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One Pot Pineapple Chicken and Rice is an easy dinner made from chicken, rice and pineapple all cooked together in one pan for fast clean up. It’s a delicious combination of savory and sweet that only requires a few ingredients.

This is just one of a huge list of one pot meals that we’ve shared, like One Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice and One Pot Pizza Pasta. We love one pot meals because they usually come together fast and can get a whole dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes.

silver pan with rice, chicken and pineapple, with a wooden spoon.

Pineapple Chicken and Rice

Today I’m sharing a tropical twist on traditional chicken and rice in this One Pan Pineapple Chicken and Rice recipe.

This chicken and rice dish is super easy and quick to prepare and serve – under 30 minutes from stove to table. It uses sweet, canned pineapple plus the juice, but fresh pineapple and juice could easily be substituted.

6 image collage of steps showing how to make one pot chicken and rice

How to Make One Pot Pineapple Chicken and Rice

  1. Gather your ingredients: two chicken breasts, a 20 ounce can of pineapple tidbits in the juice, a cup of long grain white rice, 1 cup chicken broth, olive oil, salt and pepper, and three green onions.
  2. Start by dicing the chicken into large chunks and cooking it in some olive oil, seasoned with a little bit of salt and pepper. Push the chicken aside and add the rice, stirring often until the rice starts to become translucent. You don’t have to cook the chicken through as it will continue to cook with the rice, and I recommend cutting it into large chunks (1 ½ to 2 inches)to prevent the chicken from drying out.
  3. The next step is to add the pineapple, pineapple juice and chicken broth. Stir it all up and bring it to a boil. Once it’s boiling, reduce the heat and cover the skillet. Walk away for about 20 minutes (resist the urge to list the cover and check). Go do a load of laundry, empty the dishwasher, or just sit and relax and check out your favorite magazine.
  4. When the 20 minutes are up, check to see that the rice is finished cooking. If you have a clear lid, you can just give it a little shake to get rid of the moisture on the cover. If you are still seeing a lot of liquid, let the rice continue to cook, checking every couple of minutes.
  5. Turn off the heat, give it a good stir, and divide into bowls. Top with additional pineapple and green onion slices for garnish. You could also add a couple turns of fresh cracked black pepper or even sesame seeds for a nutty note.

A bowl filled with Chicken, Rice, and Pineapple

Top Tips and Variations

  • The recipe as written used 1 cup of the pineapple pieces, but all of the juice in the can. You can use all of the pineapple if you like, but I found it to be a little too much. Use a few pieces for garnish, or save for snacking later.
  • This recipe is a great base for incorporating other flavors. Add some minced garlic with the liquid, or cook some diced onion with the chicken. Red pepper flakes tossed in with the chicken and rice would add some heat. Add a little Sriracha sauce or soy sauce as a finishing touch.
  • If you want to add some veggies, broccoli, carrots or bell pepper would be delicious. Cook them separately and stir in to the final dish before serving.

A blue bowl with chicken, pineapple and rice topped with sliced green onions. A fork sticks out of the bowl.

More Easy Chicken Dinners

Chicken is readily available, even at times when meat is hard to come by. While this Pineapple Chicken and Rice is an obvious favorite, we have tons of chicken recipes that are easy, delicious and perfect any time of the year.

Try some of our most popular chicken recipes:

Recipe
A bowl of Chicken, Rice, and Pineapple

One Pan Pineapple Chicken and Rice

4.65 from 14 votes
One Pot Pineapple Chicken and Rice is an easy, sweet & savory dinner made from chicken, rice and pineapple all cooked together in one pan for fast clean up.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound chicken breasts cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 20 ounce can pineapple tidbits in the juice
  • 1 cup long grain white rice
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • Olive Oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 3 green onions thinly sliced
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Instructions
 

  • Drain pineapple, reserving 1 cup of the juice. Measure out about 1 cup of pineapple and put the rest in the fridge to save for later. Set aside.
  • Heat olive oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to the skillet. Cook until browned but not completely cooked through; about 3-4 minutes turning once.
  • Push chicken aside and add rice to the skillet. Cook rice, stirring often, until semi-translucent; about 2-3 minutes.
  • Add chicken broth, 1 cup pineapple and 1 cup pineapple juice to the rice mixture and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then cover and reduce heat to low.
  • Cook for 20 minutes without lifting the lid. Check the rice for doneness. Continue cooking if necessary, checking every couple of minutes. You will know it's done when most of the liquid is gone.
  • Stir in sliced green onions, reserving a few for garnish.
  • Divide into bowls, garnish with reserved pineapple and sliced green onions if desired and serve.

Notes

  • Flavor variations: Add some minced garlic with the liquid, or cook some diced onion with the chicken. Red pepper flakes tossed in with the chicken and rice would add some heat. Add a little Sriracha sauce or soy sauce as a finishing touch.
  • If you want to add some veggies, broccoli, carrots or bell pepper would be delicious. Cook them separately and stir in to the final dish before serving.
  • Please note that nutritional information is approximate.
Keyword chicken and rice, pineapple chicken

Nutrition

Calories: 389kcalCarbohydrates: 60gProtein: 29gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 352mgPotassium: 720mgFiber: 3gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 195IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 51mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of "Yellow Bliss Road" is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.

 

Kristin Maxwell

Kristin Maxwell is the creator and main recipe developer, writer, and photographer of Yellow Bliss Road. A self-taught cook and self-appointed foodie, she specializes in easy, flavorful and approachable recipes for any home cook.

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4.65 from 14 votes (12 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. Jan Brady says:

    Was so good. Even my picky husband cleaned his plate. Added steamed broccoli at the end.

    1. Kristin says:

      Nice! Thanks for stopping by Jan.

  2. Timothy Lake says:

    Can’t wait to try this

    1. Kristin says:

      Give it a try Timothy! Let us know if you have any questions.

  3. Jeff says:

    So I made this for supper. I added some onions diced up with the chicken and minced 3 garlic gloves which I added to the liquid. Had a miss hap with the pineapple juice and was only able to save a 1/2 cup. Added 1/2 cup of orange juice. Also cooked up a package of frozen peas and carrots. Had a bowl and decided it needed something. Splashed a bit of low sodium soy sauce. It taste great!!!

    1. Kristin Maxwell says:

      Hi Jeff – Glad you were able to make it work!

  4. Food, Faith, and Other Fabulous Finds says:

    This was delicious!! Thanks for introducing me to the awesomeness of one pot chicken and rice.

  5. Adrienne says:

    Sounds delicious! How many people would you say this serves?

    1. Kristin says:

      I’d say 4-6 people.

  6. Kelly says:

    I love these one pan meals. Keep ’em coming!!!

  7. Christine from Cook the Story says:

    Love the flavors you’ve got going on in this dish!