Skip the takeout and whip up a fast, fresh and easy recipe for Sticky Pineapple Chicken in 30 minutes or less.
There’s just something about a meal served inside a pineapple that transports me to somewhere beyond my kitchen table. Hawaii, Bora Bora, Fiji, you name the tropical local, and this Sticky Pineapple Chicken will take your taste buds there.
It’s everything you want a takeout-fakeout dish to be—tender chicken tossed in a sweet, tangy, sticky sauce. So saucy that you’ll be tempted to ditch the fork for a spoon so you can scoop up every. last. drop.
My husband played a critical role in the development of this recipe. It began with chicken breasts, a sweeter sauce and a lack of crunch. But with a few tweaks, he took this Sticky Pineapple Chicken from a so-so dish to a real dinner winner.
Chicken thighs are much more moist and tender than chicken breasts (although you can check out the recipe notes for how to swap them in!). And when it comes to added flavor, a handful of roasted, salted cashews works wonders to balance out the tangy sweetness of the fresh pineapple, while also lending a bit of crunch to every bite.
The real show-stopping element is a hollowed out pineapple that serves as the perfect semi-edible bowl for a big scoop of rice and an even bigger scoop of sticky chicken. Of course the pineapple is totally optional, but if you’re taking this dish from a casual weeknight dinner to a lively weekend dinner party, pineapple boats are a must!
Craving more? Subscribe to Just a Taste to get new recipes, meal plans and a newsletter delivered straight to your inbox! And stay in touch on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Ready for more takeout-inspired meals? Don’t miss additional quick and easy homemade takeout recipes.
Easy Chicken Lo Mein: Get the Recipe
30-Minute Mongolian Beef: Get the Recipe
Chicken Egg Rolls with Ginger-Soy Dip: Get the Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup pineapple juice
- 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 cup low sodium chicken stock
- 1/3 cup hoisin sauce
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon minced fresh garlic
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 cup diced pineapple
- 1/2 cup roasted, salted cashews (optional)
- Rice, for serving
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together the pineapple juice, soy sauce, chicken stock, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, garlic and cornstarch. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until the mixture has reduced to about 1 cup and is the consistency of thick syrup. Set the sauce aside.
- Add the olive oil to a large nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and season it with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken, stirring, until it is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Drain off any liquids then add the sauce to the pan and stir until combined. Add the pineapple and cashews and cook, stirring, for an additional 1 minute.
- Serve the chicken atop a bed of rice.
Kelly’s Note:
- For a bit more flair to your presentation, serve the chicken and rice inside a hollowed out pineapple.
- If you can't find chicken thighs, you can use 4 medium chicken breasts, however the meat won't be as tender.
Shoutout
Did you try this recipe?
Share it with the world! Mention @justataste or tag #justatasterecipes!
Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
Hi Kelly
Awsome idea serving the sticky Pineapple chicken in the hollowed out Pineapple!!
Am going to cook this for my girlfriend on Thursday when she returns from abroad!
Can’t wait for both
Sounds like it will taste as good as it looks
I’ll let you know how it went
Thanks for sharing your recipe
All the best
Ross
You are so welcome, Ross! I hope you and your girlfriend enjoy the recipe!
I enjoyed it. Rather simple dish to cook. I added green onion on top of the chicken. I used can pineapple because the pineapple I had wasn’t ripe enough to eat.
I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Allison!
Can you use can pineapple?
Absolutely!
Just made this tonight and it was delicious! Next time I might cut the sugar amount in half though as this was ALMOST on the too sweet side. My only personal tweak was using smoked chicken breast as I’m in Japan and that was an option at our local grocery store and it complimented the sauce amazingly
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Melissa!
Love the recipes don’t love having to translate them into metric! Could you add a metric button please??? Thank you. DianG
Hi DianG! I don’t provide metric conversions for my recipes, as I cannot guarantee they would be 100% accurate without being tested. :) I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying Just a Taste – thank you for your readership!
Cooked as is, came out perfect! Husband even asked for 2nds!
Woohoo! I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed the recipe, Katelyn!
This is delicious my 2 questions are can it be reheated and can it be made more slimming world friendly?
Hi Fiona! Leftovers can be reheated and taste great, and I’m not sure what you mean by “slimming world friendly.”
I made this for my Wife and Son tonight and I served it with my Bacon fried rice. My wife said the meal was restaurant quality and I also added the roasted cashews which was great. The saltiness of the fried rice counter balanced the sweetness of the chicken. I squeezed my own pineapple juice as well. It was a really great meal. Thank You!
WOWZA! I’m so glad your family enjoyed the recipe, Tony!
Made this today (though haven’t eaten it as I had something else to eat up today). It was so easy, and I have tasted the sauce and it is really yummy. I added onion and pepper when cooking the chicken to make it go further.
Enjoy, Heather!
I made this last night for me and my boyfriend. I didnt have hoisin sauce so I used Kung Pao sauce instead. It gave it some extra bite! I tried it with chicken breasts and it was really good :)
I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Tina!
This was amazing!! I love the addition of the cashews. It took the dish to a different level. I am not a huge fan of hoisin sauce, so I was hesitant with making it…but it is good! My picky kids and husband even agreed it was delicious. This will be incorporated into our rotation. Thank you for this recipe!
You are so welcome, Naomi! I’m thrilled your family enjoyed the recipe!
I made this dish last night and it was absolutely delicious. I love that it is a blank slate in a way and you can add other veggies etc, to it if you desire.
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Tina!
I’ve been cooking different dishes for my household for the past few weeks and thought about doing this either this weekend or next week. I can’t wait to make it and enjoy this delicious recipe. Thanks for this wonderful idea!
You are so welcome, Malika! I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Could you possibly try this using spaghetti noodles ( lo mein) instead of rice?
Hi Rhonda! You can absolutely serve this with noodles instead of rice! :)
Delicious! My 22 month old asks for Pineapple Chicken regularly now. (“Pah-apple”, points to her finger where a chicken at a petting zoo bit her finger.) I am not sure if anyone can give a higher compliment.
My only alteration would be to skip, or very lightly, salt the chicken. The other ingredients add enough salt.
Love reading this, Anna!
This sounds so good and can also add some broccoli and carrots! Can’t wait to try it! Thanks
I hope you enjoy the recipe, Georgia!
So good. I used purple rice and added coconut… All this needs is more pineapple.
I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
Loved this recipe. I made it with fresh pineapple chunks and added spring onions and sugar snap peas ‘cause I just have to have veggies. Delicious.
Awesome! I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe, Sally!
Delicious and so easy. I made it with Jasmine rice cooked with coconut water. It gave it a little more of a tropical flair.
Definitely a keeper that we’ll make again.
YUM! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Terri!