I. AM. OBSESSED. To say the least, I am completely and utterly obsessed with my Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken. The amount of times I make this lately is probably insane, it is just that good. Instant pot hawaiian chicken 3 ingredients is all it takes! Just some sauce, chicken and rice, very simple to make. Then just dump them all in the Instant Pot and press go! Instant pot hawaiian chicken breast is an easy dinner recipe that is perfect for everyone in your family. Grab your piña colada, and let's get cooking!
What Do You Need To Make Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken
Why an Instant Pot of course!! I will provide a link to the Instant Pot that I use here and also the non-stick bowl insert here that I love, it helps to keep your food from sticking while cooking and also makes clean up easy.
If you do not have an Instant Pot, simply make the rice separate, the chicken separate and the sauce separate. Then combine everything together once cooked. I also have a recipe for Hawaiian skewers that can be made on the grill, stovetop or oven. In addition, I have a Hawaiian chicken slider recipe that is super good. Similar to this recipe but still very different.
Now for the actual ingredients
Instant pot hawaiian chicken 3 ingredients is all it takes! Just some sauce, chicken and rice!
- Rice - I use extra long grain rice, which is a white rice, but you can use any rice that you want. Just be mindful of cooking times, brown rice takes a long time, this was based of extra long grain (white) rice
- Water - pretty self explanatory
- Chicken cutlets - I use chicken cutlets for this recipe, they cook perfectly in the 6 minutes it takes to cook the rice as well. Use any cut of chicken, or another meat; however, make sure it cooks through and is not overcooked. Thin chicken cutlets work really well though. Chicken breasts can be used as well, cutlets are just preferred as they are the perfect size. If chicken breasts are, just butterfly them in half so they cook.
- Diced pineapple - This is from a can because cutting pineapple is too much work! Make sure to buy diced pineapples that are in their own pineapple juices. Make sure there are no added sugars or anything else in the car. They are called pineapple tidbits at my store! The whole can will be used, including the pineapple juice, whatever is in there, not much.
- BBQ Sauce - Sugar free now sauce is used in this recipe but any bbq sauce can be used.
Okay, that was kinda more than instant pot hawaiian chicken 3 ingredients but the sauce counts as one. And that is it! Simple, easy but packs a punch.
If a sweeter recipe is preferred, add some brown sugar or brown sugar replacement. The pineapple does already make it sweet so just be cautious of that. If a spicier recipe is preferred, add some red pepper flakes on top!
How To Make Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken
Instant pot hawaiian chicken breast is an easy dinner recipe that is perfect for everyone in your family. Start by greasing the bottom of the Instant Pot with some cooking spray. This is why the non-stick bowl insert works well, it makes sure that the rice doesn't stick. Add one and a quarter cups of water on top and make sure the rice is evenly laid out on the bottom.
Sprinkle the chicken cutlets with a little bit of garlic salt. Not much seasonings are needed as the pineapple and BBQ sauce really shine through in this recipe. Place the chicken cutlets on top of the rice, being careful not to disturb the rice.
Mix together the pineapple tidbits and the BBQ sauce then pour over the chicken.
Cover the pot and secure the lid. Make sure the valve is set to sealing. Set the pressure cook button to 6 minutes and start it. Once completely cooked, let set for 5 minutes, then vent and de-pressurize the instapot then open the lid and serve.
The bbq and pineapple will get all over the rice creating a delicious sauced rice as well.
Alternative Ways to Cook
What if you do not have a pressure cooker? Well you need one for this instant pot hawaiian chicken breast because they are AMAZING! But we can go over some other ways that I think would work out well too.
Stove Top
Cook the chicken on the stove top, over medium high heat, sprinkled with the garlic salt. Cook until it is almost fully cooked. Mix together the BBQ sauce and pineapple, then pour over the almost cooked chicken. Put a lid on your pan and steam/cook until the chicken is fully cooked and the pineapple/bbq is heated up. The rice will need to be cooked separate and added to the chicken after.
If cooking the rice separate, I like to make it in the instant pot as well.
Slow Cooker
This chicken can be made on the slow cooker. Follow all the same steps as the Instant Pot version and cook on low until the chicken is fully cooked. It will only take about 1-1.5 hours, depending on how thick the chicken cutlets are. If using chicken breasts, or a thicker chicken, it will take a little longer.
Oven
Do you prefer baked chicken? Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken on a greased baking tray, sprinkling with the garlic salt. Cook the chicken for about 10 minutes then flip over. Add the pineapple and bbq sauce mixture on top, then cook for another 10-15 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked. This will take less than 30 minutes to make! Super easy weeknight dinner idea.
Stir Fry
A fun way to make this would be to stir fry everything together. The rice will need to be cooked separately and set aside. Just heat some oil over medium-high heat. Cut chicken up into small, bite-sized pieces. Cook that chicken in the oil until just almost cooked. Add in the bbq sauce and pineapple chunks, and toss everything. Continue to fully cook the chicken and heat up the bbq sauce and pineapple. Once the chicken is thoroughly cooked, add in the rice and toss everything. You can also add in a little soy sauce or hoisin sauce as well.
Looking for some other recipes to make in the Instant Pot? Try out my instant pot garlic parm pasta.
Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice dry
- 1.25 cups water
- 4 pieces chicken cutlets about 4 ounces each
- ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
- â…“ cup sugar free BBQ sauce
- 1 can pineapple tidbits 8 ounce can
Instructions
- Add rice to the bottom of the Instant Pot. Pour water over, trying not to disturb the rice.
- Sprinkle chicken cutlets with garlic salt and carefully place over the rice, trying not to disturb the rice.
- Mix together BBQ sauce and pineapple tidbits and pour over the chicken cutlets.
- Cover the pot and secure the lid. Make sure the valve is set to sealing. Set the pressure cook button to 6 minutes and start it.
- Once completely cooked, let set for 5 minutes, then vent and de-pressurize the instapot then open the lid and serve.
Nutrition
How many WW points is this now?! Click on the link below and it will take you to the recipe I made within your own WW app. Your specific points will be calculated, and you can track that.
Suzanne says
Trying this recipe this week. I’m adding bell pepper to it, just to have a extra veg and make it more like a sweet and sour chicken. Can’t wait to try it.
Maureen says
Do you drain the pineapple tidbits, or leave them in the juice?
alliecarte says
I don’t, the one I use doesn’t have much juice but still some.