The tropical flavors of this Crockpot Hawaiian Hen will transport you to the islands, even in winter! Made with hen thighs, pineapple and bell pepper, every thing is cooked in your gradual cooker for a straightforward weeknight dinner recipe.
This Crockpot Hawaiian Hen has the ability to make you’re feeling such as you’re sitting beachside with the solar in your pores and skin, even within the useless of winter. Made with a candy and sticky sauce, juicy pineapple, peppers, and tender hen thighs, it has every thing you have to make you’re feeling these distinct tropical vibes.
Right here’s the factor: hen thighs are by no means not scrumptious. You already know I like my grilled hen thighs, pan-seared hen thighs and naturally my air fryer hen thighs, principally as a result of they all the time prove juicy on the within and crisp on the surface. They’re all the time my best choice over different cuts.
Gradual cooker Hawaiian hen cooks the thighs low and gradual over a number of hours so the meat has time to interrupt down and take in the candy and sticky sauce. It’s such a low-maintenance recipe and the juices, meat, pineapple, and peppers served over rice style not like the rest!
Recipe options
- Every chunk is out-of-this-world candy, sticky, juicy, and tangy.
- The substances are easy and loaded with tropical flavors.
- Set it and overlook it! Every thing is tossed in a crockpot so that you don’t must stress.
Ingredient notes:
- Hen thighs – Boneless and skinless hen thighs don’t take as lengthy to cook dinner as bone-in and are much less prone to dry out, not like hen breasts.
- Pineapple – Contemporary pre-cut or canned pineapple are nice time-saving choices. Make sure that to empty the liquid from the canned pineapple beforehand.
- Peppers – I just like the pop of coloration from crimson peppers however you need to use any coloration of bell pepper you want.
- Coconut sugar – Brown sugar is historically utilized in a Hawaiian hen recipe however coconut sugar lightens it up a bit.
- Soy sauce and honey – That is the place the Hawaiian hen will get its signature candy and savory taste. Be happy to make use of tamari as an alternative of soy sauce to make this recipe gluten free.
- Arrowroot starch – Cornstarch works simply as effectively.
Learn how to Make Crockpot Hawaiian Hen
Step 1: Season the hen. Season every hen thigh with salt and pepper on all sides.
Step 2: Prepare dinner within the crockpot. Whisk the soy sauce and honey collectively in a bowl. Place the hen, peppers, onion, pineapple, garlic, ginger, and coconut sugar within the crockpot. Pour the soy and honey sauce over high, then cook dinner on LOW for 4 to five hours.
Step 3: Make the starch slurry. Whisk the arrowroot starch and water collectively in a bowl and pour it into the crockpot after the 4 or 5 hours are up. Stir all of it collectively and proceed cooking.
Step 4: Serve with rice. Serve the gradual cooker pineapple hen over rice or along with your favourite greens, and garnish with inexperienced onion. Take pleasure in!
Professional ideas and FAQs
- Choose barbecue Hawaiian hen? Add ½ cup of your favourite bbq sauce in with the opposite substances.
- You’ll know the hen thighs are prepared after they attain an inside temperature of 165ºF.
- Don’t skip the starch slurry. It’s going to thicken the sauce so it might probably keep on with the hen and rice.
Variations
- Use different cuts of hen: You need to use bone-in hen thighs and even hen breasts if you need, simply be sure you verify on the hen extra steadily, because the cook dinner occasions will fluctuate (all the time use a meat thermometer to verify the interior temperature is at 165°F earlier than serving).
- Use completely different greens: Not a fan of bell pepper? No drawback! Attempt utilizing sliced carrots and even inexperienced beans as an alternative. With that stated, if you are going to use inexperienced beans, I like to recommend including them within the final hour of cooking so they do not get too mushy.
- Substitute coconut sugar: You need to use brown sugar or honey as an alternative of coconut sugar for those who favor. Brown sugar will make it sweeter, whereas honey is a more healthy various.
- Make it spicy: To make this recipe spicy, merely add sliced jalapeño into the crockpot. In order for you it actually spicy, throw the jalapeño seeds in as effectively.
- Make it low carb: As an alternative of serving this with white rice, attempt serving it over cauliflower rice and even broccoli rice as a low carb various.
What’s Hawaiian hen?
Hawaiian hen is often hen made with pineapple, sugar and different greens like bell pepper, carrots or inexperienced beans and it is usually served over rice.
What does pineapple do to hen?
The enzymes in pineapple really assist break down the fibers within the meat, creating excellent items of tender and juicy hen. To not point out, the candy and tangy pineapple juices pair so effectively with darkish meat.
Can this be made within the Immediate Pot as an alternative?
Yep! The strategy is kind of just like my Immediate Pot orange hen recipe. Merely add the entire substances EXCEPT the arrowroot, water and inexperienced onions to your strain cooker. Then, strain cook dinner on excessive for five minutes and naturally launch the strain for 10 minutes earlier than manually releasing the remainder.
Final, whisk the arrowroot and water collectively, then pour the combination into your Immediate Pot and press “sauté” and set the timer for two minutes. This can assist to thicken the sauce.
What to serve with Crockpot Hawaiian hen?
To serve, scoop the hen over white or brown rice, leafy greens, coconut rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa, or roasted greens. You possibly can season every bowl with inexperienced onion and even kimchi for a little bit spice. Cucumber salad, honey sriracha brussels sprouts, and sauteed asparagus could be nice on the aspect.
Storage
- Fridge – Preserve leftover crockpot Hawaiian hen in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 4 days. You possibly can reheat them for a couple of minutes within the microwave or in a skillet on the range till warmed by means of.
Extra weeknight hen dinners
Should you made this recipe, be sure you go away a remark and star ranking under. Thanks!
Crockpot Hawaiian Hen
The tropical flavors of this Crockpot Hawaiian Hen will transport you to the islands, even in winter! Made with hen thighs, pineapple and bell pepper, every thing is cooked in your gradual cooker for a straightforward weeknight dinner recipe.
Servings: 6
Elements
- 2 lb. hen thighs boneless, skinless
- salt and pepper
- 2 crimson bell peppers sliced, seeds eliminated
- ½ cup yellow onion diced
- 2 cups pineapple minimize into small cubes
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ½ teaspoon recent ginger grated
- ¼ cup coconut sugar or sub brown sugar
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce or sub tamari
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoon arrowroot or cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoon inexperienced onions or extra to style; chopped
Directions
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Spray your crockpot with nonstick spray. Then, season the hen with salt and pepper and place it into the underside of the crockpot.
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Add the bell peppers, onion, pineapple, garlic, ginger, and sugar to the crockpot as effectively. Subsequent, whisk the soy sauce and honey collectively in a small bowl, then pour that over high of the hen and veggies.
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Prepare dinner the hen on LOW for 4-5 hours. Then, whisk the arrowroot/cornstarch and water collectively to create a paste, and pour it into your crockpot, giving every thing a great stir. Proceed cooking for 30-40 extra minutes till the sauce as thickened.
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Serve hen over rice or along with your favourite greens and garnish with inexperienced onions. Take pleasure in!
Notes
*Substitutions: you need to use brown sugar as an alternative of coconut sugar; you need to use cornstarch as an alternative of arrowroot; you need to use tamari OR coconut aminos as an alternative of soy sauce
*I like to recommend utilizing recent pineapple on this recipe; for those who do use canned pineapple, be sure you drain any of the liquid from the can earlier than including it to your crockpot
Diet
Energy: 435kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 27g | Fats: 25g | Saturated Fats: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 5g | Monounsaturated Fats: 10g | Trans Fats: 1g | Ldl cholesterol: 148mg | Sodium: 636mg | Potassium: 508mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 1412IU | Vitamin C: 79mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 2mg
UPDATE NOTE: This submit was initially printed in September 2021. It was up to date with new textual content in September 2022.
