Name: Slow Cooker Hawaiian BBQ Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 3 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 - 1 ½ pounds chicken tenderloins, cut into bite size pieces; ⅓ cup cornstarch; 3 eggs; 1 cup vegetable oil for frying; 18 ounces bottle of your favorite bbq sauce; 1 cup pineapple juice; ⅓ cup brown sugar; Scallions for garnish

Jump to Recipe

With just a handful of ingredients, this tropical-inspired sweet and tangy Slow-Cooker Hawaiian BBQ Chicken dinner is ready and waiting to be enjoyed with minimal effort. Serve it over rice or mashed potatoes for a meal guaranteed to be a family favorite!

Slow cooking the chicken helps infuse it with flavors from the BBQ sauce, pineapple juice, and brown sugar, making it amazingly tender. It requires little work, making it the perfect slow cooker recipe for busy days or lazy weekends.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

– no special cooking skills are required
– is a set-it-and-forget-it recipe
– uses minimal, essential pantry ingredients
– is outrageously flavorful
– is perfect for meal planning if you make a batch or two to freeze for later

Ingredients Needed

Chicken Tenderloins – cut into bite-size pieces
Cornstarch – to coat the chicken along with the egg mixture before browning
Eggs – to dredge the chicken in, along with the cornstarch, before browning
Vegetable Oil – for browning the chicken
BBQ Sauce – use your favorite brand and flavor
Pineapple Juice – to help flavor the chicken while slow cooking
Brown Sugar – to help sweeten the sauce while slow cooking
Scallions – for garnish

How To Make Slow Cooker Hawaiian BBQ Chicken

STEP 1: Combine the eggs and cornstarch in a mixing bowl. Coat the chicken pieces in the cornstarch and egg mixture.
STEP 2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the chicken quickly in the pan. Note: Don’t cook the chicken through; get a little color on each side.
STEP 3: Place the browned chicken in the slow cooker.
STEP 4: Combine the BBQ sauce, pineapple juice, and brown sugar in a mixing bowl.
STEP 5: Pour the sauce over the chicken and stir everything to combine.
STEP 6: Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours. Check and stir halfway through. Slow cookers cook differently, so make sure to stir them so your slow cooker doesn’t run too hot and burn the sauce.
STEP 7: Garnish with scallions and serve over rice or mashed potatoes.

Can I Use Other Cuts Of Chicken?

Yes. You can use boneless skinless chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces.

Can I Make Shredded Chicken Instead?

Yes. If you prefer a shredded version of this recipe, use whole, boneless, skinless chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of cutting up chicken tenderloins. You can place the raw chicken breasts or thighs into the slow cooker without needing to sear them in a skillet, which makes the recipe even more accessible since there’s no chicken prep.

wooden spoon in slow cooker scoop chicken

Once in the slow cooker, continue with the recipe as written. Remove the chicken to a plate and shred it with two forks. Place the shredded chicken back in the slow cooker and stir with the remaining sauce to coat the chicken before serving.

Add-Ins

If you’re looking to amp up the flavor profile of this meal, consider adding one or more of the following ingredients to the slow cooker:

Add a dash of soy sauce
Add pineapple chunks
Add diced onion
Add in chopped or sliced bell peppers
Add red pepper flakes for a little more heat
Add in spices such as garlic powder or ginger powder.

ingredients slow cooker hawaiian bbq chicken

How To Serve Slow Cooker Hawaiian BBQ Chicken

You can serve this Hawaiian BBQ chicken over white or brown rice, cauliflower rice, or mashed potatoes. You can even serve it as is in taco shells, which is perfect for leftovers!

What To Serve With Slow Cooker Hawaiian BBQ Chicken

This Hawaiian BBQ chicken would be delicious paired with my Pineapple Fried Rice or Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes. Easy side items to serve are my Creamy Coleslaw, Broccoli and Bacon Salad or my sweet and easy Mandarin Marshmallow Fluff. Top this dinner with a slice of my Cherry Chip Fluff Pie or No-Bake Oreo Cookie Delight.

Storage

Cooled leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating on the stovetop or microwave.

More Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes

Slow Cooker Firecracker Chicken Meatballs
Slow Cooker Mediterranean Chicken and Vegetables
Slow Cooker Cajun Chicken And Sausage
Slow Cooker Ranch Crack Chicken
Pulled BBQ Chicken Recipe
Slow Cooker Copycat Olive Garden Gnocchi Soup

Serves- 4

Slow Cooker Hawaiian BBQ Chicken

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours

This Slow-Cooker Hawaiian BBQ Chicken is a delicious dinner that comes together quickly. Tempura-fried chicken pieces are slow-cooked in a sweet and savory sauce of BBQ sauce, pineapple juice, and brown sugar until nice and glazed. The saucy chicken is perfect over rice or mashed potatoes. This is a family-friendly crowd-pleaser.

Ingredients

1 - 1 ½ pounds chicken tenderloins, cut into bite size pieces
⅓ cup cornstarch
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil for frying
18 ounces bottle of your favorite bbq sauce
1 cup pineapple juice
⅓ cup brown sugar
Scallions for garnish

Instructions

1. Gather all of the ingredients.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs and cornstarch.

3. Coat the chicken pieces in cornstarch egg mixture.

4. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

5. Brown the chicken quickly in the pan. We are not looking to cook

the chicken through; get a little color on each side.

6. Place the browned chicken in the slow cooker.

7. In a mixing bowl combine bbq sauce, pineapple juice and brown sugar.

8. Pour the sauce over the chicken.

9. Stir everything to combine.

10. Cover and cook on LOW for 3-4 hours. Check and stir halfway

through. Slow cookers cook differently, so make sure to stir, and

your slow cooker isn't running too hot and burning the sauce.

11. Garnish with scallions.

12. Serve over rice or potatoes.

Notes

Tips and tricks

Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Add red pepper flakes if you like spicy.
Add veggies to this while cooking if you like. Red bell pepper would be great!
This is great over white rice or mashed potatoes!