Baked Pineapple Chicken Thighs
My family asks me to make these Pineapple Chicken Thighs all the time, and I know your family will love them too!
Sizzling, savory, and delicious, these Pineapple Glazed Chicken Thighs are the perfect easy dinner. Tender and juicy chicken thigh are coated in a tangy teriyaki & pineapple glaze and are great served over rice with some veggies.
Why We Love Hawaiian Chicken Thighs
This recipe is crazy easy. Mix, sear, and bake. That’s it! And while the chicken is in the oven, you’ll have time to make your family’s favorite sides to complete the meal.
My boys love having grilled veggie kabobs and cauliflower rice with this chicken for a well-rounded dinner.
Other Recipes if you love Pineapple Chicken Thighs
- Slow Cooker Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken – Let your dinner cook while you get things done! This easy crock pot dinner has all the same flavors in a set and forget option.
- Brown Sugar Pineapple Chicken – These chicken tenders are grilled and slathered in a super yummy brown sugar pineapple glaze that’ll have everyone’s mouth watering!
Ingredients
Chicken: I love using chicken thighs for this recipe. They’re flavorful and keep our grocery budget down. If you prefer boneless skinless chicken breasts, you’ll want to get 4 breasts total (about 2 pounds).
Sauce: I made this sauce using pineapple juice, pineapple, tidbits, and brown sugar to help the caramelize on the chicken for a delicious glaze no one can resist. Pair those sweet flavors with garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, and seasonings for the best baked pineapple chicken thighs around!
How to Cook Pineapple Chicken Thighs
STEP ONE: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Then stir all the sauce ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Set aside the sauce for now.
STEP TWO: Place an ovenproof skillet over medium heat. While the skillet gets hot, season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper on both sides. Then add the oil, onions, and chicken thighs to the hot skillet. Sear the chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown.
STEP THREE: Pour the pineapple sauce over the chicken and bake everything for 20-25 minutes, until the chicken has an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
STEP FOUR: Take the chicken out of the oven once the chicken is cooked and the sauce is bubbling. Then let it rest for 5 minutes to cool and let the sauce thicken up. I like to top this dish with chopped parsley and green onions for garnish.
Tips for Success
- A meat thermometer is my best friend when making chicken so I can make sure it’s cooked through all the way.
- If you don’t have an ovenproof skillet, transfer the seared chicken and onion to a baking dish before pouring the sauce over top. Then bake as directed.
- Having pineapple in the chicken sauce can break down the chicken and make it more tender. However, don’t it shouldn’t sit in the sauce too long so the chicken doesn’t get mushy. (AKA don’t use the sauce as a miarnade for longer than 4 houts.)
- Store any leftover thighs in an air tight container in the fridge with some of the pan sauce/juices.
- To reheat, place the chicken thighs and some sauce in the microwave and heat for 2-3 minutes until warmed. The sauce will help keep from drying out.
Are chicken thighs healthy?
Compared to chicken breasts, thighs have more fat and calories per portion. Using skinless thighs vs skin-on will also make a difference in the calorie count.
While thighs aren’t quite as healthy as chicken breasts, they are still a good source of protein I think our meals are more flavorful when I make our dinner with chicken thighs.
More of my family’s favorite chicken dinners
- Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs
- Cheesy Crock Pot Chicken and Rice
- Teriyaki Chicken & Vegetables
- Orange Chicken
- Honey Butter Chicken
- Busy Weeknight Baked Chicken Breasts
Baked Pineapple Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 20 ounces pineapple tidbits drained (1 can)
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ small yellow onion peeled and diced
- 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley chopped, for garnish
- Green onions thinly sliced, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, stir together the pineapple tidbits, chicken stock, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, cornstarch, and garlic powder until well combined. Set aside.
- Season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
- Place an ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Then add the oil, onion, and chicken thighs once the skillet is hot.
- Sear the chicken thighs for about 3-4 minutes on each side, or until the chicken has a golden brown color. (see note)
- Pour the pineapple sauce over the chicken thighs. Then bake for 20-25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and sauce is bubbly and thickened.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and allow the chicken to sit 5 minutes before serving. The sauce will thicken up as it cools.
- Serve warm with chopped green onions and parsley on top, if desired.
This meal was completely adequate. The sauce thickened up nicely, and I like that it was fairly simple, however, my biggest problem with it was lack of flavor. It needs some heat. If I made it again I’d definitely try to doctor the sauce some. But overall it was fine.
Tried it for the first time today, and I can already tell it is a family favorite!! I substituted the soy sauce for coconut aminos ginger and lime, the cornstarch for arrowroot, and didn’t add any sugar. It was delicious!! Thank you.
Was one of the worse dinners I ever made..Sorry.
If you love pineapple you will love this recipe! My family commented how good it was. I served it with riced cauliflower.
I enjoy cooking and trying new recipes from around the world being part of a multinational family.
This recipe was both simple, easy to follow and quick to prepare. The only extra bit I did was brown the exposed chicken more under the grill prior to serving.
Tastewise-absolutely delicious. The chicken just fell away from the bone and the sauce was delicious. Needless to say there was nothing left which I always take as a compliment and that’s thanks to you.
I’ve been making this recipe for about a year now and has become a staple weeknight meal. We pair it with coconut basmati rice and it was a hit! It’s picky 4 year old and toothless 9 month old approved and I’m thankful for anything that gives me an excuse to pull out the sesame oil!