Here is your new weeknight dinner – Hawaiian chicken bake! It is quick to mix up and full of delicious sweet pineapple flavors. A healthy balanced meal with chicken, brown rice, sauteed mini sweet peppers, plus a creamy coconut aminos sauce that brings the whole dish together after a busy day. Enjoy as-is, or serve with your favorite steamed veggie. It’s filling, flavorful, and a meal you’ll keep coming back to!
Thank you to Pure Flavor for sponsoring this post.
Hawaiian chicken bake
Dinner winner right here! This hawaiian chicken bake offers up the best sweet notes, thanks to the crushed pineapple and coconut aminos. It balances so well with the chicken and sauteed mini bell peppers.
It’s a dream meal!
Every time I make this recipe I am instantly brought back to a Hawaiian restaurant near us. The flavors remind me of a sweet teriyaki chicken meets barbequed pineapple meets creamy macaroni salad combination.
If that sounds like things you’d enjoy, you will LOVE this recipe!
How can you prep this to speed up weeknight dinners?
This recipe was made for busy weeknights! While you could definitely not prep ahead, the ingredients used lend to simple prep in the best way.
The 2 items to prep in advance are chicken and rice.
For the chicken breast, you can roast it or boil it, shred it, and then simply store it in the fridge until it’s assembly time.
For the rice, cook in your favorite method (I love my rice cooker!), cool it, and store it in the fridge until assembly.
The perfect mini sweet peppers
Pure Flavor® Aurora Bites Mini Sweet Peppers are so delicious and the perfect vegetable addition to this meal! They are sweet, have THE BEST crunch factor, and pair well with the sweet pineapple flavors.
I pack them in lunchboxes for an easy veggie on the go, use them roasted on bowls (like my Mexican Buddha Bowls), and sauteed into this delicious dinner recipe.
No matter how you want to enjoy them, they work and are a favorite in our household!
What you need for Hawaiian chicken bake
Scroll down to view the recipe card below for the full ingredients list, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions.
- avocado oil
- Pure Flavor® Aurora Bites Mini Sweet Peppers
- cooked brown rice
- shredded cooked chicken
- crushed pineapple
- plain whole-milk kefir
- coconut aminos
- avocado oil mayonnaise
- garlic granules
How to make this baked Hawaiian chicken recipe
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Add the sliced peppers into the pan and saute for 6-8 minutes, or until your mini sweet pepper rounds start to get some color around the edge.
- Add half the cooked peppers, cooked rice, shredded chicken, and pineapple into a large bowl and mix to combine.
- In a small mixing bowl combine the kefir, coconut aminos, mayo, and garlic granules and whisk together. Pour into the chicken and rice mixture and stir until fully combined.
- Add the Hawaiian chicken bake mixture into a large baking dish, and top with the remaining cooked peppers.
- Cover with foil and bake for 35-40 mins, or until it is warmed through and bubbling around the edges. Enjoy with some fresh chopped green onions or sesame seeds on top!
How to make this meal for the busiest of nights
This Hawaiian chicken and rice casserole works super well as leftovers, leaving it the perfect recipe to prep ahead for your busiest of nights.
Here’s what you’d do.
Make it fully in advance, adding it to an airtight container, except for heating in the oven. Then, if you only have a few minutes to get dinner on the table, add the chicken bake into a large pot on the stovetop, and heat over medium-high heat while stirring until warm.
Serve it up for the whole family!
Substitutions
Below you’ll find a list of substitutions that will work well in this Hawaiian baked chicken recipe. If you try something different out, please leave a comment below letting us all know how it turned out!
Mini bell peppers – Red bell pepper, orange, yellow, or green will all work here.
Brown rice – White rice or cauliflower rice work well as a substitute.
Shredded cooked chicken – You can use leftover chicken, shredded chicken thighs, or even try it with shredded pork or beef! Cooking your chicken tenderloins or boneless skinless chicken breasts works too!
Crushed pineapple – Pineapple tidbits, pineapple chunks, pineapple slices, pineapple rings, or fresh pineapple will work, however, you can give it a quick chop before adding it to help distribute the pineapple throughout the casserole. For a little more extra flavor, you can add a dash of brown sugar.
Kefir – Plain yogurt works as a great alternative, or you can increase the mayo amount.
Coconut aminos – Use a combination of soy sauce and pineapple juice (half and half) as an alternative to coconut aminos. You can also substitute homemade pineapple teriyaki sauce with a dash of rice vinegar. Another flavor option is the use of a Hawaiian bbq sauce with this pineapple chicken.
Avocado oil mayonnaise – Plain yogurt or increasing the kefir will work as a substitute.
Garlic granules – Garlic powder or fresh garlic will work as alternatives.
More family-friendly recipes you’ll love
- Mexican buddha bowls with cilantro lime sauce
- Cheesy curry chicken and rice casserole
- Instant pot jerk chicken bowls
- Buffalo chicken spaghetti squash casserole
- Chicken Pomodoro
- Baked italian chicken drumsticks
Hawaiian Chicken Bake
Ingredients
- 1 tsp avocado oil
- 7 Pure Flavor® Aurora Bites Mini Sweet Peppers
- 4 cups cooked brown rice
- 3.5 cups cooked shredded chicken breast
- 1 cup crushed pineapple excess liquid removed
- 1/3 cup plain whole-milk kefir
- 1/3 cup coconut aminos
- 1/4 cup avocado oil mayonnaise
- 1 tsp garlic granules
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Add the sliced peppers into the pan and saute for 6-8 minutes, or until your mini sweet pepper rounds start to get some color around the edge.
- Add half the cooked peppers, cooked rice, shredded chicken, and pineapple into a large bowl and mix to combine.
- In a small bowl combine the kefir, coconut aminos, mayo, and garlic granules and whisk together. Pour into the chicken and rice mixture and stir until fully combined.
- Add the Hawaiian chicken bake mixture into a large baking dish, and top with the remaining cooked peppers.
- Cover with foil and bake for 35-40 mins, or until it is warmed through and bubbling around the edges. Enjoy!
Nutrition
If you try this Hawaiian Chicken Bake recipe, I’d love it if you left a star rating and comment below letting me know how it turned out!
XO
Heather
Originally published February 2022. Updated April 2023.
