Feast your eyes on Crockpot BBQ Pineapple Chicken. Seasoned chicken, aromatics, barbecue sauce, and succulent pineapple slow-cooked as you go about your day! 6 hours later, you’ll return to shreddable chicken soaked in a perfect balance of sweet and savory flavor. Great for sandwiches, sliders, and your choice of sides!
This BBQ pineapple chicken is a luau for your taste buds! Imagine everything you love about BBQ pulled chicken and Hawaiian pineapple chicken cooked low and slow to make one oh-so-delicious meaty main course.
You’ll need a shortlist of no-nonsense ingredients and 10-15 minutes of your time. Then, your Crockpot makes magic happen! This is a lifesaver during the work week/school night hustle and bustle. You can prep everything, get the chicken and saucy goodness going in the slow cooker in the morning and return home after a long day to a delicious and nutritious dinner.
This Crockpot pineapple BBQ chicken is one of my kids’ favorites, so I’m confident even the pickiest palates in your household will love it too.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This is a VERY easy fix-it-and-forget-it dinner everyone will love!
- The serving options are endless. Platters? Sandwiches? Tacos? Anything goes!
- With gluten-free barbecue sauce, this BBQ pineapple chicken is gluten-free! With minor modifications, it’s also excellent for Whole30 (see FAQs for tips).
Ingredients You'll Need
- Chicken – Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Or, you can use chicken thighs if you’re okay with the richer dark meat flavor.
- Butter – This is for sautéeing the aromatics and searing the chicken. Extra virgin olive oil or ghee works as well.
- Aromatics– Green bell pepper and sweet onion bring a solid foundation of savory flavor. Feel free to use red, orange, or yellow bell pepper for an even more vibrant flavor.
- Garlic – Freshly minced garlic enhances the savory flavors. I used two garlic cloves, but adding one or two more is never a bad idea!
- Spices and seasonings – A simple blend of smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper helps balance the sweet, smokey, and savory tastes.
- Barbecue sauce – Try my Homemade BBQ Sauce, or use your favorite bottle of store-bought barbecue sauce. I prefer to with a sauce made with natural sugar, brown, or molasses instead of high fructose corn syrup. Gourmet Warehouse Sweet Heat is a favorite, but I switch things up with different BBQ sauce flavors every time I make this (which is often).
- Can of pineapple tidbits – Brings the tropical Hawaiian influence. Be sure to drain the pineapple well before using it.
How To Make BBQ Pineapple Chicken In A Slow Cooker
Step 1: Sauté bell peppers and onion. Add butter to a large pan and heat over medium heat. Add the diced green pepper and onions, and cook, stirring frequently, just until tender. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Step 2: Brown chicken with garlic. Add more butter to the same and heat over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken breasts and cook until browned on one side. Flip the chicken, add garlic, and continue cooking until the chicken is browned on both sides and the garlic is lightly golden. If the chicken breasts are large, you may need to do this in two batches.
Step 3: Add everything to the slow cooker. Spray the slow cooker with cooking spray. Then, add the chicken, garlic, seasonings, barbecue sauce, pineapple, peppers, and onions, and give everything a good stir.
Step 4: Cook, rest, shred, and serve! Set the Crockpot on LOW and cook for 6-7 hours. Small 4 oz breasts will likely be done at 6 hours and larger breasts can take up to 7 hours. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving whole or shredding. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- You can also cook the chicken on HIGH. The time it takes to reach doneness can be between 2 and 4 hours. To guarantee good results, keep an eye on the internal temperature using an instant-read meat probe, and cook until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- If your Crockpot model has a “SAUTE/SEAR” mode, you can sauté the aromatic vegetables and brown the chicken directly in the slow cooker. One less dish!
- When draining the pineapple, reserve 2-3 tablespoons of the juice. You can use it to get every drop of sauce out of the BBQ sauce bottle. Pour the liquid into the emptied bottle and give it a good shake. Then add the mixture to the slow cooker.
- To turn up the heat, add minced jalapeno or habanero to the pan with the bell peppers and onions. You can also add a pinch of red pepper flakes, chipotle chili powder, or cayenne for a hint of fiery flavor.
Serving Suggestions
Serve shredded BBQ pineapple chicken on buns (we love it with pickles!) or with your favorite healthy sides. These ideas pair exceptionally well with the sweet and savory chicken.
- Coconut Rice
- Cilantro Lime Rice
- Caribbean Lime Coleslaw
- Tropical Fruit Salad
- Sweet Potato Wedges
- Roosevelt Baked Beans
- Pineapple Salsa
If you’re after an excellent Hawaiian BBQ chicken sandwich, serve the shredded chicken on a Hawaiian roll. Or, use any soft and fluffy sandwich or slider roll, whole wheat, brioche, ciabatta, pretzel, gluten-free, etc.
If you have leftover shredded chicken, repurpose it in tacos, quesadillas, flatbreads, and grilled cheese sammies.
Storing & Freezing
Storing: Let leftover chicken cool to room temperature, then store it in a shallow, well-sealed glass container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Freezing: To freeze the cooked chicken, let it cool, transfer it to a freezer-safe zip-top bag and freeze for 2-3 months. Let thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating in the microwave or a skillet.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. You can absolutely make BBQ pineapple pulled pork if you like. For the best results, use pork shoulder or pork butt and follow the rest of the recipe as instructed. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or until the internal temperature reaches between 195-205°F.
The ingredients are primarily real food, compliant ingredients. Use olive oil or ghee instead of butter, pineapple packed in water, and a Whole30-approved barbecue sauce, and you’re all set!
No slow cooker? That’s okay. Sauté the peppers, onion, and garlic, and sear the chicken breasts in a Dutch oven or large oven-proof skillet. Add the barbecue sauce, pineapple, and seasonings. Transfer to the 375°F preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. Tent loosely with foil and rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
More Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes You'll Love
- Slow Cooker Mango Salsa Chicken
- Crockpot Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sliders
- Sweet and Spicy Crockpot Chicken
- Crockpot Italian Chicken
- Slow Cooker Chicken with Spinach and Artichokes
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Crockpot BBQ Pineapple Chicken
Equipment
- slow cooker
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon butter or ghee or extra virgin olive oil
- ½ green pepper finely chopped
- ½ large sweet onion finely chopped
- 6 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 2 cloves fresh garlic minced
- Non-stick olive oil cooking spray
- 1 ½ tablespoon smoked paprika make sure you use smoked paprika, not regular paprika, for the best flavor
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt more or less, to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 10 oz can of pineapple tidbits drained well
- 18 oz barbecue sauce *see recipe notes
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large pan on medium heat.
- Sauté green peppers and onions until tender but not brown, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
- Add the remaining tablespoon butter to the sauté pan.
- Brown chicken breasts on one side over medium-high heat.
- Flip the breasts over and add the garlic to the pan. Cook the garlic until lightly golden and brown the other side. *If you have large breasts, do this in two batches so the breasts have room to sear.
- Spray the crockpot with cooking spray.
- Then add the chicken and garlic, seasonings, pineapple, BBQ sauce, green peppers, and onions.
- Stir all together and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours, depending on the size of the breasts. *see tips
- Rest 5-10 minutes, shred, and serve.
Notes
- You can also cook the chicken on HIGH. The time it takes to reach doneness can be between 2 and 4 hours. To guarantee good results, keep an eye on the internal temperature using an instant-read meat probe, and cook until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- If your Crockpot model has a “SAUTE/SEAR” mode, you can sauté the aromatic vegetables and brown the chicken directly in the slow cooker. One less dish!
- When draining the pineapple, reserve 2-3 tablespoons of the juice. You can use it to get every drop of sauce out of the BBQ sauce bottle. Pour the liquid into the emptied bottle and give it a good shake. Then add the mixture to the slow cooker.
- To turn up the heat, add minced jalapeno or habanero to the pan with the bell peppers and onions. You can also add a pinch of red pepper flakes, chipotle chili powder, or cayenne for a hint of fiery flavor.
Nutrition
Note: This post was originally published in August 2011. It has been updated throughout.
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Lark (SparkyLarky)@ Lark's Country Heart
Oh this looks finger licking good!
The Better Baker
Oh how I love BBQ...and the way this is dripping off the meat is soo inviting. thanks - those crockpots are great huh?
basilmomma: Heather Tallman
This looks awesome! Right up our alley! I am going to try it 🙂
Amee
thanks, ladies! 🙂 Yes, I do LOVE the crockpot!!
Anonymous
i very rarely buy herbs for my meals, because they are so expensive and don't keep long. Have any other substitutions or ideas?
Amee Livingston
I don't have any herbs in this recipe. You could substitute a tsp of garlic powder for the garlic, if you wish.
sakuracnd
How many does this recipe serve. I am always cooking for about 18 people....
Amee Livingston
This recipe only serves 6-8 people. I usually count about one breast per person.
Anonymous
What size can of crushed pineapple?
Amee Livingston
It's a 15.5oz can. Thank you for pointing this out, I added the size of the can to the recipe. 🙂
Chez LaLA
This looks so delish...and I love that there are not many ingredients !! 🙂
avril
Love the recipe but I'm in the UK so what size is "bottle" of sauce please?
Amee Livingston
Hi Avril! An 18 oz bottle would be perfect.
Catherine
We love this recipe! We shared it in our 25 Delicious Crockpot Meals for Busy Families roundup on The Shopping Mama!!
Amee Livingston
Thank you for including my recipe, Catherine!
Maggie
Amee,
I am making this with your barbecue sauce and was wondering if I might be adding too much onion to the dish. Your thoughts?
Amee Livingston
Hi Maggie! You could always cut back on the onion a bit since the sauce already has it in there. I hope you enjoy it!
Maggie
Just finished making this with 3 lbs of chicken and I took a chance and made your barbecue sauce. Incredibly delicious! I am not usually very daring on sauces, however, I just made pulled pork yesterday with Sweet Baby Ray's for a weekend in Michigan and needed something different for my sister who only likes chicken. I am so happy I found your recipe. The sauce was so similar to the one my Aunts (who were nuns) made us with pork chops. 😊