Warmer weather means more outside play and less time in the kitchen! This crockpot pineapple chicken recipe has all the flavors of summer, but the slow cooker won’t heat up your house!
Hello Weary Chef readers! It’s Kacey from The Cookie Writer, and I’m back again to share with you a simple slow cooker recipe that is packed full of flavor!
As much as I love cooking, when the temperatures rise, I cannot stand heating my kitchen. Slow cooker recipes become my go-to, and I find I use them more-so now than any other season (though slow cookers are great all year.)
This slow cooker pineapple chicken thighs recipe came to mind when trying to think of easy and cost effective meals. Chicken thighs are a wonderful cut of meat, and are usually pretty cheap. In this case, I began with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs.
I was going to pan-sear the skin so it would hopefully have some crispiness after slow cooking, but then I thought ‘why not remove the skin entirely?’ It took literally 2 minutes (you just pull it off, as gross as that sounds!) Of course you can leave the skin on and always finish the meal off under a broiler, however, this way you are guaranteed to have a meal that does not heat your house at all!
As usual, I find this recipe easy to customize. In the last 30 minutes of cooking you could add some chopped bell peppers or broccoli florets to the appliance. I used sweetened canned pineapple, but real pineapple would be just as good!
My husband and daughter were both really big fans of this recipe. I served it over rice mixed with some frozen veggies (cooked just before the meal was finished in the slow cooker.) It has that summery feel without being overly heavy or laboring. If chicken thighs are not your thing, then most certainly use some boneless, skinless chicken breasts (but be aware that cook time will vary!)
And lastly, I use a 6-quart slow cooker for all my recipes. While these slow cooker pineapple chicken thighs were completed in around 3 hours, an older slow cooker may take longer! My slow cooker has a built in meat thermometer so it really helps not to overcook things (I just set the internal temperature to be 160F and leave it to do the work!). Portable 6 Quart Set is the model I like if you need one:
Click PLAY to watch the how-to recipe video!
Crockpot Pineapple Chicken
Quick, simple, and packed full of flavor, these slow cooker pineapple chicken thighs should be on your dinner table this summer!
- Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 2.75 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (feel free to remove skin like I did!)
- salt and pepper
Sauce
- 19 oz canned sweetened pineapple drained and cut into chunks
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly minced ginger
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon coarse whole grain mustard
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce or Sriracha
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- toasted sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
Place chicken in an even layer inside your 6-quart slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper.
Combine all remaining ingredients except sesame seeds into a small mixing bowl. Mix until combined.
Pour over chicken, adjust accordingly, and cook on low heat for 3-4 hours, or until internal temperature reaches 160F.
Serve over rice, veggies, and garnish with toasted sesame seeds if desired!
Notes
How fast chicken cooks depends on size and cut. My chicken was completed in just over 3 hours, but bigger portions would take longer.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 240
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