Weeknight dinner can be stress-free, quick, and delicious with meals like this Baked Pineapple Chicken. Super family friendly flavors like sweet pineapple, garlic, and teriyaki sauce combine with perfectly roasted vegetables and tender chicken bites to make a fantastic, easy dinner all on one sheet pan. Pair it with your favorite starch to make it a meal the whole family will enjoy.
Baked Pineapple Chicken – The EASY Way!
On busy nights fighting with the kids over dinner is the LAST thing I want to do, and I’m sure you feel the same! Instead, I want a quick meal that I know they’ll love. Recipes that are full of family friendly flavors like this baked pineapple chicken are just right. If your kids love sweet fruit and teriyaki sauce, this is going to be an easy win, I promise!
It’ll be a win for you too, because it’s SO EASY. Sheet pan chicken and vegetables is a super simple way to get flavorful, healthy food on the table without tons of prep and cook time (or a sink full of dirty dishes). Plus everything gets coated in a super yummy teriyaki sauce so even those vegetables will taste amazing. Throw a pot of rice on the stove and dinner is served!
Why I LOVE this recipe!
- Easy Weeknight Meal – 15 minutes of the easiest prep, then just 15 minutes in a hot oven, and dinner is ready. Going for takeout can take longer than that!
- One Pan! – Chicken sheet pan dinners like this one let you cook your protein and veggies all on the same pan, which means less clean up and stress-free cooking.
- Family Friendly Flavors – Pineapple is roasted right along with veggies and seasoned chicken, then it gets tossed with a thick teriyaki sauce to create a sweet and savory medley that everyone will enjoy.
- Super Versatile! – If the veggies we add don’t work for your family, then swap in the ones that do! I’ve shared tips on how to make this sheet pan chicken dinner entirely your own.
What to Serve with Sheet Pan Chicken and Veggies
Since this pineapple chicken dish has the classic flavors of teriyaki, it will pair well with many of your favorite traditional or Asian side dishes. There are both classic options and some healthy options to keep it light.
Side Dish Ideas
- Rice – Go classic with white rice, or one of the many other kinds of grains like brown rice, quinoa, or farro, to soak up the sweet saucy chicken and veggies. You can even try cauliflower rice for a healthy veggie side instead!
- Noodles – Stir fried udon or ramen noodles are great starchy sides to go with Asian inspired sheet pan chicken dishes like this one.
- Salad – I love Asian Style Cucumber Salad or if you want something with a little kick, try my sriracha coleslaw.
- Potatoes – Baked pineapple chicken could make a simple baked potato or mashed potatoes gourmet. Or, use a second sheet pans to roast potato wedges or smashed potatoes.
- Shredded Cabbage – Keep it healthy with finely shredded red or green cabbage. Toss the cabbage with a pinch of salt, and splash of olive oil and vinegar to make it perfect.
You can choose one or add a few sides to make a wholesome, well rounded dinner.
Recipe Notes
This baked pineapple chicken recipe is as simple as promised! Just one pan and 30 minutes for a family friendly meal.
In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I use when making this recipe to get the absolute best and most delicious results.
Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Chicken – I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into cubes for this recipe. You can absolutely substitute chicken tenderloins or boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead.
- Olive oil – Any kind of neutral cooking oil like olive oil, canola oil, grapeseed, or vegetable oil can be used.
- Salt & Garlic powder – These are the only seasonings you’ll need to make a delicious batch of sheet pan baked pineapple chicken!
- Pineapple Chunks – I used canned pineapple chunks and it always turns out super delicious, but you can use fresh pineapple if you have some on hand. You’ll only need 1/2 a can, or about 1 cup.
- Red Bell Pepper – Fresh red bell pepper is super sweet and classic with pineapple, but you can use any kind of sweet pepper you like best, or another veggie entirely!
- Red Onion – Red onion is my go-to for this, but any kind of onion adds nice flavor to the veggie medley. White onion, shallots, or even leeks would be really yummy! I used one whole onion.
- Broccoli – One head of broccoli is plenty for this recipe. Frozen will work instead of fresh broccoli too, but don’t thaw it out first. You can also use broccolini or even cauliflower instead.
- Teriyaki Sauce – I have a wonderful homemade teriyaki sauce recipe that works super well for glazing chicken, but you can definitely use a bottled sauce as well. Make sure you buy a thicker, syrupy style sauce instead of the thinner, marinade ones. Those won’t work to coat the chicken as well.
- Green Onion – This is the most perfect garnish at the end, but you can swap in chives or leave it off it you’d like.
Recipe Tips
- Keep the chicken small – One of the tricks we use to make this baked pineapple chicken recipe cook super fast is cutting the vegetables and chicken down into small enough pieces. That lets them roast quickly and be done, but still be juicy and tender when they come out of the oven.
I cut the chicken down into about 1″ pieces. Try to keep the chunks uniform so you don’t have small pieces that overcook and larger ones that aren’t done. - Drain the pineapple – If you’re using canned pineapple make sure you pull it out of the liquid. All that juice would make the veggies and chicken soggy instead of beautifully roasted. Drain it off or reserve it for another recipe.
- Swap in your favorite veggies – This recipe is totally customizable, if your family doesn’t eat broccoli, then you should absolutely add in something they WILL eat. The sky is the limit, but a few suggestions for alternatives are cauliflower, zucchini, snap peas, green beans, mushrooms, or carrots.
- Choose and chop veggies wisely – One important thing about making a sheet pan chicken and veggie dish is that everything needs to be cut in a way that allows even roasting. It’s actually not complicated! If you chop veggies into bite-sized pieces no larger than the chicken it will allow them to get nice and tender in the same amount of time that the chicken cooks.
Recipe Short Cuts
If you need to make this recipe, but are extra short on time, here are a few ideas that can help make this recipe even faster!
- Buy chicken chunks– Buy prechopped chunks of chicken, or tenderloins that are super easy to cut down into 1 inch pieces to save some prep and cleaning time.
- Use prepared produce– Most grocery stores offer pre-chopped broccoli, onions, and peppers nowadays. They’re great for nights when you really need to just dump and go. Frozen vegetables will also work, but don’t thaw them first or they can get soggy. Roast straight from frozen.
- Go for bottled teriyaki– Check the ethnic food or Asian aisle at the grocery store for a bottle of thick teriyaki sauce or glaze. Then you can just open the bottle up and add what you need. No prep required!
Recipe Variations
If you love this recipe as much as we do and want some quick ways to change it up for variety, these little tips will do the trick!
- Spicy Chili Pineapple Sheet Pan Chicken– To add some heat to teriyaki pineapple chicken add a small pinch of red pepper flakes to the chicken seasoning. Then replace 2 tablespoons of teriyaki sauce with a sweet chili sauce and stir them together before tossing with the chicken. Asian sweet chili sauce usually available right by the bottled teriyaki sauce at the store.
- Crispy Sheet Pan Pineapple Chicken– Swap out the the chicken pieces for plain, breaded, frozen chicken bites. Adjust cooking time based on package directions then toss everything with the teriyaki sauce after baking as directed.
- Sweet and Sour Baked Pineapple Chicken– Make the recipe exactly as written but use a bottled or homemade sweet and sour sauce to toss everything together after baking.
Freezer Meal Instructions
Making this baked pineapple chicken recipe into a freezer meal is simple! Follow the steps below and you can store this recipe in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- Cube and season the chicken then place in a freezer safe bag or container.
- Prep and season the veggies.
- Arrange the veggies on a baking sheet or other flat freezer safe surface.
- Freeze then place in a separate freezer safe bag or container.
- Freeze both containers.
- When ready to eat, thaw the chicken in the fridge for 24-48 hours.
- Arrange thawed chicken and frozen veggies on a baking sheet.
- Bake as directed and toss with sauce.
Baked Pineapple Chicken Leftovers
If you have leftovers after making teriyaki pineapple chicken and veggies, then it is your lucky day! They save and reheat well, and can make the start of another delicious dish.
To save leftovers, separate into meal sized portions and then place in an airtight container and store:
- in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
- in the freezer up to a month
Leftover Recipes
Here are a few ways to repurpose those leftovers and give them a delicious makeover!
- Pineapple Chicken Bowls– Cook rice and reheat leftovers of your baked pineapple chicken. Add fresh veggies like shredded cabbage or carrots if desired. Place scoops of leftovers on top of the rice. Drizzle with teriyaki sauce or Japanese spicy mayo and enjoy.
- Pineapple Chicken Tacos– Reheat leftover chicken and veggies and place in warm flour tortillas with a scoop of rice. Top with a spicy sriracha Asian coleslaw or pineapple jalapeno salsa and a dollop of sour cream.
- Pineapple Chicken Pizza– Brush a prepared pizza dough with teriyaki or BBQ sauce. Top with leftover chicken, onion, pineapple, and peppers. Sprinkle over 1-2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake according to the crust’s package directions. Drizzle with more teriyaki or BBQ sauce, or a Japanese spicy mayo and serve.
More Sheet Pan Chicken Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night!
You can check out all of my easy chicken recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite recipes below.
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
- Caprese Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner
- Baked Chicken Cutlets with Veggies
- Chicken Fajita Nachos
Sheet Pan Pineapple Chicken
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 can pineapple chunks, 15.25 ounce can, drained
- 1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
- 1 red onion, roughly chopped
- 1 cup broccoli florets, bite sized pieces
- 1/2 cup teriyaki Sauce, glaze style
- 3 green onions, finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
- Toss the chicken, bell pepper, onion, and broccoli with the olive oil and season with the salt and garlic powder.
- Lay the chicken, vegetables, and pineapple on a large sheet pan in a single layer. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through (internal temp 165˚F.)
- Once done, drizzle the teriyaki sauce over everything on the sheet pan and toss with tongs to coat. Finish by topping with green onions.
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