically use any cut of chicken you have on hand, too.
- Soy Sauce - To add delicious umami flavor. It's important to use the low-sodium option for this dish so that it's not too salty.
- Sesame Oil - Slightly nutty, sesame oil also adds flavor to the marinade. If you have a sesame allergy, any neutral oil that handles high heat well will work- like avocado oil.
- Brown Sugar - This recipe is savory and sweet, and much of the sweetness is thanks to the addition of brown sugar.
- Spices and Seasonings - You'll need ground ginger, crushed red pepper flakes, and garlic.
- Ketchup - Use tomato ketchup in the marinade as well. I know it sounds strange, but trust me, it's good!
- Pineapple Rings - Puts the "pineapple" in this pineapple chicken breast recipe! You'll also use the juice from the can in the marinade, so hold onto that. Please note: you can use fresh pineapple, but you'll want to purchase pineapple juice for the marinade as well.
- Cornstarch - To thicken the sauce.
- Scallions - For a pretty and tasty garnish.
How to make this Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken recipe
Step 1: Make the marinade
Add the soy sauce, water, sesame oil, brown sugar, ground ginger, red pepper flakes, garlic, ketchup, and pineapple juice to a bowl and whisk to combine.
Step 2: Marinate the chicken breasts
Place the chicken breasts in a Ziploc bag, then add the marinade. Allow the chicken to marinate for at least 10 minutes — although overnight works too!
Step 3: Grill the chicken and pineapple rings
Place the chicken (hold onto the marinade to make a sauce!) and pineapple rings on a prepared grill over medium-high heat. Grill for 3-5 minutes on each side. When the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F, remove the grilled Hawaiian chicken from the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes, tented in foil. If making marinade into. a sauce boil for 4 minutes then reduce heat and stir in cornstarch until thickened.. Add some chopped scallions as a garnish, and dinner is served!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can really use either. I tested this recipe on chicken breasts, but the only thing that would really change is increase the cooking time to get to 165 degrees F.
3-4 days when properly covered in the refrigerator.
Yes! I usually reheat it in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes, or in the microwave in 30-second intervals until warmed through.
Yes. I recommend freezing it in the marinade before cooking it for the best results. Cooked chicken breast will keep for 3-4 months.
It’ll depend on the thickness of the chicken. For thinly sliced chicken breast like in this pineapple chicken recipe, it should take around 3-5 minutes per side. To be safe ALWAYS go by temperature (it's safe to eat at 165 degrees in the thickest part of the chicken).
For this pineapple chicken breast recipe, opt for medium-high.
This is a 2 part answer:
1. It is NOT safe to reuse this marinade to marinate other items- too much bacteria and opportunity to get food-borne illness.
2. It is safe to cook the marinade and thicken into a sauce BUT you must boil it for at least 3 minutes before thickening to kill any bacteria. I typically simmer on low for a few minutes after adding the slurry, just to be safe.
Tips for making this Pineapple Chicken recipe
- I like to filet my chicken breasts so that they’re thinner. They have a quicker cooking time and are easier to eat. You can also pound it thinner.
- Make sure you’re using low-sodium soy sauce. It’s much too salty with normal soy sauce.
- Don’t throw out the pineapple juice from the can of pineapple rings — some of this goes into the marinade.
- Whisk together all the marinade ingredients well so that the sugar dissolves.
- Boil the marinade before adding the slurry. This step is crucial to kill any bacteria from the raw chicken.
- Let the chicken rest for a couple of minutes before serving.
- Storage and leftovers: This will last for up to 3-4 days covered in the refrigerator and can be reheated in the oven or microwave.
Hawaiian Chicken Recipe Upgrades
Although this is designed to be a dump-and-go recipe, here are a few “upgrades” you can make if you have a little extra time on your hands (and don’t mind doing a small amount of extra work).
You don’t have to do them to have a delicious meal, but they will make this recipe come out even more delicious:
- Turn the chicken pieces 45 degrees halfway through grilling each side to get some nice cross-hatch grill marks.
- Be sure to grill the pineapple, it gets even more delicious!
- Make some instant rice and steam some broccoli for a quick and easy meal.
Make it a Meal!
Serve this Polynesian chicken with:
Other Grilled Chicken Recipes to Try...
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Aloha Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ cup low sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil (or other neutral oil)
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or more if you want it to be spicy)
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
- 1 can pineapple rings (reserve ½ cup of the juice for the marinade)
- 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half length-wise to make 6 thin filets of chicken
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2-3 scallions, sliced on the diagonal, for garnish
Instructions
- Whisk the low sodium soy sauce, water, sesame oil, brown sugar, ground ginger, red pepper flakes, garlic ketchup and pineapple juice until well combined.
- Pour the marinade over the chicken breast and let it sit for at least 10 minutes or overnight (you can also freeze it in the marinade and thaw it for later use).
- Grease the grill and heat to medium-high.
- Place the chicken pieces and pineapple rings on the grill and reserve the marinade to make the sauce.
- Grill them for 3-5 minutes on each side depending on thickness. Rotate them a little bit midway through each side if you want a nice crosshatch grill mark (this is optional). Keep an eye on them because every grill is different.
- Once the internal temperature reaches 162 degrees remove them from the grill and rest them for 5 minutes tented in foil. During this time the temperature will rise to 165 degrees.
- While the chicken rests, strain the marinade into a sauce pan. Heat over medium heat until it starts boiling. Whisk the cornstarch with a small amount of water to form a slurry.
- Boil for 3 minutes then add the slurry and reduce to low heat to simmer for a couple minutes to thicken the sauce.
- Drizzle the meat and pineapple with sauce, sprinkle with chopped scallions and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- I like to filet my chicken breasts so that they’re thinner. They have a quicker cooking time and are easier to eat. You can also pound it thinner.
- Make sure you’re using low-sodium soy sauce. It’s much too salty with normal soy sauce.
- Don’t throw out the pineapple juice from the can of pineapple rings — some of this goes into the marinade.
- Whisk together all the marinade ingredients well so that the sugar dissolves.
- Boil the marinade before adding the slurry. This step is crucial to kill any bacteria from the raw chicken.
- Let the chicken rest for a couple of minutes before serving.
- Storage and leftovers: This will last for up to 3-4 days covered in the refrigerator and can be reheated in the oven or microwave.
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