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Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken is smoky, sweet, and slow cooked to perfection. It’s perfect for parties or game days, and especially delicious topped with our creamy Hawaiian Coleslaw!
I clearly remember the first time I ever made this recipe. I was planning a “Luau Party” and trying to come up with the perfect Hawaiian-themed menu. And I figured what better food for a party than pulled chicken sandwiches!?
So I looked at a few different Hawaiian Chicken recipes to figure out the flavors I would need… and I turned them into this. The BEST Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken!!
Not only is it oozing with amazing flavor, but I love that it’s made in a slow cooker for easy entertaining!
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
Savory sweet: You’ll love the savory sweet flavor combo… it’s one of our all time favorite chicken recipes!
Versatile: It’s delicious on its own, in sandwiches, over rice, or as a topper for any of your favorite salads!
Make-ahead: It’s perfect for making ahead and makes entertaining stress free!
what you’ll need for this recipe
Chicken breasts – I used 3 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you prefer dark meat.
Onion – I used 1 cup of chopped onion. I would recommend either yellow or red onion in this recipe.
Butter & Flour – I used a combination of 2 Tablespoons butter and 1/4 cup all purpose flour to thicken the sauce. (Substitute 2 Tablespoons cornstarch for the flour to make it gluten free.)
Pineapple juice – I added 2 cups pineapple juice as the base of the sauce and the liquid the chicken cooks in. I used 100% juice without sugar added.
Brown sugar – To sweeten the chicken I used 1/2 cup brown sugar. Feel free to adjust the amount according to your taste.
Ketchup – I added 3/4 cup ketchup to the sauce to create a bbq sauce-type of flavor.
Soy sauce – I also added 1 Tablespoon soy sauce for savory flavor.
Garlic – I used 4 cloves of garlic, minced. Fresh garlic is always best! (Substitute 1 teaspoon garlic powder for 4 cloves.)
Worcestershire sauce – I added 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce for additional savory flavor.
Spices – I used 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, and 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger.
how to make this slow cooker hawaiian chicken recipe
Combine the sauce ingredients. In a large glass measuring cup or mixing bowl, combine the pineapple juice, brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, garlic, worcestershire sauce, and seasonings. Whisk until all ingredients are incorporated; set aside.
Make the sauce. Heat 2 Tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until onion begins to brown. Stir in 1/4 cup flour. Add pineapple juice mixture to the skillet with the butter, onion and flour. Bring to a boil. Boil, stirring, 10-15 minutes or until sauce is thick.
Cook the chicken. Place the chicken in the crockpot and pour the sauce it. (If you’re looking for suggestions, this is the crock pot I use.) Cook on low heat 8 hours. Shred using 2 large forks.
Enjoy! Serve on sandwich rolls, over rice, or on top of your favorite salads. *If sauce is not as thick as you’d like it to be, you can prop open the lid and let some additional liquid evaporate before shredding and serving. Note: sauce will thicken further as it cools.
Recipe Variations
- Add sliced bell peppers or fresh pineapple chunks
- Use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts
- Reduce brown sugar for less sweetness
- Add additional seasonings to taste (e.g. smoked paprika or cayenne pepper)
- Use cornstarch instead of flour for a thicker sauce
- Serve over white rice, brown rice, cauliflower rice or coconut rice
- Serve on its own with any of your favorite veggies on the side
- Garnish with sesame seeds, sliced jalapeños, or sliced green onions
storing & reheating
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You have a few options for reheating:
- Stovetop – Transfer desired amount to a small pan. Add a splash of pineapple juice, water, or chicken broth. Heat on low, covered, for 10-12 minutes or until heated through. *Be sure to remove the lid and stir regularly!
- Oven – Transfer desired amount to an oven-proof baking dish. Add a splash of pineapple juice, water, or chicken broth. Cover and heat at 300° for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.
- Crockpot – Transfer chicken to the crockpot. Add a splash of pineapple juice, water, or chicken broth. Cover and heat on the “warm” setting for 2-4 hours.
- Air fryer – Transfer desired amount to a small oven-proof baking dish. Add a splash of pineapple juice, water, or chicken broth. Heat at 320° for 6-8 minutes.
- Microwave – Transfer desired amount to a microwave safe dish. Add a splash of pineapple juice, water, or chicken broth. Cover and microwave on high heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute.
What to Serve with Hawaiian Chicken
- Roasted veggies: Sesame Broccoli, Honey Soy Roasted Brussel Sprouts, or Roasted Potatoes
- Salads: Caesar Salad, Cherry Pecan Goat Cheese Salad, or Loaded Baked Potato Salad
- Slaws: Hawaiian Coleslaw, Cilantro Lime Slaw, Apple Cranberry Coleslaw, or Broccoli Slaw
Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups pineapple juice
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Instructions
- In a large glass measuring cup or mixing bowl, combine the pineapple juice, brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings. Whisk until all ingredients are incorporated; set aside.
- Heat 2 Tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until onion begins to brown.
- Stir in 1/4 cup flour. Add pineapple juice mixture to the skillet with the butter, onion and flour. Bring to a boil.
- Boil, stirring, 10-15 minutes or until sauce is thick.
- Place the chicken in the crockpot and pour the sauce it. Cook on low heat 8 hours. Shred using 2 large forks.
- Serve on sandwich rolls, over rice, or on top of your favorite salads. *If sauce is not as thick as you'd like it to be, you can prop open the lid and let some additional liquid evaporate before shredding and serving. Note: sauce will thicken further as it cools.
Notes
- Stovetop - Transfer desired amount to a small pan. Add a splash of pineapple juice, water, or chicken broth. Heat on low, covered, for 10-12 minutes or until heated through. *Be sure to remove the lid and stir regularly!
- Oven - Transfer desired amount to an oven-proof baking dish. Add a splash of pineapple juice, water, or chicken broth. Cover and heat at 300° for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.
- Crockpot - Transfer chicken to the crockpot. Add a splash of pineapple juice, water, or chicken broth. Cover and heat on the "warm" setting for 2-4 hours.
- Air fryer - Transfer desired amount to a small oven-proof baking dish. Add a splash of pineapple juice, water, or chicken broth. Heat at 320° for 6-8 minutes.
- Microwave - Transfer desired amount to a microwave safe dish. Add a splash of pineapple juice, water, or chicken broth. Cover and microwave on high heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute.
I’m always looking for easy dinners these days and hate using the oven. This looks like a win-win! Oh and siblings are tough! My 2 can play joyfully and also fight like crazy. Lots of “reminders” and hiding to let them work it out. Sisters!!!!
If y’all would get all the ads off of the recipe , we could try it better.
I used the leg & thighs as I’m not crazy for breast & thought the sauce was to thin. Going to make white rice & put the chicken on top & see how that is. Having it tonight for dinner. Taste great, however, think it could use a little more seasonings.
Did you omit the flour? How can the sauce be thin?
I agree please please do that. Such a pain with all the ads n the recipe stretches on n on ????????
Did you omit the flour? How can the sauce be thin?
The ads are probably what is paying for us to have these recipes for free
Just curious, did you try the recipe to rate it 5 stars? I look at the ratings to try to get thoughts on the recipes.
use the print option and then cut and paste; no ads
I agree I get so frustrated with those darn adds. I’m more likely to purchase said items if they don’t show the ads ad pop ups over whatever I’m trying to read.
I made this just as you directed, it is delicious! Moist, saucy and sweet.
I’m planning on freezing it and taking it with me on a trip to see my kids. They’ll love it!
Thanks so much for sharing!
Happy you enjoyed it!
This dish is amazing my whole family devoured this. They liked it so much that I am making it again tonight thanks so much for sharing this the fitzsimmons clan
I am a vegetarian, but Cathy, you have made some wicked looking sandwiches! Don’t worry, my sister and I had our issues growing up but we are best of friends and I do not know what I would do without her (I almost feel sad my daughter will never have a sister but then I realize she will always have MY sister!)
Oh my gosh, Cathy, I NEED one of these sandwiches. It looks so good!!
What a cute story about your girls! And who can blame them for wanting to eat this chicken all day long? It looks fantastic!
Absolutely scrumptious! My family would devour this!
OMG! You are making me hungry!
This is my kind of sandwich! I love BBQ topped with coleslaw – totally my jam!!
Slow cooker FTW – love the looks of theses amazing sandwiches!
About how many servings does this make.
Is the chicken frozen or thawed when you put it in the crockpot?
Always when possible used fresh chicken breasts, slow cooker will break down the meat during cooking process and it will be fall apart tender!
Frozen or thawed chicken in crockpot? Thank you!!
Thawed!
Thank you!
Sounds amazing! We are having a sort of Hawaiian themed bday party next weekend and I am looking for food ideas. My mother in law is making sweet and sour chicken thighs so I was wondering if your recipe will work with a pork shoulder for pulled pork sandwiches instead because I want a variety? Im sure it will but wanted to ask if you’ve done that before? And the cooking time would probably be same right? I appreciate your input
Thanks!
Dawn Arredondo
I think I’m going to try this with a pork roast and not a loin roast, I want some dark flavor meat!
Hi, how many servings does this recipe make?
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How to make this without the crockpot?
Hello, I am a Chef for a Sorority, there aren’t Crock Pots big enough for feeding that many girls…LOL…Follow all normal instructions, put your meat of choice into an oven safe pan and set your oven to Around 200F. Make sure it is wrapped tightly, throw into the oven and walk away for 6 hours and forget it (good Luck, the smell will make you crazy!) If it can be easily pulled apart at 6 hours, you’re done, if not…re-wrap tightly and continue cooking an additional 1-2 hours. HAVE FUN! GOOD LUCK!
How many portions does this make?
We are RVers and this is going with us next week to Hilton Head. Easy to make ahead and put in the fridge till you want to heat it! Looks amazing!
Thank you! Hope you enjoy it!
The initial sauce that you make is that to put on top of the chicken or does that go in the crockpot with the other sauce? I couldn’t find in instructions for that part
Ok. I apologize. Just got it. More coffee…….
I was wondering the same thing and I still haven’t figured it out. And I don’t drink coffee. Help.
You mix together all the sauce ingredients, then cook it briefly to thicken before adding it to the crock pot with the raw chicken. I hope this answers your question!
I want to make this for 45 people. Suggestion for how many times to multiply this recipe?
Also, do you have a recipe for the Coleslaw?
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I am also interested in the # of portions this makes, as I need to feed anywhere from 60-120 at a time
This recipe says it serves 12 so you have to extrapolate from there. If you want to serve 60, multiply by 5, for 120 by 10.
I would think this would be a great recipe for a very large group.
I just need to feed 3, but the leftovers will never be wasted at this house.
Thanks for this recipe, Cathy….my men will love it, I’m sure and we will find out tomorrow.
Do you pull the chicken apart after its cooked?
Yes! You shred it just before serving.
Hello,
Is there something else I can use instead for pineapple juice? I only ask because I can’t have pineapple.. And this just sounds nummy
I think, I have not tried it, but, you could use peach juice.
I used a peach mango mix juice and it was good. Their were no leftovers.
I use a hand mixer to shred meat when it’s hot. So easy!
This is amazing! So good! Thank you for the recipe!
Has anyone tried this recipe? I have a party this weekend for around 20 people and want to try this, but afraid until I hear some reviews. Lots of comments but not from anyone that tried this recipe.
Thanks
Making this tonight. In the crock now.
This is going on my menu for next week IMMEDIATELY! Can’t wait to try this!
Cathy I was curious have you ever made the sauce the night before and then thrown everything in the crockpot the next morning? We are in the middle of travel soccer season so our weekend mornings are crazy and sometimes we leave the house as early as 4am. The less I have to do those mornings to ensure a hot meal when we get home the better. lol thanks and I’ve already made this once as instructed and with the slaw, absolutely amazing!!!
I am curious about this as well!!
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I have this in my slow cooker right now, and let me tell you, the prep was a breeze (even before coffee), and my kitchen smells A-MAZ-ING! I can not WAIT until dinner tonight!
Hi,
I’m a bit pressed for time and wondering if I could cook for less time on high? What would you recommend? Thanks.
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Most get their shut-eye just a few hours at a
time.
The ginger that is called for in this recipe is it fresh ginger or ground ginger?
If i want to cook it on High how long would i have to put it for?
Do you think this would work okay with regular cooked shredded chicken (done previously in the slow cooker) and just add the sauce to it and heat it through?
I quadrupled this recipe and made it for a large graduation party. It was a big hit! We served it with Kings Hawaiian rolls.
Did you have to adjust the cooking time by quadrupling the recipe? How many hours?
I made this as written, and I’m pretty handy in the kitchen. However, when chicken was finished in the crock (after 8 hours on low), the sauce was extremely thin (prolly from the chicken juices?). I am adding thickener and reducing it on the stove now to get that desirable stickiness, and will add it to the shredded chicken before throwing it under the broiler to crisp up a bit.
Is the sauce always so thin?
I’m contemplating just making a new batch of sauce, thickening it up and adding that to my chicken to get the best flavor.
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Just made this and my husband is eating it. Flavor is good and it is certainly easy. One thing I will note is that in order to get the sauce (which is tasty!) to stick to the chicken after you’ve shredded it, you REALLY need to reduce it to thicken it. Otherwise, it is runny and certainly wouldn’t stick to the chicken the way it shows in the picture. That might be a helpful instruction to include, along with the fact that you need to shred the chicken with 2 forks or whatever, since the recipe doesn’t specify that and some people may think you should cook it long enough until it falls apart, which I’m pretty sure it won’t do or if you cook it that long, it will be flavorless.
I just bought one of those new Cuisinart slow cookers that has the added feature of being able to use it to saute. I was hesitant to buy it because of the cost compared to other slow cookers but so glad I did. I sauteed the onions right in the pot and then added the sauce ingredients and thickened them per the instructions. Then added the chicken and went swimming in our pool. After 6 hours, I took the chicken out, shredded it and put it in a serving dish. I turned the slow cooker back onto saute and let the sauce reduce by more than half until it was thick and sticky. Then I poured it over the shredded chicken and viola! It sticks to it. And I had no extra pots to wash, which is even better.
Made the slaw, too. Nice accompaniment — think it needs a bit more flavor profile. Was a bit bland but might be my fault because I used Greek yogurt instead of mayo because this is not a house that is fond of mayo. Maybe it will taste better tomorrow after the flavors marry.
Thanks for the recipe.
I am not a mayo lover either. Lately I have been using a store bought bottled Poppy Seed dressing for my slaw. Mayo lover husband prefers the Poppy Seed. Big surprise there.
Got a wonderful recipe using bagged slaw mix, cut up snow peas, Craisins, Poppy Seed dressing and topped with cashews. Made it for a group of golfers (guys) and had to send the recipe to them, as per their requests.
My main dis for my mele kaliikimaka Christmas party this year! You did not mention the type of rolls you used.
This was very good. Definitely a keeper. Be sure to make the coleslaw too. They really complemented each other.
Where is the recipe for the coleslaw?
Really good recipe. Be sure to make the coleslaw too. They really complement each other.
I made this Hawaiian chicken and Louis and I both enjoyed it
Tried this for a community party and it was a huge success.
Can this sauce be used with pork? I would think so…
Could you add the recipe for the coleslaw, please?
My daughter (15) made this. The sauce was super thin. Maybe she didn’t cook it long enough. It is good but VERY sweet. I think it is too “pineapply”.
If the sauce was thin, it was most likely not cooked long enough.
It was stated you can thicken the sauce some more.
I made this today and it was so yummy! In case people were wondering, I cooked on high for 4 hours and the chicken was fully cooked and fell apart. I shredded it and cooked on low for an additional hour to thicken it up a little more and soak up more flavor. It came out perfect! So if you’re in a crunch, you can cut the time in half by cooking on high for 4 hours.
Making this for the first time as we speak…. Will the sauce be okay overnight in the fridge?? Or will it thicken too much??
This looked like it would be so good, but was WAYYYY too sweet. If I make this again I’d have to tinker with the recipe a bit.
Sorry to hear that. Feel free to use less sugar!
Do you know how to convert this for IP? I assume you would make the sauce on the sauté setting, but do you need to add liquid? How long to cook on what setting? QR or NPR?
I would also like to know about a possible Instant Pot conversion for this recipe. It looks great, but with fall sports for kids, I need to be able to have it done quicker, if possible.
I want to know too!
I’m sorry…I don’t have experience with Instant Pot. Hopefully someone else can chime in!!
Wish there were some nutritional info. Every recipe I see doesn’t have any nutritional info