I was having one of those days today, y’all. The kind where your have a mile long to-do list but your body is just telling you to curl up and watch Netflix all day. You know those days. But I still needed to eat, so I threw together the easiest thing possible, this Slow Cooker Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken. #noregrets
This is definitely one of those meals that cooks itself, so you can Netflix binge, do laundry, or whatever while it’s doing it’s thing, and then just come back at the end to plate it up and enjoy. Perfect for a busy (or lazy) Saturday, or even for cooking while you’re away at the office during the week.
Can I use Chicken Breast?
Yes, you can make this Slow Cooker Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken with breasts instead, but I will warn you that they will turn out a little more dry and not nearly as succulent as these dark meat thighs. Unfortunately that’s just the way it works.
Serving Options
There is plenty of pineapple teriyaki sauce in the pot at the end of cooking, so spoon the meat, sauce, and pineapple over some hot rice, or a big ol’ pile of vegetables. …or both! I just reached into my freezer for a few broccoli florets to add some green to the meal, but you could always stir fry up a vegetable mix and then add the chicken and sauce on top of that instead of rice. YUM!
Pairs well with Savory Coconut Rice.
Slow Cooker Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken
Servings 5Ingredients
- 1 20 oz. can pineapple chunks in juice ($1.59)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce ($0.24)
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.08)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger ($0.10)
- 5 skinless chicken thighs* ($4.87)
- 1.5 Tbsp cornstarch ($0.04)
- 2 green onions, sliced ($0.17)
- 5 cups cooked rice, for serving (optional) ($0.88)
Instructions
- Separate the juice from the pineapple chunks. You should have approximately 3/4 cup juice. The juice will go into the sauce and the pineapple chunks will be added later. Refrigerate the pineapple chunks until they’re needed.
- To make the pineapple teriyaki sauce, stir together the pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, and grated ginger. If you have a little less than 3/4 cup pineapple juice, you can add a bit of water to bring it up to 3/4 cup.
- Place the chicken thighs in the slow cooker and pour the pineapple teriyaki sauce over top. Close the slow cooker and cook on high for four hours or low for eight hours. Flip the chicken 3/4 of the way through cooking to make sure all the meat is exposed to the marinade.
- After cooking, carefully lift the chicken out of the slow cooker (it will be fall-apart tender). In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch with 2 Tbsp water, then whisk it into the remaining liquid in the slow cooker. Replace the lid and let it simmer for 5 minutes on high, or until thickened.
- Once the sauce is thickened, add the pineapple chunks and stir to combine. Finally, add the cooked chicken back to the pot and coat with sauce. Sprinkle sliced green onions over top, and serve over a bed of rice.
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Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Slow Cooker PIneapple Teriyaki Chicken – Step by Step Photos
Begin by draining one 20 oz. can of pineapple chunks in juice. You’ll be using both the juice and the pineapple chunks, but they’ll be added to the recipe at different points. You should get approximately 3/4 cup juice out of the can. If you’re slightly under, you can add a bit of water to bring it up to 3/4 cup. Refrigerate the pineapple chunks until it’s time to add them to the recipe.
To make the pineapple teriyaki sauce, combine the 3/4 cup pineapple juice with 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 2 cloves garlic (minced), and about 1 tsp grated fresh ginger.
Place five skinless chicken thighs in the slow cooker (bone-in or boneless) and pour the marinade over top. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for four hours or low for eight hours.
Turn the chicken once about 3/4 of the way through, just to make sure all the meat is in contact with the sauce. After cooking, carefully lift the chicken out of the pot and place it on a plate or cutting board.
In a small dish, stir together 1.5 Tbsp cornstarch and 2 Tbsp water. Whisk this into the remaining liquid in the slow cooker. Replace the lid and let it simmer on high for about 5 minutes, or until it has thickened. Cornstarch only thickens liquids once it reaches a simmer, so make sure it’s simmering.
Once the sauce has thickened, add the pineapple chunks to the pot and stir to combine.
And finally, add the cooked chicken back to the pot and coat it in the sauce. Sprinkle sliced green onions over top and serve!
Sooo saucy. ;) (And not too salty)
Slow Cooker Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken – The official meal of “pajamas and Netflix” days!
Has anyone cooked this on the stove at low heat? I have a nice Dutch oven pot that I would like to test out!
If I’m using ground ginger instead of grated should the amount be different than one teaspoon as directed in this recipe?
Yes, ground ginger and fresh ginger aren’t just different in potency, but they actually have different flavors. I’d need to test it first before offering a suggestion on how much to use.
Loved it! Tasted delicious. Only thing I changed was adding a dash of salt and pepper into the sauce after the chicken was finished. It was also taking too long to thicken in the slow cooker so instead I put it in a pan to bring to boil. Much quicker that way. I will definitely be making this again! Thanks for the amazing recipe.
Just to clarify it was only the sauce I threw into a pan to thicken after cooking everything in the slow cooker.
Fantastic recipe! Really great flavor, and very simple. Thank you!
Loved this recipe so much! I used cauliflower rice because it is so easy/cheap (just tossed from the freezer to the microwave while sauce thickened). I don’t know why so many people stated it was bland – I wonder if they did not use fresh garlic/ginger and instead opted for spice? Everybody has different tastes I suppose. Regardless, for me, this recipe is a keeper!
I’ve made this twice now and I definitely play with the sauce and make to taste. I add more brown sugar and soy sauce, and it’s fantastic. I do end up needing more cornstarch to thicken it to a consistency I like too.
I used more cornstarch too. I was very pleased with this. I used crushed pineapple instead of chunks and kept it in the slow cooker all day. It was still good but next time I will use chunks and separate it out. I’d like to have a bit more soy sauce taste next time. Will make this recipe again. I used breasts and they turned out fine, nice and juicy and fall apart.
This was so good and easy to make. I did make stir fry veggies on the side just because I like the combination. I will definitely be making this again.
Oh yeah, I did use breast meat instead of thighs and it was very tender.
This was SO easy to make, and so delicious – even without the garlic! (My husband is allergic to garlic, which is sad, because we’re both huge garlic fiends.) I love recipes like this where you can pretty much just throw everything into the slow cooker and forget about it. :D This would be delicious with some steamed broccoli or snow peas as well.
This smelled so good all day long as it was cooking but it was underwhelming. It needed more seasoning. Maybe doubling the soy sauce? I saw another review it said it was too salty so maybe different soy sauces have different levels of flavor? The chicken was very tender and I added some steamed broccoli at the end and served it over rice. It needed quite a bit of salt at the table.
I liked the chicken pineapple combo but this dish was sooo salty!
Hi my slow cooker lid is broken – can I cook this in the oven? If so how long for what temperature etc?? thanks
Unfortunately I’ve never tried this one in the oven, so I can’t say for sure. You might be able to Google to find out what oven temperature and cooking time is equivalent to using a slow cooker, but you’ll definitely want to also make sure to cook it in something really thick and heavy like a Dutch oven to replicate the even heat that you get with a thick crock pot.
I’m planning to make this tomorrow, but I realized I only have bone-in chicken thighs. Is it ok to cook them as is and then just eat around the bone? I’m assuming I’d still want to remove the skins
Yes you should be just fine.
Added an extra tablespoon of brown sugar and two more tablespoons of soy sauce after cooking for 8 hours because the reviews were right – the sauce turned out just a little bland. The additions made the flavors really pop!
Good to know Stephanie!
Anyone make this in instant pot to pressure cook?
yes, 30 mins
How would you recommend subbing for fresh pineapple? What can replace the pineapple juice?
This smelled absolutely amazing while cooking, but the slurry messed things up for me. I followed all steps exactly and carefully measured it out, but I could taste it heavily in the sauce (it did come up to a simmer). I normally love all Budget Bytes recipes but it almost ruined it. :( I will probably remake this but will drastically cut down the slurry.
Idk why I replied to my own old random comment. Btw I used fresh pineapple chunks but got the juice from an old can I had laying around (then used the less flavorful tidbits in a smoothie).
It was good, but kinda bland. Next time I would season the chicken before adding sauce.