Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken Recipe - Evolving Table (2024)

Instant Pot Hawaiian Chickenis full of fresh pineapple chunks, juicy and tender chicken, bell peppers, onions, and a sticky sweet and spicy sauce. This healthy, kid-friendly pressure cooker meal can easily be prepped ahead for busy weeks and on the dinner table in under 30 minutes! Skip the Asian takeout and enjoy a flavorful dish at home.

Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken Recipe

After recently recreating and updating an old pressure cooker favorite (thisInstant Pot Orange Chicken) I decided to get a little creative.

This time instead of using fresh orange juice and zest, pineapple would be the star of the show.

One bite of this pineapple chicken will quickly transport you to your favorite tropical destination! Don’t blame me if you feel like you should be lounging around on beautiful white sandy beaches with aPiña Coladain hand right now…

And it’s so quick and easy to make, too! You can pop all of your ingredients into your pressure cooker and have this mealready in under 30 minutes! This simple Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken takes minimal effort and is a tasty dinner for busy weeknights.

Don’t have an Instant Pot? No problem! Check out thisEasy Pineapple Chicken Recipethat’s made on the stovetop!

Ingredients

• Chicken. One pound of chicken breasts are tenderized and then cut into cubes.
• Starch. A starch coating gives the chicken a wonderfully crunchy exterior while keeping the inside incredibly juicy and tender. Cornstarch or tapioca starch can be used.All purpose flour or a gluten-free flour may be substituted if that’s what you have available.
• Vegetables. Red and green bell peppers are used along with a red onion to make this dish beautiful and brightly colored.
• Pineapple. Canned pineapple chunks in juice, not in syrup, are the best and healthiest type of fruit to use. If you happen to have some fresh pineapple, you can also use that instead. I would not recommend using frozen pineapple as it does not have nearly as much flavor as the canned or fresh kind.
• Soy Sauce. A gluten-free soy sauce, Tamari sauce, or even coconut liquid aminos can be used interchangeably and give the pineapple chicken a great salty taste.
• Lime. Fresh lime juice adds a bit of acidity to help balance out the sweetness.Lemon juice can be substituted but will be a little more tart.
• Rice vinegar. A little bit more Asian flavor and tang is added in with a bit of vinegar.You can also substitute with apple cider vinegar if you’re on a Paleo diet.
• Sriracha. Totally optional, but a little bit of this spicy sauce will take this dish from a 0 heat level to about a 3-4 out of 10.

How to Make Instant Pot Pineapple Chicken

Please see the recipe card below for more detailed ingredient amounts.

1. Sauté the Chicken

For extra juicy chicken, tenderize your chicken breasts with ameat mallet. Then cut into similarly sized 1-inch cubes.

Place the chicken in a bowl and toss with the starch or flour, salt, and pepper until it is completely coated.

Add the oil to a6-quart Instant Potor electric pressure cookerwhile it is set to the sauté function. Wait until the oil begins to sizzle.

Place chicken cubes in a single layer on the bottom of the Instant Pot and sauté chicken for 2-3 minutes. After sautéing, scrape the bottom of the pot to ensure any bits are no longer stuck.

2. Make the Sauce

To ensure the sauce has the right consistency, it’s best to use aNutribullet. It’s powerful enough to make the sauce silky smooth, but is also extremely easy to clean and put away when you’re done.

You can also use a larger blender such as aVitamix, alarge food processor, or asmaller mini-prep processor.

Combine ¾-cup of the pineapple chunks, ⅓-cup of pineapple juice, ketchup, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, lime juice, crushed garlic, Sriracha sauce, and ¾-teaspoon of salt in the pitcher. Blend for 20-30 seconds, or until the tangy sauce is completely smooth.

3. Combine Everything in the Instant Pot

Once you have your chicken prepared and the sauce made, it’s time to put it all together and cook it in your Instant Pot.

Pour the sauce over the chicken.Be sure to lift it off the bottom of the pan so it does not burn.

Place the chopped bell peppers and onion on top of the chicken and sauce. Do not stir or mix at this stage.

4. Cook the Pineapple Chicken

Place the lid on the Instant Pot and close the pressure valve. Using the manual pressure cook function, turn to High Pressure and set the timer for 5 minutes.

Then allow a 5-minute natural pressure release.

Stir in the remaining pineapple chunks. This Hawaiian chicken tastes great when served over regularwhite rice,basmati rice, brown rice, or evencauliflower rice.

Sprinkle a bit of finely chopped green onions and even add a bit more Sriracha sauce for more spice.

FAQs

What to Serve with Hawaiian Chicken?

When you’re ready to dig into this Hawaiian chicken, there are a few delicious side dish recipes you can whip up.

Of course, you can’t go wrong with rice. TryCoconut Rice,White Rice,Jasmine Rice, orBasmati Rice. Save time withInstant Pot White Rice.

Try someSpring RollsorCucumber Saladon the side.

Other Easy Instant Pot Recipes

When you need dinner in a pinch, the Instant Pot is the way to go. Any of these easy dinners and sides will become a family favorite on busy nights.

• Instant Pot Beef Stew
• Instant Pot Potato Soup
• Instant Pot Jambalaya
• Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage
• Instant Pot Carrots
• Instant Pot Potato Salad