Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken Pineapple Bowl

Name: Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken Pineapple Bowl
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
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); 1/2 cup brown sugar; 1/4 cup teriyaki glaze

Jump to Recipe

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!

Hawaiian teriyaki chicken and pineapple fried rice served in a pineapple bowl.

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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!

Serving of Hawaiian chicken fried rice in a pineapple bowl glazed with teriyaki sauce.

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 to cut a chicken breast 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!

Bowls and packages of ingredients for making a Hawaiian chicken recipe.

Add some crunch!

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 making great fried rice 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!

Cold cooked rice in a stainless steel mixing bowl.

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.

Four image collage: upper left: adding soy sauce to fried rice. upper right: pineapple chicken on hibachi grill. lower left and lower right: cooking fried rice and a pineapple bowl on Blackstone griddle.

🎯 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.

Using a large knife to cut a pineapple in half for 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.

One half of a large yellow fruit, with knife cuts made through the core

Slice through the center of the inner pineapple section lengthwise. This will leave you with two sections of flesh.

Using a spoon to remove the fruit and core from a pineapple.

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.

Chopped tropical fruit on a cutting board next to a large Shun chef's knife.

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.

Empty pineapple bowl on a wood cutting board.

Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken Recipe FAQ

Is teriyaki sauce Japanese or Hawaiian?

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.

What is Hawaiian teriyaki chicken sauce made of?

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!

chicken teriyaki pineapple bowl with teriyaki glaze placed on a white plate with cloth, pineapple chicken, fried rice, and onion chives all placed in a bowl at the background

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.

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!