These pineapple chicken bowls feature juicy chicken, sweet pineapple, and fresh vegetables tossed in a homemade sauce and served over rice.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Pineapple chicken rice bowls are an easy recipe that comes together quickly in one pan.
- It is delicious served with our favorite coconut rice!
- You can easily meal prep with this recipe to pull together a quick lunch or have leftovers for busy nights.
Ingredient Notes
- Olive oil or avocado oil - sesame oil would also work
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced (or thighs) - smaller pieces boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Bell peppers - feel free to use red, yellow, or orange bell pepper.
- Zucchini
- Chopped green onions
- Canned pineapple chunks and pineapple juice - we would argue that the best part of this easy meal is the flavorful, juicy pineapple! It provides a vibrant sweetness that brings the entire dish together. You can use fresh pineapple as well, but we use canned pineapple for convenience as the sauce requires some of the pineapple juice as well.
- Cooked rice - there are several variations of rice you can use for this tasty meal—white rice, brown rice, basmati rice, jasmine rice, coconut rice, etc.
- Toppings: roasted salted cashews (highly recommended!), sesame seeds.
Sauce ingredients
- Tomato paste
- Low sodium soy sauce - swap for coconut aminos or tamari if you need a gluten-free option
- Sriracha
- Apple cider vinegar - rice vinegar would also work
- Honey - maple syrup or brown sugar are also good substitutes
- Minced garlic
- Cornstarch or arrowroot powder
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and measurements.
Equipment You’ll Need
- Rice cooker*, instant pot*, or sauce pan
- Cutting board and knives
- Large skillet
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Small bowl
Step by Step Directions
For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Begin by preparing the rice according to your preferred method.
Cut the chicken into thin, bite-sized pieces. Dice the bell pepper, zucchini, and green onions with a separate cutting board and knife.
Add the oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces to the pan and cook all the way through (until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F).
While the chicken is cooking, whisk the sauce ingredients together in a separate small bowl.
Add the diced vegetables and sauce to the pan with the chicken and stir occasionally for 3-5 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften and the sauce begins to thicken.
Add the pineapple chunks to the pan and stir until combined. Serve over rice and add optional toppings as desired.
Tips & Variations
- If you're looking to add more vegetables to this dish, you can always add diced white or red onions or other roasted or grilled veggies.
- You are welcome to use fresh pineapple to create a fresh pineapple bowl, but we find it convenient and still very tasty to use canned pineapple that has pineapple juice already with it. Feel free to add extra pineapple on top of each bowl as desired.
- Feel free to mix up the rice option with white rice, brown rice, coconut rice, or cauliflower rice.
- If you like a bit of heat, feel free to add more Sriracha hot sauce on top.
FAQ
We recommend storing the pineapple chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator and storing the rice in a separate airtight container.
This recipe is gluten-free with the use of tamari or coconut aminos in place of soy sauce. It is also dairy-free. It is not vegan or vegetarian.
If you like this recipe, check out another chicken dish
If you make these pineapple chicken bowls, please let us know how they turn out in the comments below and/or rate the recipe! Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram to show us your finished product—it makes our day every time we see you trying the recipes we love!
Pineapple Chicken Rice Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken breast (or thighs), diced
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 1 cup green onions, chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil
- 1 cup canned pineapple chunks
- 3-4 cups cooked rice
- Roasted salted cashews, for topping
Sauce Ingredients
- ⅓ cup pineapple juice (from the can)
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2-3 teaspoons Sriracha
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch or arrowroot powder
Instructions
- Begin by preparing the rice according to your preferred method.
- Cut the chicken into thin, bite-sized pieces. Dice the bell pepper, zucchini, and green onions with a separate cutting board and knife.
- Add the oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces to the pan and cook all the way through (until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F). While the chicken is cooking, whisk the sauce ingredients together in a separate small bowl.
- Add the diced vegetables and sauce to the pan with the chicken and stir occasionally for 3-5 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften and the sauce begins to thicken. Add the pineapple chunks to the pan and stir until combined. Serve over rice and add optional toppings as desired.
Notes
- This recipe is gluten-free with the use of tamari or coconut aminos in place of soy sauce. It is also dairy-free. It is not vegan or vegetarian.
NUTRITION
The recipe can be found on My Fitness Pal by searching "BWB Pineapple Chicken Bowls." The recipe above includes rice in the nutrition, but the recipe on MFP does not.
The nutrition content provided for each recipe is an estimate created through the My Fitness Pal database. Please be aware that the nutritional content of each recipe may vary based on the products you use, the precision of your measurements, and the source you use to obtain nutrition data. While we try to provide accurate information, we give no guarantee regarding the accuracy of the nutritional information provided.
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Erin
So delicious!
Begin With Balance
We're so glad to hear you're a fan of this recipe Erin! Thanks for letting us know!