A fresh pineapple bowl piled high with saucy, sweet Hawaiian teriyaki chicken and fried rice — eating this delicious meal feels like a vacation in Maui! It’s SO pretty, too! Our recipe for pineapple chicken fried rice is versatile and customizable — use any seasonal vegetables or protein that your family likes. This is a meal you’ll want to make again and again!
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Reasons to Make Our Pineapple Bowl Recipe
- It’s an easy 30 minute meal that you can prepare in bulk to feed yourself and your family for the week! It’s just as quick (but not quite as hands-off) as our Instant Pot Hawaiian chicken recipe.
- It’s anything but boring! The mouthwatering combination of salty, sweet, and savory flavors keeps each bite interesting — you’ll never get bored of this chicken dish!
- An all-in-one meal. With protein, veggies, and carbs all in one bowl, there’s no need for extra sides. Not to mention, there are less dishes to wash!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Pineapple
You’ll need a whole fruit to make the serving bowl. You can really get the most out of the tangy tropical fruit by first learning how to peel and core a pineapple! - Bacon
Don’t use pre-cooked bacon — you will want to make use of the bacon fat! Turkey bacon is a decent substitute – just be aware that turkey bacon is higher in sodium than pork bacon. - Sesame Seed Oil – This ingredient adds an appetizing aroma. Olive, grapeseed, and avocado oil are all good substitutes.
- Chicken Tenderloins – Any boneless skinless pieces of chicken or turkey will work as a substitute. Read our post on how do you cook rice in the instant pot for step by step instructions.
- White Rice – Whole grain brown rice is a heartier option, and it makes this Hawaiian chicken recipe healthier!
- Teriyaki Glaze – Add a bit of hot sauce to give your pineapple bowl some heat! Sriracha is our favorite, but any hot sauce works.
- Seasonal vegetables have the best flavor. Zucchini, carrots, mushrooms, squash, and broccoli are good options for this Blackstone griddle recipe, because they hold their flavor and shape well.
If the vegetables that you want to use aren’t in season, there’s nothing wrong with using frozen veggies. They’re just as healthy as fresh!
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
Chopped peanuts or cashews jazz up the teriyaki chicken bowls visually, while also adding crunch.
Toast them lightly in a skillet prior to mixing them into the pineapple fried rice.
Tips for Making Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken
- Reserve the pineapple juice.
After you cut the fruit in half and remove most of the insides, there will be a few tablespoons of fresh juice inside. Pour the juice into a small bowl or glass measuring cup – you’ll use it for the glaze. - Use cold rice if possible.
The secret to learning how to make fried rice on Blackstone is using cold rice! Warm grains have a tendency to become mushy when you use them for pineapple chicken fried rice.
🎯 TFN Pro Tip #1 – Cold rice is best!
Use our method for Instant Pot rice and it’ll be ready to pop into the fridge in less than 15 minutes!
- Prep ahead to save time.
If possible, cook the rice at least an hour before you make the rest of the Hawaiian chicken recipe. This will give the grains some time to cool in the fridge. After an hour or two, you can move forward with making the Hawaiian chicken recipe.
Even better, prepare the rice the night before you plan to make the pineapple bowl, fried rice, and chicken teriyaki.
🎯 TFN Pro Tip #2 – Work smarter, not harder!
To make your prep even easier, you can also create the pineapple bowls the night before. Just keep them (and the fruit chunks) in the fridge until you’re ready to use them.
Spending a few minutes on meal prep reduces stress, and will save you time in the long run!
How To Make a Pineapple Bowl
- Slice the fruit in half vertically, through the crown on top, and down through the bottom end. Each half will be hollowed out to form the serving bowls.
- Make cuts to loosen the flesh.
Starting at the top of one half of your fruit, make several cuts through the flesh; at the top, bottom, through the middle, and all the way around, about 1 inch in from the outer peel of the fruit.
At this point, the fruit will be loose inside.
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- Slice through the center of the inner pineapple section lengthwise. This will leave you with two sections of flesh.
- Starting at the top of one half, cut through the flesh, about 1 inch in from the outer peel of the fruit. At this point, the fruit will be loose inside.
Then, just use a spoon to help you remove the flesh and core.
We remove the core and chop it into small bits to use in the chicken stir fry. You can throw out the fibrous core if you want, but honestly, it softens up to where you won’t even notice.
Using a regular serving bowl may be easier and less messy, but spending a few minutes to make a pineapple bowl is SO worth it!
The Hawaiian teriyaki chicken fried rice looks gorgeous served inside of the bowl. Plus, you’ll have less dishes to wash.
Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken Recipe FAQ
While the teriyaki technique is almost a hallmark of Japanese cuisine, the sauce is commonly thought to have originated in Hawaii.
There is certainly a good deal of gray area to consider: the common ingredients of teriyaki sauce (soy sauce, mirin, and sugar) were certainly used in Japanese cooking years ago. However, the sauce as we know it today is characteristically Hawaiian.
The sauce that the pineapple teriyaki chicken is cooked in is a combination of pineapple juice, brown sugar, and soy sauce. It all cooks together to form a thick, yummy glaze!
Storing and Reheating
Any leftover Hawaiian teriyaki chicken and pineapple fried rice can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. The bowls themselves will last that long as well, which is very convenient.
Reheating is the tricky part. It’s best to reheat the leftovers separately from the pineapple bowl.
For the best results, scoop out the Hawaiian teriyaki chicken mixture, and reheat it in a skillet over medium heat. Or, microwave it for a few minutes, until it warms through.
Then, return everything to the pineapple bowl for serving.
Love Dinner Recipes? Here’s More…
- Smoked Pork Tenderloin Recipe
- How to Cook Turkey Tenders
- BBQ Baked Chicken Tenders
- How to Make Spaghetti in Instant Pot
If you tried this hawaiian teriyaki chicken pineapple bowl recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken Pineapple Bowl
Equipment
- chef's knife - (for making the pineapple bowls)
- tongs - (if you wish to char the pineapple)
Ingredients
- 1 pineapple
- 8 ounces bacon
- 3 cups chopped vegetables use a variety of broccoli, squash, zucchini, carrots, mushrooms, snap peas, etc.
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon sesame seed oil
- 1 pound chicken tenderloins or 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips. *See Notes below
- 2-3 tablespoons soy sauce low sodium soy sauce, or tamari sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups cooked white rice (if time allows, refrigerate rice for 1-2 hours) *See Notes below
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup teriyaki glaze
Instructions
How to Make a Pineapple Bowl
- Lay the pineapple on its side on a sturdy cutting board. Using a large chef's knife, slice pineapple in half lengthwise, from top to bottom. If desired, cut off the crown at the top of the fruit.Starting at the top of one half, cut through the flesh, about 1 inch in from the outer peel of the fruit.Next, slice through the center of the inner pineapple section lengthwise to make two halves. Use a large spoon to scoop underneath each section, freeing it from the pineapple. NOTE: There will be a lot of juice in the pineapple. Pour it off into a small bowl or glass measuring cup and set it aside. You will use it later, to make the teriyaki glaze.Repeat steps to create a bowl from the other half of pineapple. Pour the juice from the second pineapple half into the bowl with the other juice.
- Cut off and discard the fibrous core from the sections of flesh you removed. Slice each piece into chunks. Add pineapple chunks to a bowl and set aside. Set empty pineapple bowls aside.
Make the Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken and Fried Rice
- Add a tablespoon of oil to griddle, wok, or skillet then preheat on high heat until oil is shimmering. While the oil is heating, cut bacon into bite-size pieces. Lower heat to medium and add bacon. Cook until bacon is halfway rendered, about 4 minutes.
- Add the cut vegetables and onion to the griddle/wok/skillet with the bacon. Season with garlic powder and continue to cook the mixture. Meanwhile, add the sesame oil and chicken to the other side of the griddle, wok, or skillet. Drizzle soy sauce over the chicken and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the chicken pieces over, then add the pineapple chunks. Add brown sugar to the pineapple juice and stir to combine; pour it over the chicken and pineapple.
- Continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes, until the chicken is no longer pink inside, the pineapple is lightly golden, and the pineapple juice and brown sugar have glazed on the chicken. If you prefer bite-sized chicken, pull it from the griddle and chop it before returning it to the griddle, wok, or skillet.
- Create a well in the middle of the bacon and vegetables, then place the butter in the well. When the butter is melted, add the cold rice, breaking it up. Stir fry the rice and vegetables for about 3 minutes, or until rice is warm.
- Add the teriyaki chicken and fried rice to the pineapple halves. Garnish each pineapple bowl with a drizzle of teriyaki sauce before serving.
Ned says
The combo of sweet and savory presented in a pineapple was perfect! Our guests loved these so much! Thank you!
kushigalu says
Love the combination of flavors and great presentation. Thanks for sharing.
Ann says
The presentation for this is amazing. Who doesn’t love a Pineapple bowl. Thanks!!!