This easy Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken is a delicious weeknight meal. Chicken is marinated in a homemade teriyaki sauce full of pineapple flavor (store bought sauce will work fine if you’re in a rush). Grill or bake them to perfection and serve them over white rice for an easy and delicious dinner option!
We love making teriyaki chicken pineapple bowls with our favorite fried rice!
Did you know that teriyaki is actually a technique of cooking? It’s a Japanese method of grilling or broiling with a combination of sugar and soy sauce (and often mirin). This recipe is great baked in the oven (and then broiled) and perfect in the summer when you’re craving Grilled Chicken!
Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Ingredients
I love teriyaki, it has great flavor and is perfect for Teriyaki Chicken stir fry, great for teriyaki pork and of course wonderful for chicken! This recipe has fairly basic ingredients, most of which you’ have on hand!
- Chicken: I love to juiciness of chicken thighs in this recipe. You can use chicken breasts if you’d prefer, adjust the cook time so the chicken reaches 165°F.
- Pineapple: Adding a bit of pineapple juice to the teriyaki sauce adds great flavor! You can swap out the pineapple for orange juice to make an orange teriyaki chicken. The sweetness of teriyaki lends itself well to various fruits (like fresh mango). I use canned pineapple rings in this recipe since it’s easy but you can use tidbits (if you’re making this recipe in the oven) or fresh or frozen pineapple.
- Teriyaki Sauce: This recipe uses homemade sauce but any store bought sauce will work too. You’ll want a thicker sauce (more the consistency of barbecue sauce). If your store bought sauce is thin, you can add a splash of pineapple juice and thicken it with a bit of cornstarch as directed below.
This is a slight variation from a traditional teriyaki sauce, but it has SO much flavor. I like to baste (or brush) the sauce onto the chicken as soon as I put them on the grill or bake them to ensure that it has a chance to caramelize to the chicken!
How To Make Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken
To make this easy pineapple teriyaki chicken recipe:
- MIX: Mix the teriyaki sauce ingredients together. Reserve half of the sauce to thicken for basting.
- MARINADE: Marinate the chicken breasts for about 4 hours or overnight in the teriyaki sauce. I like to do this in a freezer bag. If you’re short on time, try to marinate for at least 30 minutes if possible, the longer you do, the better the flavor!
- GRILL OR BAKE: Grill chicken for about 7 minutes on each side or until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F with a meat thermometer. Alternatively (in the winter), bake in the oven.
What To Serve With Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken
Pineapple teriyaki chicken is sweet but has a lot of flavor and is best paired with sides that are light and fresh. I like to serve pineapple teriyaki chicken with rice, but it’s also great with Sesame Ginger Snap Peas, bok choy, or Steamed Broccoli.
More Weeknight Favorites
- Shrimp Stir Fry – Quick and full of fresh veggies!
- Easy Mongolian Beef – Reader favorite!
- Beef and Broccoli – Classic combo!
- Chicken Lo Mein – Better than store bought!
- Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry – Super fast!
- Cashew Chicken Stir Fry – Easy take out at home!
Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs boneless, skinless
- 6 Pineapple Rings
- 3 green onions cut into 1/2" pieces
- 1 cup teriyaki sauce store bought or homemade below
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch optional
- sesame seeds and green onion for garnish optional
Teriyaki Sauce (or use store bought)
- ⅓ cup Soy Sauce
- ¼ cup Fresh Lime Juice
- ¼ cup Pineapple juice
- ⅓ cup Honey
- ⅓ cup Ketchup
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger root grated
- 1 green onion minced
Instructions
- Combine all sauce ingredients. Set half of the sauce aside and refrigerate.
- Combine chicken with remaining sauce. Marinate 4 hours or overnight if possible.
- Thicken Remaining Teriyaki Sauce: Place reserved sauce in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Combine cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water. Add cornstarch a little at a time to reach desired consistency, you may not use all of it.
To Bake
- Remove chicken from marinade and discard marinade. Place chicken, pineapple rings and green onions in a 9x13 pan. Top with thickened teriyaki sauce.
- Bake at 425˚F oven for 25 minutes or until chicken reaches 165°F. Broil 3-5 minutes or until brown.
To Grill
- Preheat grill to medium.
- Grill chicken basting with thickened sauce for about 6-8 minutes per side or until no pink remains. Grill pineapple slices for 5 minutes.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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I have made teriyaki chicken hundreds of times.This is by far the best, and easy too.We love all your recipes Holly, do you have a cookbook out.Thanks Jean
I’m so glad you’ve loved it Jean! I don’t have a cookbook out as of yet!
weeknight dinners should look like this!!!
This makes for a great meal any night of the week for sure!
This is such a tasty and amazing looking dish. Love the combinations to it. Need to try it for sure.
I hope you enjoy it if you get a chance to try it Veena!
I just recently learned that teriyaki is a technique of cooking, not just the sauce! Love this recipe no matter though – I can imagine how delicious and tender the chicken is marinating with the pineapple!!
I hope you enjoy the recipe if you get a chance to try it Luci!
I love teriyaki too! This looks wonderful.
Thanks Andrea!
Wow! This dish is so good – packed full of flavour, and truly delicious. This is one of the whole family to enjoy!
Thank you Alexandra! I hope you love it!
Your Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken sounds delish! Love the ingredients in the sauce. Thank you for sharing it with the Hearth and Soul hop. I’ve pinned it :)
Woot! You have been featured this week at Recipe Sharing Monday! The new link party is up and I’d love to see you back. Have a great week. :)
Looks delicious!
I would love for you to share and link up at my weekly TGIF Link Party if you haven’t already this week. Your favorite posts, most popular, recent or new! The party is open every Thursday night and closes Wednesday’s at midnight. Followed by (Not SO) Wordless Wednesday!
I would be honored if you join us and follow to stay connected Have a wonderful week!
Hugs, Cathy
Mmmm, sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing at Inspire Us Thursday.
What a great sauce, this recipe is awesome! Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday. Hope you are having a great summer weekend and come back to see me real soon!
Miz Helen
Grilled pineapple and chicken is a fresh summer flavor that just works — these look great. Thanks for sharing on Hearth & Soul Hop. :)
This sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing. We will be making this. I came over from the Mandatory Mooch link party. I pinned this!
Wow, this sounds yummy. I love chicken recipes. I have to try this.
Bev
This looks fantastic, Holly! Thanks so much for sharing! Pinned ;) Have a wonderful day!!
Found you via Mandy’s Recipe Box Totally Tasty Tuesdays. This looks so yummy! Can’t wait to try it…pinned!
This looks mouthwatering… my family would just eat this right up and ask for seconds!
Sounds delicious–and so easy too!
Oh this sounds wonderful!! I’d love it if you’d link-up over at my link party, Random Recipe Round-Up
Sara Howe
Oh my goodness, this sounds super yummy. I love each and every ingredient.