Slow Cooker Pineapple Barbecue Chicken

This easy Slow Cooker Pineapple Barbecue Chicken combines tender chicken breasts, sweet pineapple, onions, and barbecue sauce for a sweet and smoky meal the whole family will love. Serve it over rice, mashed potatoes, or on sandwich buns for an effortless weeknight dinner.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword slow-cooker-barbecue-chicken, slow-cooker-pineapple-barbecue-chicken

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 3

Total Time 3 10

Servings Servings

Calories 374kcal

Author Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

1 medium sweet onion diced
1 20 oz pineapple chunks drained (Or 2 cups fresh)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes more or less to taste
2-3 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup BBQ seasoning i.e. Barbecue Magic, Smokehouse Maple
2 Tbsp teriyaki sauce
1 Tbsp olive oil
garlic salt
1 1/2 cups Sweet & Spicy Barbecue Sauce i.e. Sweet Baby Rays or your favorite plus additional for serving
2-4 Tbsp tomato paste

Instructions

Spray the bottom and sides of a 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray.
Arrange the chopped onion and pineapple chunks over the bottom. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes.
Rub the chicken pieces on all sides with BBQ seasoning. Arrange over the pineapple.
Drizzle with Teriyaki sauce, olive oil and season with garlic salt.
Drizzle with barbecue sauce. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 4-6. (Cooking time may vary depending on thickness of chicken pieces)
Uncover and use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken pieces to a platter. Thicken the sauce using 2 Tbsp tomato paste. Adjust using more if needed to thicken to your taste.
Serve over cooked rice, drizzled with sauce.

Notes

Protein - You can make this recipe using boneless chicken thighs or pork chops.
Chicken - I tend to use whole chicken breasts for this pineapple barbecue chicken. That said, you can also use smaller pieces of chicken cut into chunks or even bite size, if you want to stretch the servings for a larger group and your hungry eaters. Smaller pieces may cook quicker so adjust accordingly.
Pineapple - You can use canned pineapple chunks for convenience or fresh pineapple, the choice is yours.
BBQ Sauce - You change up the flavor combination using your favorite prepared barbecue sauce to make this dish your own. If you're in the mood for hickory smoked, sweet and spicy, chipotle or honey barbecue go for it! A thicker barbecue sauce works best.
Spice - Should you choose to use a spicy barbecue sauce, you might omit the crushed red pepper flakes or adjust the amount to your taste.
Barbecue Seasoning - Prepared barbecue seasonings vary wildly in the amount of sodium that they contain. If the particular blend you're using is salt heavy, adjust the amount of garlic salt or replace it with granulated garlic.
Thickening the Sauce - The chicken and pineapple will naturally release juices while cooking thinning the sauce. I recommend using tomato paste at the end of cooking to thicken the sauce. Begin with 1-2 tablespoons then add more as needed to suit your personal taste.

Nutrition