New Weeknight Wow: Slow-Cooker Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken

No matter what the weather is outside, it seems like the daydream about laying on a beach and sipping drinks with umbrellas is never too far from our minds. This Slow-Cooker Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken brings that daydream straight to your kitchen in three simple steps.

The key to this recipe is pineapple—its sweetness mingles perfectly with the tanginess of barbecue sauce and the fresh flavors of bell peppers.

To make this slow-cooker chicken, you will need: skinless, boneless chicken thighs, minced garlic cloves, honey barbecue sauce, a can of pineapple chunks, a small red pepper, a small yellow pepper, cornstarch and rice.

Putting all of these flavors together is super easy. To start, spray your 4 or 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray and place the chicken thighs in the bottom.

Top the chicken with barbecue sauce and minced garlic. Drain the pineapple juice, reserving ¼ cup of juice. Add the drained pineapple chunks into the slow cooker as well as the reserved juice.

Cover and cook on High for three hours or on Low for five hours. Add in bell peppers during the last 30 minutes of cooking time. Then in a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and ¼ cup of water. Stir the mixture into the slow cooker and cook on High for remaining 30 minutes.

Serve this delicious chicken over rice (or noodles, if you prefer), and let the tropical aroma take you away. It’s the next best thing to having a white sand beach in your kitchen.