This easy Instant Pot Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken is coated with a sweet and tangy citrus sauce and packed with sweet bell peppers and onions. In less than 30 minutes, our tasty recipe will be on your table- from start to finish! Check out our other Instant Pot recipes: 7 Easy Instant Pot Freezer Meals and Creamy Instant Pot Butter Chicken.
With our first Hawaii trip coming up, I was inspired to capture some of those tropical flavors in an island-style Instant Pot dish! I reached out to my friends for recipes and tweaked them to work with my Instant Pot to save time. This recipe is so easy, it takes less than 30 minutes and it tastes amazing! It only makes me even more excited to leave in a few weeks!
Instant Pot vs. Stove-top
I made this Instant Pot Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken using my Instant Pot Duo Mini, which holds 3 quarts! But, this recipe could easily be doubled for a 6-quart Instant Pot or bigger! Pineapple chicken can also be made on a stovetop, with some conversions. Typically, I triple the cooking time and add an extra 1/2 cup of liquid as needed: (ie. 3 Instant Pot minutes would be about 9-10 minutes in a pan on the stove!) However, the Instant Pot is able to pack so much flavor in, so quickly!
Basic Kitchen Items You Will Need
- Instant Pot (3-quart or bigger)
- Food Processor or Blender (like this one!)
- A bowl, to coat the chicken in cornstarch
- A large serving spoon and tongs to flip the chicken
Storing the Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken
Our Instant Pot Hawaiian pineapple chicken is great in the fridge for up to 3 days! If you’re planning to freeze it for meal prep, combine all the ingredients in a freezer-safe container and freeze. When ready to make it, thaw it, place in Instant Pot, and cook for 3 minutes.
Pineapple Sauce
Instructions for making the pineapple sauce are included in the recipe! First, you’ll start by blending the sauce (in a blender or food processor) and then set it aside to use later on in the recipe. I love this Ninja Food Chopper Express that is super thorough and easy to clean. Hands down, it is the best gift we got from our wedding. We use it all the time!
Instant Pot Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken
Equipment
- Instant Pot- 3 qt or bigger (see above for link)
Ingredients
- 2-3 chicken breasts cubed
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 20 oz can pineapple chunks in juice divided into a) 1 cup of juice for the sauce and, b) 1 cup of roughly chopped pineapple chunks
- 1 red or green bell pepper chopped
- 1 medium red onion chopped
- green onion optional topping
- Jasmine or Basmati Rice, cooked (1 serving per person, or more)
- salt and pepper to taste
Pineapple Sauce
- 1/2 cup pineapple juice (from can, or fresh)
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsp garlic minced (or less to taste)
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp sriracha sauce optional
Instructions
- In a food processor or blender, blend all of the ingredients for the pineapple sauce until blended thoroughly. Set aside.
- Coat cubed chicken in cornstarch and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Turn Instant Pot to Saute and grease with cooking oil.
- Place chicken along the bottom of the pot and cook for 1 minute. Flip chicken and cook the other side for 1 minute, just to brown the sides.
- Pour pineapple sauce over chicken and coat thoroughly.
- Add bell peppers and onions. Stir.
- Cancel saute function. Seal lid in place and cook on high pressure for 3 minutes.
- After 3 minutes, allow to natural release for 10 minutes. Then, quick release and remove lid.
- Add in diced pineapple chunks and stir.
- Serve over rice and top with green onions and sesame seeds (optional)!
We hope you love it! Check out these posts for more Instant Pot inspiration!
–7 Easy Instant Pot Freezer Meals
–The Best Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
–Copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup