Name: Baked Hawaiian Chicken
Prep time: 150 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 195 min
Ingredients: 2 lbs bone-in chicken (we used drumsticks and thighs); 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce; 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar; 2 tbsp honey; 2 tsp fresh ginger (grated); 1 can pineapple chunks in juice (separate juice from chunks and use juice in marinate); 1/4 cup ketchup; 1/2 cup chicken broth; 2 tsp garlic (minced); green onions (for garnish)

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This Baked Hawaiian Chicken Recipe is marinated in a ginger, honey, and pineapple juice mixture then baked to perfection. It’s tender, moist and oh so flavourful.

A close up of a plate of food, with Hawaiian Chicken

Table of Contents

We make chicken a ton in this house, yet our meals are never boring thanks to it being so versatile. Like this Baked Chicken Marinara. Or even these Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs, simple yet full of taste. yum!

One day I realized I hadn’t marinated chicken in a while. I came across a great Baked Sweet Hawaiian Chicken recipe that is beyond worthy of a feature here on the blog.

It was a great weeknight meal and a very easy dinner to make. Our whole family decided it was our new favorite thanks to the tangy pineapple sauce.

This pineapple chicken is an easy recipe that can be made on busy weeknights. Yet, great for those special occasions too.

Ingredients Required

You’ll need the following simple ingredients to make this chicken dish. As always the detailed instructions are on the printable recipe card at the end of the post.

bone-in chicken: we like to use both drumsticks and thighs. You might like our How to Make Peri Peri Chicken recipe too.
low-sodium soy sauce: it’s much better to alter the salt as needed, so stick to a low sodium kind to avoid too much salt
rice wine vinegar: for that zesty tang
honey: gives the recipe some added sweetness
fresh ginger: fresh is best, it adds so much flavor
canned pineapple chunks in juice: for ease I use canned, because I want the juice. You can also use canned pineapple slices, yet if you prefer fresh pineapple make sure you also have fresh pineapple juice for the delicious sauce.
ketchup: adds some sweetness and thickens the sauce somewhat
chicken broth
garlic: you can’t go wrong with garlic cloves, yet in a pinch you can use garlic powder
green onions: for garnish and taste

What Kind of Chicken to Use:

I like to have both bone-in options when making this recipe.

Truly, I couldn’t pick a favourite between baked hawaiian chicken thighs and hawaiian chicken drumsticks. So I make both!

You can use skinless chicken thighs for this recipe as well though.

Recipe Tips

While you can use fresh pineapple for this recipe, I love the simplicity of using canned.
There’s plenty of varieties when it comes to Hawaiian Chicken, yet this one is simple and so tasty. It’s a great recipe to put into the rotation.
We very much enjoy making this from time to time, it’s a chicken recipe that never disappoints.
It had been a while since we made chicken that was so tender, moist and flavourful. This delicious marinade just cannot be beat! It really is The Best Baked Hawaiian Chicken Recipe. It makes you feel like you’re on a tropical island.

How to Make Hawaiian Chicken

This easy hawaiian chicken recipe starts with marinating chicken drumsticks and bone-in thighs in the hawaiian sauce ingredients.

The easiest way to do this is to add these ingredients to a ziplock bag and toss chicken pieces in, and placing in the refrigerator.

A close up of a plate of food, with Chicken

Once the mixture is infused, place chicken onto a foil lined cookie sheet or baking dish prepared with cooking spray.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for a cook time of 45 minutes. Save the marinade from the bag, and just set aside for later steps.

This recipe is often referred to as Huli Huli Chicken because it’s the Hawaiian term to turn and turn. So, when baking this recipe, you turn and glaze, turn and glaze with the remaining marinade.

Some might frown at basting the chicken with mixture that was marinating in raw chicken. So I added the step of boiling the leftover marinade before using as the glaze, in a small saucepan on the stove.

During this time you can add a bit of brown sugar, to make the sweet tangy sauce a bit stickier and thicker sauce.

Yet if you’d like to avoid this step, feel free to make a whole new batch of the sweet sauce marinate used solely for basting.

The final result is fall off the bone tender chicken which has a distinct and delicious flavour. Even the kids made a juicy chicken remark while eating.

Note: When in doubt, always check the internal temperature of chicken with a meat thermometer before deciding it’s done cooking.

A close up of a plate of food, with Chicken and Pineapple

If tropical flavors is where its at, try our Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken. It makes a shredded chicken recipe that is great on its own or in sandwiches or tacos!

What to Serve with Hawaiian Chicken

We served with a side salad with leafy greens with cucumber, green pepper, and red bell pepper. We also love this recipe with a side of white rice, or brown rice. You can also go with cauliflower rice.

You really can’t go wrong with any side, because this prepared dish will be the star of the show no matter what.

Just don’t forget to garnish with some leftover pineapple tidbits and chives on top of the chicken. This gives some extra taste and points for beautiful plating.

Storage

Place leftover chicken in an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap. When refrigerated, it will last up to 4 days.

Enjoy this fantastic hawaiian chicken bake!

Since chicken is a favourite in our home, make sure to check out our other quick and easy chicken recipes from salads to wings, pot pies and soups.

More Dinner Recipes

If baking is your style and you love pasta, try this Baked Chicken Spaghetti! To combine your love for both chicken and bacon, this Bacon Wrapped Chicken recipe is simple and so impressive.

Yet don’t forget to try my newest chicken recipe, Honey Dijon Chicken!

If you do happen to have leftover chicken from one of these delicious chicken recipes, make sure to try our Pesto Chicken Quesadillas recipe. It’s one of our favourite recipes for leftovers!

If Hawaiian inspired recipes are your thing, then you must try our Slow Cooker Hawaiian Pork Chops.

Easy Chicken Recipes

If you’ve tried this Baked Hawaiian Chicken Recipe or any other recipe on my blog please let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you. Finally, consider leaving a 🌟 star rating while you’re here. Thanks!