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I’m updating my “Tuesday night dinner that feels like we’re in Hawaii” with double the sauce! You guys asked, so I added more of that sweet, tangy, deliciousness to this Baked Sweet Hawaiian chicken! It’s easy, even after a busy day!
Say Aloha to Your New Favorite Dinner
- Simple Ingredients, Big Flavor: You don’t need anything fancy here, just pantry staples that come together into a sweet, tangy sauce.
- Sauce That Actually Hits: It’s perfectly balanced, not too sweet, not too heavy, and coats every piece of chicken!
- Consistently Good: No complicated steps, no guesswork, just a great recipe that turns out every time.
A Reader’s Review
Alyssa, I had to leave a comment because this was out of this world!! I doubled the recipe and there’s hardly any left!! Definitely will be making this again.
Jennifer
Baked Hawaiian Chicken Ingredients
- Pineapple: You can use diced fresh pineapple instead of pineapple tidbits if you’d like.
- Bell Pepper: Any color works, but green peppers have a slightly more bitter flavor, while red, yellow, and orange are sweeter.
- Soy Sauce: For lower salt content, use low-sodium soy sauce.
Baked Sweet Hawaiian Chicken Recipe
My baked Hawaiian chicken recipe is just so good, and every time I make it, I wonder why I don’t make it more. I whip up some instant pot rice and some Hawaiian sweet rolls for a full meal!
- Prep: Preheat oven to 325°F and spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces, then season with salt and pepper.
- Cornstarch Chicken: Add cornstarch to a large ziplock bag and eggs to a bowl. Add the chicken to the bag, seal, and shake until evenly coated.
- Coat Chicken: Dip each piece of chicken in the egg mixture until coated, then place on a parchment lined baking sheet to prevent sticking.
- Cook in Batches: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook the chicken in 2 to 3 batches until browned, then transfer to the baking dish. No need to cook through; it will finish in the oven.
- Make Sauce: Combine the pineapple juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, and cornstarch in a medium bowl, then pour over the chicken.
- Bake: Top with bell pepper and pineapple. Bake uncovered for 1 hour, stirring every 15 to 20 minutes to coat in the sauce. Let the baked sweet Hawaiian chicken stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Must Have Tools For This Recipe
- Nonstick Skillet: Ensure good browning and less sticking!
- Splatter Screen: Prevents oil from popping everywhere. Also protects you from burns from hot oil.
- 9 x 13-inch 3-quart baking dish: Perfect for baking then serving!
Air Fyer Instructions
- Skip the Eggs: Omit the eggs and coat the chicken in cornstarch only.
- Air Fry: Place the chicken in a greased air fryer basket and lightly spray with oil.
- Cook: Cook at 350°F for 4 to 5 minutes, flip, spray again, and cook another 4 to 5 minutes until it reaches 165°F.
- Work in Batches: Cook in batches if needed, so everything cooks evenly.
- Finish: Add the cooked chicken to the baking dish and continue with the recipe starting at step 6.
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Baked Sweet Hawaiian Chicken
Delicious chicken that gets breaded and baked in a sweet and tangy pineapple sauce. It bakes to perfection and is so much better than takeout!
Equipment
- 1 large nonstick skillet 12 or 14-inch
- 1 9 x 13-inch baking dish
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts about 1.5 pounds
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 ¼ cups cornstarch
- 3 large beaten eggs
- ⅓ cup canola oil or vegetable oil
Sweet Hawaiian Sauce
- 1 ½ cups pineapple juice
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup soy sauce low-sodium for less salt
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic about 1 large clove
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1 ½ teaspoons
- 1 cup diced red bell pepper about 1 medium bell pepper
- 1 (20-ounce) drained can pineapple tidbits
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray, then set aside.
- Cut 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and season well with ¾ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper.
- Add 1 ¼ cups cornstarch to a large ziplock bag, and 3 large beaten eggs to a bowl. Add the diced chicken to the ziplock bag and close it securely before shaking vigorously, until all the chicken is evenly coated in cornstarch.
- Dip each piece of chicken into the eggs until coated. To prevent the chicken from sticking, you can place the coated pieces on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Heat ⅓ cup canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the breaded chicken in 2-3 batches until browned. No need to cook them completely through, since they will finish cooking in the oven. Add the browned pieces to the prepared baking dish.
- Combine 1 ½ cups pineapple juice, ¾ cup packed brown sugar, ½ cup soy sauce, 2 teaspoons minced garlic, and 1 tablespoon cornstarch in a medium bowl, then pour over the chicken.
- Top with 1 cup diced red bell pepper and 1 (20-ounce) drained can pineapple tidbits.
- Bake uncovered for 1 hour, stirring the chicken every 15-20 minutes or so to coat it evenly in the sauce. Let the dish stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
-
- Leftover, Make Ahead, and Reheating Instructions
- Fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Freeze pan-fried chicken on a parchment-lined sheet for 1 to 2 hours until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Store sauce separately. Bake from frozen with sauce, adding 10 to 15 minutes. Freeze up to 3 months.
- Make Ahead: Sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Don’t prep the chicken early or it will get soggy.
- Reheat: Warm on the stove over medium heat, stirring often, until heated through. Avoid the microwave so the chicken stays tender.
Nutrition
Calories: 446kcalCarbohydrates: 59gProtein: 23gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 124mgSodium: 1163mgPotassium: 589mgFiber: 2gSugar: 36gVitamin A: 748IUVitamin C: 36mgCalcium: 56mgIron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!
Hi, was wondering if this recipie freezes well
Yes, this will freeze for about 1 to 3 months in the freezer. When reheating, I like to add more sauce over top of the chicken.
Will try this today but I am a little confused before I even start: “Delicious chicken that gets breaded and baked” … jet it doesn’t seem to get breaded???
… should have used my chelling specker
🙂
It is breaded with the cornstarch and then fried. The cornstarch mixture will bread the chicken to have a crispy, bread texture.
Make sure your soy sauce is gluten free if you are following a GF diet. Different brands contain wheat.
Same with Worchestershire sauce. French’s has gluten, Lee & Parrins does not.
Do you know the calories for this meal?
I like to use skinny taste.com or myfitnesspal.com for any nutritional questions. Hope that helps you! Thanks for following along with me!
Receipts online for me are usually a bust.. not this one! Finally home made “Chinese food” my family loved it even my picky 4 yr old. Once I got it going it was easy. I actually finished the chicken then sautéed the onion and peppers added the pineapple till it was tender then put it all in a baking dish poured in sauce and baked for 20 min. Done and delicious!! Thank you!!
Hey Lulu,
I am so happy that you had success with this recipe and that it was so easy for your. That is awesome!! Thanks for the comment and for following along with me!
CANN YOU USE TURKEY INSTEAD OF CHICKEN ?
OH, that sounds delicious! Let me know how it turns out and what changes you made! Thanks so much for sharing! XOXO
Alyssa, wondering after frying, why the baking time is necessary, does it dry out the chicken.
It gives it an added texture and flavor at the end. So delicious! It is a must try!
I haven’t any minced garlic only garlic powder can I use powder if so how much
The minced garlic would be best. The garlic powder would work but it may leave a grainy texture on the chicken rather than a smooth flavorful one. Hope you enjoy your chicken! XOXO
Skipped the baking part and poured the sauce over the chicken after it was done cooking in the skillet. Saved time and it was crispy and delicious!
I made this with crab ragoons on the side it was delicious! Thank you so much for sharing this tastey simple recipe rated 5 stars in this house hold 🙂
That sounds delicious! Thank you so much for the rating and sharing! I really appreciate it! XOXO
Five stars!
This was delicious! I added cashews and celery for crunch, I recommend it!
MMM! I love your additions! That sounds delicious!! Thanks for sharing!!XOXO
This is a fantastic tasty yammy recipe – one of my favourites
So happy you loved it like we do!! Thank you so much for sharing!! XOXO
Omg!!!! You are amazing!! Thank you so much for this recipe. So easy and the taste is absolutely amazing!
AWE! Thank you!! That is so sweet of you! I am so happy you loved it!! Thanks for sharing!! Xo
can you prepare and brown the chicken 3 hours before cooking and just put the sauce on before im about to cook (would the chicken by the same if sittingin a baking dish for abit)
It may become dry and hard being cooked and then recooked. That is a preference though if you have done this before.
Tips needed…I have this in the oven right now and tried to mix at the 15 minutes points as suggested and basically all of my cooked breading slumped off and is the dish is now a big mush pile…I had enough for 3 different pans so I’m trying to fix this throughout the other dishes.
Smells delicious so far though. Rating 5 before trying but I have faith even my mush pile will taste good.
Good recipe, everyone liked it. To me, it needed a bit more flavor but it was good.
That is great to hear! You can always substitute or add in a little more flavor the more times you make the recipe. It will become your recipe and hopefully you will enjoy it more! Thanks for sharing! Xo
Your Recipe Critic,
Alyssa