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Best Baked Pineapple Chicken Recipe

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This is the best baked pineapple chicken recipe! This is one of those recipes where you can just dump everything into a baking dish. I don’t know about you, but an easy dinner recipe is my favorite for weeknights. And this is extremely kid-friendly when you leave off the sriracha that I personally like to add when serving!

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white plate with best baked pineapple chicken recipe and white rice and broccoli with hot sauce

Why I love this recipe

Dinner recipes can be hit or miss with kids, especially when they have meat. I hear from parents ALL the time that their kids barely eat any meat. But adding the pineapple and pineapple juice to this recipe adds a fresh sweetness that kids love! This is such a great recipe for families since the chicken is mild enough for your kids, and some added sriracha will liven it up for the parents.

If you have a hard time getting your little one to eat meat, also check out If Your Toddler Won’t Eat Meat and How to Get Your Toddler to Eat Meat.

Best Baked Pineapple Chicken Recipe

To keep things simple, I pair this pineapple baked chicken with white rice (comes out perfect every time in my rice cooker). Plus, some simple steamed broccoli to round out the meal with a veggie.

Ingredients Needed

baked pineapple chicken recipe ingredients aerial view in bowls

Ingredients you’ll need:

  • Avocado oil or vegetable oil
  • Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 100% pineapple juice
  • Low sodium soy sauce
  • Honey
  • White or red wine vinegar
  • Pinch of salt
  • Pineapple chunks, fresh, canned, or frozen
  • Optional: Sriracha for serving
  • Optional: green onions for garnish

Pineapple notes

I used canned pineapple chunks in 100% juice so I could strain out the juice and place the pineapple on top of the chicken to bake. You could use pineapple rings, pineapple slices, or pineapple tidbits – really any kind of canned pineapple would work. The bigger pieces, like rings, can be diced. Fresh pineapple chunks would also be delicious, you’d just need to get the pineapple juice separately.

If you use frozen pineapple, I would defrost before baking.

How to make this recipe

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Drizzle 1 tbsp oil in bottom of 9×13 baking dish. Arrange chicken thighs in one even layer. Prick chicken with fork multiple times on both sides to tenderize. (I learned this trick to quickly tenderize chicken from Cook Smarts – I love their meal plans and their cooking tips!)

Strain the canned pineapple over a bowl to reserve juice, if you are using canned pineapple and juice.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together ½ cup strained pineapple juice, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 Tbsp honey, and 1 Tbsp vinegar.

steps to bake pineapple chicken thighs with pineapple tidbits and pineapple juice soy sauce honey and vinegar in baking dish

Pour marinade evenly over chicken. Sprinkle on salt to taste. (I didn’t use much because of the salt in the soy sauce.)

Spoon ½ cup pineapple pieces onto the chicken.

pour marinade over boneless skinless chicken thighs and spoon pineapple pieces onto chicken

Bake uncovered at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Serve with rice and a drizzle of Sriracha (or leave it off for the kids), and steamed broccoli.

making pineapple baked chicken recipe in the oven with pineapple pieces and on a pink kids plate
best pineapple baked chicken on white plates with white baking dish and marble background with white rice and broccoli and sriracha
elk and friends pink plate and glass mason jar cup with kid friendly chicken recipe with pineapple and rice and broccoli

Pineapple Chicken Thighs FAQs

Can I use boneless skinless chicken breasts instead of thighs?

You can, but you may need to lengthen the cooking time depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts.

Is this sauce like teriyaki sauce?

It has a similar taste to teriyaki sauce but without to much added sugar. I wanted to avoid the brown sugar that you typically see in pineapple chicken recipes to make it a bit healthier.

Is this recipe like hawaiian chicken?

It’s similar but does not include bbq sauce like traditional Hawaiian chicken recipes. But, I bet it would be delicious with some barbecue sauce added in! I might try that next time.

Expert Tips

If you don’t have white or red wine vinegar, try substituting rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.

Other recipes you might like

If you want some tips you can start using asap to help with picky eating, grab my free Picky Eater Starter Guide.

pineapple baked chicken drizzled with sriracha with white rice and broccoli on white plate

Baked Pineapple Chicken

Kacie Barnes, MCN, RDN, LD
This is the best baked pineapple chicken recipe!
4.14 from 15 votes
Prep Time 7 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories 227 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tbsp avocado or vegetable oil
  • 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1/2 cup pineapple juice strained from can of diced or crushed pineapple in 100% juice (no added sugar, not in syrup)
  • 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp white or red wine vinegar
  • Pinch of salt
  • ½ cup pineapple pieces from can
  • Optional: Sriracha for serving

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375 F.
  • Drizzle 1 tbsp oil in bottom of 9×13 baking dish. Arrange chicken thighs in one even layer. Prick chicken with fork multiple times on both sides to tenderize.
  • Strain the canned pineapple over a bowl to reserve juice.
  • In a small mixing bowl, whisk together ½ cup strained pineapple juice, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 Tbsp honey, and 1 Tbsp vinegar.
  • Pour marinade evenly over chicken. Sprinkle on salt to taste. Spoon ½ cup pineapple pieces onto the chicken.
  • Bake at 375 F for 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
  • Serve with rice and a drizzle of Sriracha (or leave it off for the kids), and steamed broccoli.

Video

YouTube video

Nutrition

Calories: 227kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 23gFat: 10gSodium: 300mgSugar: 8g
Keyword dairy-free, Dinner
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

2 Comments

Wonderful cook · December 28, 2022 at 2:27 am

This was delicious and easy to make. I made this for my nieces and got a lot of compliments. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

Chelsea · August 26, 2021 at 5:16 pm

I just made this for my girls and they asked for seconds! They haven’t been eating chicken lately so this is exciting! I’ll be adding it to our dinner rotation!

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Kacie Barnes holding an apple
Hi, I’m Kacie!

I’m a mom of two and a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. I offer e-guides and e-books (go to my Shop page), workshops, brand partnerships, and nutrition counseling. Check out my blog for nutrition and feeding tips for your little ones.

Disclaimer:

This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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