Welcome to our baked chicken with pineapple recipe. We’ll be baking your chicken in the oven, along with a few chunks of honeydew and pineapple. This dish is great as a mid-week meal — quick to prepare and simple to cook.
Thinking of hosting a tropical Hawaiian-style barbecue? Here is a delicious, easy recipe to bring your party’s excitement to the next level.
Pineapple Baked Chicken
WATCH: Pineapple Baked Chicken Has Major Hawaiian Pizza Vibes
This easy weeknight chicken dinner has major Hawaiian pizza vibes (minus the ham). Don’t skip the seasoning! The dried herbs, garlic powder, and paprika balance out the creaminess from the mozzarella and sweetness of the pineapple.
YIELDS:4 SERVINGS
PREP TIME:0 HOURS 10 MINS
TOTAL TIME:0 HOURS 30 MINS
INGREDIENTS
3/4 tsp.
Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp.
sweet paprika
1/4 tsp.
garlic powder
4
boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 lb.)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp.
extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 c.
shredded mozzarella
2 tbsp.
freshly grated Parmesan
4
thin pineapple rounds
1/4 c.
diced red onion
2 tsp.
freshly chopped cilantro
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 375°. In a small bowl, combine Italian seasoning, sweet paprika, and garlic powder. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
- In a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Cook chicken on top side until golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle all over with seasoning mixture.
- Sprinkle tops of chicken with 1 cup mozzarella and most of Parmesan. Arrange a pineapple round on top of each piece of chicken. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup mozzarella and remaining Parmesan.
- Bake until cheese is melty and chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
- Garnish with red onion and cilantro before serving.
Hawaiian Baked Chicken
Hawaiian Baked Chicken marinated in a garlicky-pineapple juice mixture is the most flavorful chicken you will ever make! It’s an easy and healthy recipe the whole family will love!
Baked chicken breasts can be used to make some of the easiest, family friendly recipes you can think of! For more recipe ideas, check out this classic recipe for Juicy Oven Baked Chicken Breasts, these Hasselback Tuscan Baked Chicken Breasts and one of my favorites, Easy Cheesy Baked Chicken Breasts with Mushrooms!
SWEET & SAVORY HAWAIIAN BAKED CHICKEN
Winner winner, chicken dinner (again!). This is my go-to recipe for an easy chicken dinner that just so happens to be jam-packed full of awesome. All the similar sweet and savory, tropical flavors of a Hawaiian pizza, in the form of a healthy pineapple chicken recipe! You really can’t go wrong.
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This Hawaiian baked chicken is so flavorful. It’s zesty, it’s garlicky, it’s pineapple-y. Made a little smokey with a dash of paprika. Everyone in our family absolutely loves this recipe. It’s like a tropical vacation in food form; something about the freshness of it just puts us in summer mode! I make this recipe all year round, whenever I’m feeling like an easy weeknight meal.
RECIPE INGREDIENTS
Here are the key ingredients you’ll need to make this sweet and savory Hawaiian baked chicken:
For the Marinade
- Chicken: I use chicken breast halves for this recipe as they’re a little thinner and bake more evenly.
- Pineapple Juice: For the marinate, you’ll use the juice from one can of prepared pineapple chunks. Set aside the pineapple itself for the topping.
- Garlic: 3 whole cloves, minced.
- Lemon Juice: For an extra boost of acidity.
- Lemon Zest
- Paprika
- Salt & Pepper
FOR THE PINEAPPLE TOPPING
- Pineapple: One can of pineapple chunks, less the juice used in the marinate.
- Butter: For a rich depth of flavor.
- Dijon Mustard
- Honey
What Kind of Chicken Should I Use?
Boneless, skinless cuts like chicken breasts or chicken thighs are the best to use for this recipe. These cuts are easy to halve or butterfly in order to cook more evenly – not to mention more quickly. And evenly cooked chicken is the key to tender chicken! Chicken tenderloin is also a decent substitute.
HOW TO MAKE HAWAIIAN BAKED CHICKEN
Here’s how to make this Hawaiian chicken dish in 5 easy steps and with minimal prep:
Prep the Chicken: First, you’ll need to lightly pound your boneless chicken breasts, emphasis on lightly! We don’t want flattened chicken – just tenderized a bit.
Marinate the Chicken: Combine the chicken breasts with the marinade ingredients in a large sealable bag. Close it up and leave it to marinate for a few hours in the fridge.
Transfer to a Pan: Remove the chicken from the bag and transfer the pieces to a lightly greased baking pan. Discard any excess marinade and set the chicken aside while you mix up the pineapple topping.
Prepare the Pineapple Topping: In a pan with melted butter, stir in the pineapple chunks and topping ingredients to cook for a couple of minutes until bubbly. Remove the mixture from the heat and spoon it generously over the chicken breasts.
Bake: Pop the baking pan into a preheated oven and bake until the chicken is tender and juicy. Use a thermometer to check the internal temperature if needed! Once it’s ready, remove your pineapple chicken from the oven and serve!
TIPS FOR SUCCESS
- Marinate the Chicken Long Enough: I recommend 3-4 hours for this recipe, but you can also prepare the marinade the day before and leave your chicken to marinate overnight before baking. You can make the whole meal ahead by prepping the pineapple topping, too. Then all you need to do is cook, assemble, and bake!
- Prevent the Topping from Burning: If you find that the pineapple is caramelizing too quickly in your oven, or becoming a little too dark, you can cover the baking dish with foil for the remainder of the baking time.
- Drain the Pineapple Well: Make sure you get as much liquid out of the pineapple chunks before cooking, to make sure the dish doesn’t get overly watery.
- Don’t Overcook the Chicken: Overcooked chicken will become dry, so keep an eye and use a meat thermometer if you have one! The chicken is cooked when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
This Hawaiian baked chicken is just so easy to dress up for a family meal! I like amping up the tropical flavors and serving this Hawaiian chicken with a side of light Coconut Cauliflower Rice. It’s also delicious with this zesty Lemon Rice that really brings out the lemon in the marinade.
Baked Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken
Ready in under an hour, pineapple teriyaki chicken is a quick dinner recipe for busy nights. The homemade teriyaki sauce adds tons of fresh, bold flavor—you control the ingredients, sodium, and spice. Serve with rice, quinoa, or roasted vegetables for a wholesome meal.
If you’ve ever made my honey garlic shrimp, you know that dinners can be quick, healthy, and flavorful. Today’s baked pineapple teriyaki chicken is bursting with flavor and makes delicious leftovers. I encourage you to add this easy meal to your weeknight recipe rotation!
Why You’ll Love This Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Recipe
- Simple to prepare
- Completely from scratch
- Healthy and wholesome
- Ready in under an hour
- Makes great leftovers
- Customizable to your taste preferences
- Packed with protein
Favorite Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
This is my very favorite homemade teriyaki sauce made with real, wholesome ingredients. It is similar to the sauce in this honey teriyaki chicken (we use more honey in that recipe). It’s incredibly versatile and delicious on cooked salmon or stir-fry veggies, too.
We’ll use brown sugar and honey to sweeten the sauce. Not much of either, just enough to balance the soy sauce and bring a sweet profile to the sauce as a whole. For flavor, use soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, garlic, ginger, and a little pepper for spice. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and salty, and you know exactly what’s in it!
Overview: How to Make Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken
- Make the sauce. Cook the sauce ingredients together on the stovetop.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken. Arrange the chicken and pineapple slices in a baking dish. I add a little pineapple into the mix because I love sweet and savory together. Feel free to leave it out, though. Pour all of the teriyaki sauce on top. Make sure every inch is coated in the sauce.
- Bake. Bake until the chicken is completely cooked through– about 30-32 minutes. During this time, prepare any sides you want to serve alongside.
- Serve. Sprinkle a little green onion and a dash of sesame seeds on top!
Baker’s Tip: I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You can use bone-in chicken thighs, drumsticks, wings or any cut of chicken you like best.