Slow Cooker Pineapple Chicken

Slow Cooker Pineapple Chicken

Ready for a mid-week recipe? This one is a quick, easy, and absolutely yummy one! There are so many ways you can make it your own - a million variations are possible and they are all fabulous.

Here's the basic ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cut into 2" cubes
• 1 large can (at least 20oz) of pineapple chunks in juice
• 2-3 tablespoons soy sauce (to your taste)
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced (to your taste)
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/3 cup of honey, maple syrup, and/or brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• Vegetables - red/orange/yellow bell peppers, water chestnuts (drained), sliced carrot, etc

So there's some options in your ingredients. You can really tweak this to your own taste. Extra spices including paprika are fabulous in the dish. You can also choose to add Teriyaki sauce. Try to pick vegetables that are nice and hearty. 

Instructions:

1. Pour juice from the canned pineapple into a mixing bowl. Add soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and honey and whisk to combine. (Can add any other spices, brown sugar, sauces, etc.) Add the cornstarch and stir until combined.
2. Place the cubed chicken into a slow cooker (4-7qt). Put in the pineapple. Add hearty vegetables including carrots at this time. (You may add bell peppers now for a softer texture on completion or in the last 30 minutes of cooking for a crunchier texture.)
3. Pour the pineapple juice mixture over the chicken and cover.
4. Cook on low 4-6 hours.

This is a hearty recipe. I've had it cook much longer than 4-6 hours and do just fine. Other vegetable ideas include snow peas and zucchini. Again, if you want a softer vegetable, cook the entire time. Otherwise add them towards the end for a crunchier texture. 

This is great served over rice or quinoa! I personally love it over Basmatti or Jasmine rice. You'll have a lovely sauce at the end to pour over top of the dish.

I hope you enjoy! This is a colorful and tasty edition to your slow cooker recipe stack!