Instant Pot Hawaiian chicken with pineapple is sweet with a bit of a kick. Served on top of rice like our or by itself it’s one of our favorite pressure cooker dinners with a thick sauce your whole family will love.
Let me share this easy Instant Pot Hawaiian chicken recipe with you! If you’re looking for a protein packed dinner with pineapple chicken pieces with a bit of a kick to it you will love this! It’s our favorite quick Instant Pot recipe. (affiliate links present)
Most people don’t know this about me but I was born and raised for the first 6 years of my life in Hawaii! Crazy right?? It is true and I guess that is where my love of all of these bold flavors came from.
with Chicken Breasts
We used boneless skinless chicken breasts this time but thighs are quite delicious as well. I use what is on sale or I have on hand typically but most of my family prefers white meat so I go with those. Medium sizes are best, cut into large bite size pieces so they can soak up all those flavors when cooked under high pressure.
with Frozen Chicken
With Frozen Chicken in Instant Pot is possible if the pieces are small and separated from one another. If fresh and diced into small pieces as directed in the recipe card below you need 6 minutes. If they are right out of the freezer you wouldn’t be able to slice. NO problem. There are 2 ways you can do this still:
Option 1 – Either cook the meat until it is tender enough to shred under high pressure with 1 cup broth for 12 minutes with a 1 minute natural release. Then drain liquid in pot Shred chicken and leave in IP In a bowl whisk together the Hawaiian sauce ingredients until smooth. Turn the pot to saute Pour in your sauce and allow everything to bubble for a few minutes so it thickens and serve once warmed.
Option 2 – If you wanted to cook the meat in the sauce I would still follow above steps except for 6 minutes, drain liquid and proceed as directed below with the sauce to continue cooking the meat with it.
If you’ve never tried easy pineapple chicken before it is great! Not only do you get the sweetness of this delicious fruit, but it’s countered by a bit of heat from the Sriracha you’ll add. It is up to you just how spicy you make this pressure cooker pineapple chicken. The below recipe is very mild, so adjust as you wish.
How long does it take to cook Hawaiian chicken in Instant Pot?
It only takes 6 minutes to cook on high pressure, so about 15 minutes total including the time it takes to reach pressure. Meaning…quick dinner for sure! If you want a bit of heat red pepper flakes could be added. We like it sweet sweet though so we didn’t do that.
What is Hawaiian Chicken Sauce made of?
You are going to want to mix together: brown sugar, minced ginger, minced garlic, some ketchup, soy sauce, rice vinegar, pineapple juice + chunks or tidbits, diced onion and/or small bits of bell peppers
There’s no need to marinade it overnight but I suppose you could. You just dump it in and go! You could even use this same sauce to cook with Instant Pot Hawaiian pulled pork if you wanted, or use it to pour on top of leftovers. Main ingredients for this sweet style Hawaiian bbq chicken:
Can you use chicken thighs?
Of course There are many choices as to what you could use to make any of our Instant Pot chicken recipes. If I buy meat in bulk I use what I have on hand that needs to be cooked soon. Meat on sale at your store? Use what is less expensive y’all and you might find a new favorite.
Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breasts, or thighs, boneless, skinless, diced
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 1 cup pineapple tidbits
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- 1/2 tbsp ginger, minced
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1.5 tbsp Sriracha, makes it cut down the sweetness, but not spicy, add more if you want heat
- 1/2 small onion, diced, optional
- 3 tbsp cornstarch, + 3 tbsp of hot liquid from pot to thicken at end
Instructions
- Put your diced (bite size) pieces of chicken as well as all other ingredients in the list into your pressure cooker (except for the cornstarch, we will use that later).
- Stir together so chicken is coated well.
- Close lid and steam valve and set to high pressure for 6 minutes.
- Do a quick release, turn off/cancel button, and then press saute button.
- In a small bowl whisk together 3 tbsp of cornstarch + 3 tbsp of the hot liquid inside your pot. Pour this mixture in.
- Mixture should now be bubbling. Stir and bubble for about 1 minute, then turn pot off.
- Sauce will have thickened a bit, and will continue to thicken as it sits for a few more minutes.
- Serve as is or on top of rice, enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Need directions for Slow cooker Hawaiian chicken? We have that for you too! It has a longer cooking time but I like to pass along as many variations as possible for all of you.
I serve this on top of Instant Pot white rice. I make it in my Instant Pot mini so it’s all done at the same time. You could alternatively serve it along with more fruit for the kiddos or with a side of vegetables or a side salad for a more low carb meal.
FAQ
You can easily increase the heat level with some red pepper flakes, diced jalapenos, dry sriracha or chili powder. I would only add a bit when cooked, taste, and adjust when it is cooked as it is hard to tone it down if you make it too spicy.
Huli Huli is a popular chicken thighs recipe cooked in and with teriyaki. You may refer to it as Hawaiian chicken but the two are different recipes entirely. The latter has a rich sauce made with pineapple and soy sauce. Both are amazing dishes.
If you’re still looking for more this Hawaiian pork chops recipe is on our list to try. You can eat this with Ninja Foodi rice or shred it and throw it inside some tortillas to make tacos. Any way you slice it it’s delish.
Ninja Foodi Option
You can make this as a Ninja Foodi recipe, in a Crockpot Express, Mealthy or any other brand. All these pressure cookers work very similarly so no worries.
Other Instant Pot Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
Pressure cooker chicken and rice is a family favorite cooked in just a few minutes. You can add 1 1/2 cups or more protein and it’s great if you have leftovers to use up. I wouldn’t add fruit to this one as it wouldn’t go well with the condensed soup. Instant Pot sesame chicken has a similar feel to this one but different. Spicy honey Instant Pot chicken has been pinned over 100K times and gets rave reviews.
If you want to do a sort of cheater version of this with store bought ingredients, a sauce already made you could. We actually call this Instant Pot orange chicken with barbecue sauce and a can of pineapple. I mean I guess you could call it from Hawaii and a great option if you are short on time, our 3 ingredient Ninja Foodi chicken breast is similar too.
I made this tonight… Absolutely.. positively.. wonderful… Omg. I served it over rice with Lima beans on the side… It was awesome!!
Followed recipe exactly. The sauce is excellent but the chicken came out dry. Going to use thighs next time.
May have been on the smaller side?? Haven’t had that issue but for sure thighs are much more moist.