A super easy one-pot meal with a Hawaiian flair.
Ever notice how you can make anything taste Hawaiian by putting pineapple in it?
I’ve already used this trick a couple of times with chicken, once in a Crockpot Hawaiian BBQ and once in a foil packet dinner for the grill. And those are both good, but neither one is a true one-dish meal – something you can just pop on the table and serve, with no need for side dishes.
This Aloha Pineapple Chicken Rice Casserole fills that need. It’s got all the makings of a meal – chicken, rice, and veggies – in one casserole dish. And it’s all swimming in a tangy, salty-sweet pineapple sauce that gives it a real Hawaiian flavor.
Better still, it comes together in no time. You use instant white rice in the casserole, so you don’t need to cook it first – just throw it in the dish with the veggies, chicken, and sauce, and it cooks up right in the pot, soaking up the juices of the chicken and sauce as it softens. So instead of being just a lump of bland white starch on the side, the rice is every bit as flavorful as the meat and veggies.
Whipping up a batch of this Aloha Pineapple Chicken Rice Casserole is the fastest and easiest way to whisk yourself away to Hawaii for an evening.
Aloha Pineapple Chicken Rice Casserole
Printable recipe directions and ingredient list at bottom of post
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. I used an 11 x 7-inch dish.
- In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, and chicken broth.
- Add uncooked rice, onion, bell pepper, pineapple and it’s juices and chicken. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil. Bake for 50 minutes. Once cooking is done, uncover and stir ingredients.
- Return the dish to the oven, uncovered, and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and rice is tender.
Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Top with diced bacon and cilantro.
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Aloha Pineapple Chicken Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1-2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1 ½ cups uncooked instant white rice
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 20 ounce can pineapple tidbits in juice, NOT drained
- 1 lb. thin-sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins, diced into bite-sized pieces
- Optional garnish: chopped cilantro and diced cooked bacon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. I used an 11 x 7-inch dish.
- In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, and chicken broth.
- Add uncooked rice, onion, bell pepper, pineapple and it's juices and chicken. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil. Bake for 50 minutes. Once cooking is done, uncover and stir ingredients.
- Return the dish to the oven, uncovered, and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and rice is tender.
- Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Top with diced bacon and cilantro.
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Nutrition Information:
Nutrition Disclaimer
Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Crystal says
Looks awesome! Pinning this one for later!
Amanda Ramsey says
Looks delicious! Can I use a brown rice/quinoa blend?
Linda P says
Could you make this in the crock pot? If so, would you do the same, esp. the rice? Time and temp?
Rachel says
I would be interested to know that as well
Danielle says
Sounds delicious! Definitely pinning and trying this one. Thank you!
Pam Evans says
How can this be made with non instant brown rice?
Corey says
Pam, I have only made this recipe as written, so I cannot say for sure. If you do try the brown rice, please let us know how it turns out!
Sonja says
I made it with non instant white rice. It works just fine. Just make sure you have enough liquid for your rice. This turned out perfect fit us. It cooks long enough to cook the rice fully. I would almost think that instant rice would be too cooked in the juices for an hour.
Kacie says
You’re right. I made this recipe tonight as written, with the instant rice and it was really mushy. I will definitely try it with standard rice next time. We loved the flavor and it was easy which I love!
Lizet Flores de Bowen says
Such a delicious meal! love the little bits of pineapples, cilantro, and the crunch of the bacon. Wow! Defetnely making this again. Thaks for the great recipe!
Abbey says
I had normal rice and cooked mine 10 minutes longer than directed uncovered and it turned out fine.
Asha Lloyd says
This was delicious! Passed the recipe along to my sister in law who made it the same night too and loved it. Thank you!
Marlys Wojahn says
I had a question on what kind of minced garlic are you using? I use dry minced garlic in a jar, what would be the equivalent be?
Corey says
I used fresh garlic minced. You can substitute 1/2 teaspoon garlic flakes for every clove.
PennyCandy says
You can find minced garlic in its juice in the produce dept at the grocery. It keeps forever, and it’s better than powders, I think.
Marlys Wojahn says
I use dry minced in a jar. What kind do you use & what would be the correct equivalent?
Jessica Newberry says
I made this and cooked as directed but my rice was crunchy. Any suggestions? I have a bunch left and would like to do something with it. Thanks
Sonja says
Add more liquid and bake for a bit longer.
PennyCandy says
Did anybody else have the idea that your dish was too ‘wet’? I haven’t eaten our yet, but it’s resting now, and I can see the soy sauce-ish liquid in the bottom. I’m not a huge fan of soy sauce, so I might cut it by a little next time.
Kim Barcelos says
Great recipe but a bit too sweet. I will definitely make it again but only use half a can of pineapple. Thanks for sharing
Jami Sue Brandt says
This is a keeper! My hubby & I loved it a lot!!
Tasha Muterspaugh says
Can this be cooked in the instapot??
Corey says
I have not tried that yet, but if you do, please let us know how it goes.
Alayna says
I’m wondering, is the chicken is supposed to be precooked for this recipe or not?
Corey says
No, the chicken will cook in the casserole
Julie says
I pre-cooked the chicken in my IP then added to baking dish after baking in conventional oven for about 20 min. See my review post from July 17, 2022.
Patti T. says
Made this. My husband and I loved it. Will definitely make this again. Thanks for the recipe.
Corey says
So happy you guys love it Patti!
Natalie says
The flavors in this recipe are great! My rice did not cook when following the recipe, I will use cooked rice next time.
Sonja says
If you use cooked rice, you’ll have to cut down in the amount of liquid. Maybe just cook the casserole covered for a little longer so your rice can cook.
Michelle C. says
It was a little too sweet for us. Thinking I will try it again in the future but only use half the amout of brown sugar and half the pineapple juice since it was a little too wet.
Rachel says
I’m not sure what went wrong but there was so much liquid left after 50 min of cooking. Tasty though!
Sonja says
It might be the type of rice you are using. I used mom instant white rice and the liquid was the perfect amount and was fully cooked. Try s different type.
Tamara Newell says
Hi just wondering- Does this freeze well?
Linda says
Can I use regular rice instead of instant?
Amber says
I made this tonight with pre-cooked rice (since that’s what I already had in the cabinet). I followed some of the suggestions below and cut the pineapple and brown sugar in half. I also reduced the soy sauce in half. I probably should have cut back on the chicken broth as there was a bit too much liquid but otherwise tasted great!
Bill Richards says
I made this with good quality brown rice but in a large deep covered frying pan. Otherwise followed the recipe but there was insufficient liquid to fully cook the rice. However two glasses of white wine worked wonders – both for the dish and me – bringing out some sublime flavours!
Joyce Horning says
I’ve never made a meal that I (my husband and I both) were sorry to see it gone after eating it for 3 days straight! It was that good! The only changes I made was I did use instant brown rice instead of white and not quite an entire half cup of brown sugar. Sooooooo good!
Brandy Siegel says
I will definitely be remaking this. I cut the brown sugar in half but will probably cut back more next time and I used chicken thighs because that’s what my family prefers. I also used regular Jasmine rice and cooked it for 12 minutes on high pressure in the Instapot. Next time I’ll probably do 13 minutes because the rice was just a tad underdone.
Polly says
Loved this recipe. After reading the other comments, I made a couple minor adjustments. I halved the amount of brown sugar (and used a brown sugar Splenda blend). I also drained the pineapple to keep the moisture & sugar down. It turned out perfect for our tastes. Will definitely make it again.
Judy says
Can I use Minute Rice in this recipe?
Barbara says
My picky family LOVED it! I was in a hurry so I pre cooked the rice. I used 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup soy sauce. It was delicious!
Lauren Hagan says
Bland & boring was my husband’s review. Definitely way too much liquid and regular rice probably would’ve absorbed it better than minute rice. Followed the recipe to a ‘t’ and it was a major fail. The chicken had no flavor and the overall appearance was not appetizing. Do not recommend.
Corey says
Sorry you didn’t like the recipe Lauren.
Sonja says
We thought the same. We liked it but it was very bland. I think I’ll try it again with double the spices. And I’ll add some broccoli to it. It just needs something else.
Cheryl Troll says
I fixed this recipe for supper last night. My husband said it smelled great while in the oven. The aroma of the dish didn’t do it justice, we thought we were in Hawaii. The dish tasted so good.
Lindsey K says
My 9-year-old asked for a third serving! I was nervous about the sweetness and moisture after reading reviews. However, I made it exactly as written, and it was phenomenal. Make sure you follow the baking instructions exactly. It’s a keeper!
Corey says
So happy ya’ll loved the recipe!
L Hogan says
Can this be made ahead and frozen?
Amanda says
This was an easy and delicious dish. I made some extra rice on the side because I feed a big crew. I didn’t have any soy sauce so I added salt and water and a little worsteshire sauce. I did add the bacon and everyone loved it.
Sandra See says
This was absolutely amazing! I’m making more tomorrow at my son’s request. It’s quick, simple and delicious!
Gina says
I have a question. I am trying to understand the instructions. They note that we should add the wet ingredients (soy sauce, etc.) to a bowl. They then say to add the other ingredients, such as the rice and chicken. I’m assuming all of this mixes together and then is transferred to the baking dish, and all of it baked for 50 minutes. Is that correct?
Corey says
Yep!
Courtney says
I want to make this so bad but we don’t eat sugar. Could I omit the brown sugar all together?
Corey says
I have only made the recipe as written, so I can’t say for sure how it would turn out Courtney
Katie H says
I just made this recipe exactly as written. it was good but I think the pineapple was overwhelming. I would make this again with half the pineapple pieces/juice.
Donna says
This dish was absolutely delicious and will be a regular at our house. Thank you for sharing.
Lisa says
This recipe was good but too sweet for me! Will omit the brown sugar next time.
Keith Robbins says
I made this tonight and my wife and I loved it. I used uncooked long grained rice and cooked it in a cast iron skillet ❤️
Corey says
So happy you loved it!
Hillary says
Since I saw some people asking if you can make this with brown rice, the answer is yes- I did. However, I read that someone’s rice was still hard and I’ve had that happen in dishes before so I cooked my rice separately, then mixed it in and baked it for the 50 minutes covered. I didn’t add the extra ten minutes uncovered because I didn’t want to dry the chicken out. This recipe was phenomenal, will be making again.
Lisa says
The family loved this casserole so much they asked if I would make it again. I would say it’s a keeper!
Debbie says
Has anyone tried this using cauliflower rice?
Dee says
Loved it! Have given out the recipe 2x’s so far.
Only comment is the chicken tends to dry out a little, next time I’ll marinate the chicken separately and then add to the casserole after about 25 minutes
Stacy says
We loved it! Don’t forget to uncover and bake for additional 10 min. In reading the comments it seems some miss that step because you have too much liquid. Also I used Minute rice and it was cooked perfectly. I might try boneless chicken thighs for a little extra flavor. Instead of chicken breasts.
Jeanette Cobb says
Can you suggest a side dish for this recipe! Thanks
Corey says
Steamed broccoli is our favorite!
M martin says
Good flavor but I felt using the instant rice made it very mushy. Trying again with jasmine rice and adding more veggies and less soy sauce. We will see thx
Julie says
Loved this recipe! Since I buy whole chickens, cut them up and cook in an instant pot, I adapted this recipe a little. I added all ingredients together EXCEPT the chicken, and baked for about 20 minutes-until bubbly. Then I added cooked chicken chunks, stirred, covered and baked for about 15 minutes until chicken was warmed. I kept an eye on the rice to make sure it was cooked all the way through. Changes worked out well, and family really enjoyed it!
Holly says
Just learning how to cook. Is the chicken raw when you put it in with everything else, or do you cook the chicken first?
Corey says
Chicken will go in raw and will cook with the rest of the casserole.
Ruthie Baker says
I’ve made this twice, once as written ( turned out great) and a second time with kielbasa instead of chicken and added a bit extra broth to make up for the missed liquid with the chicken. That turned out really good too. Thanks for the recipe!
Corey says
Kielbasa sounds delish!
Loren says
Wow. Just wow. I try to stock up on whatever simple variations of chicken, veggies, and rice I can find and this HITS THE MARK. Not only did it look appealing, but I didn’t even have to go to the grocery store- these ingredients are already staples in my kitchen. I don’t ever use instant rice, so I was encouraged when I read other comments saying that regular rice worked fine. A bit worried that it would come out “crunchy,” I just tested a bite after taking it out of the oven just now and removing the foil after the initial 50 minutes. Let’s just say that it was so perfect that I’m literally typing this 5-star review as it bakes the last, uncovered 10 minutes. That taste test was *that* good. What a perfect weeknight meal!