Pineapple Baked Chicken
This Pineapple Baked Chicken is going to be your next crowd-pleaser. Marinated chicken thighs coated in a delicious pineapple sauce and oven-baked for the best flavors. Bring your family together with this perfect weekend dinner with your favorite sides.
After moving to the Cayman Islands and settling in as a new couple here, my husband requested some baked chicken for dinner.
I would be a liar if I did not say it wasn’t my best just because I used more ginger than needed, which isn’t his favorite.
So, after a few tips and tricks, this recipe is a much better improvement than before. And that’s coming from hubby.
The sweet and savory flavors are the perfect combination to win over any picky eater.
Plus, I’m a sucker for a quick and easy chicken dinner. And this is one to add to your weekly meal planner.
If you love pineapple, check out my other recipes for Pineapple Honey Glazed Ham and Pineapple Skin Tea.
Ingredients to Use
As a Caribbean food lover, I love well-marinated meat.
The flavors and aroma, when cooking, waft through your kitchen for a homely feeling.
The main ingredients used in this recipe are what I would keep on hand to make the best pineapple-baked chicken ever!
Plus, if you’re using my easy green seasoning marinade, then be amazed at the enhancing flavors it’ll bring to this dish and others.
- Chicken: the best parts are chicken thighs or breasts, but use any part of the chicken of your choice.
- Chicken Seasoning: all-purpose seasoning, cayenne powder, cumin, browning sauce, brown sugar, ketchup
- Pineapple juice
- Jamaican Green seasoning
Pineapple Sauce:
- Crushed pineapple
- Cayenne pepper
- Brown sugar
- All-purpose seasoning
- Ginger powder
Notes: If you need to marinate your chicken in under 30 minutes, then before seasoning your chicken, poke small holes into each piece so that your chicken soaks up more seasoning faster.
How to Make Pineapple Baked Chicken
A quick and easy dinner recipe like this can be your go-to if you’re like me and love an easy meal.
Enjoy juicy, flavorful baked chicken with the sweet flavors of pineapple without the heavy lifting when cooking.
Let your oven work for you while you binge-watch your favorite episode or work on your sides.
Steps:
- Remove any skin and fat from chicken thighs. Wash chicken in water, lime juice, and vinegar. Pat dry and set aside.
- Season chicken with the ingredients listed above. Get the full recipe for the green seasoning below. Allow to marinate for 2 hours or overnight.
- In a medium saucepan, combine ingredients and bring to a boil over medium-low heat. Allow to cook for 5-7 minutes, then set aside to slightly cool.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the baking pan with oil, then layer the chicken thighs.
- Brush each chicken thigh with pineapple sauce. If any is leftover, pour over the chicken before covering it with a foil and placing it in the oven. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes to an hour.
- Turn at 20-minute intervals to ensure the chicken is even cooking. You can brush sauce over the chicken at each interval.
- Remove the foil at the last interval. Remove from the oven when the juices of the chicken run clear.
- Serve as desired.
Serving Suggestions
Working on your sides can be easy while your chicken is in the oven.
You can binge-watch Brooklyn 99 (like I do constantly) while making some of the best side recipes.
Some of my favorite side dishes to go with this recipe are:
- Steamed Veggies
- Fettucine Noodles
- Mashed Potatoes
- Rice and Peas
- Coleslaw
- Green Salad
- Pumpkin Rice
Tips For Making Pineapple Baked Chicken
If you’ve been here for a while, you know I ran into a few issues with this recipe.
I added too much ginger, and that threw off the flavors entirely.
So here are some tips to make the best pineapple baked chicken ever.
- You can use my green seasoning recipe to enhance the flavors of this marinated chicken.
- You can get into the Caribbean spirit and use sprigs of thyme tied together to make a pastry brush and use it to coat chicken with sauce. The flavors using the thyme can add even more flavor.
- This recipe goes well with mashed potatoes or your favorite green salad.
- Marinade your chicken in under 30 minutes by poking some holes into each piece to allow it to soak in the seasonings faster.
- Turn chicken at 20-minute intervals and brush sauce over each piece to help thoroughly cook your chicken.
- Add ½ tsp cornstarch or flour to the sauce and stir consistently for a thicker sauce consistency.
Storage Tips
Store your leftover chicken in an airtight container in your refrigerator for 2-4 days.
Reheat leftovers in your microwave for 1-2 minutes or in a small pot on medium-low heat.
For a longer storage time, store chicken in an airtight container and place it in the freezer for up to 30 days.
Why You Should Make This Recipe?
If I didn’t convince you before, I’m going to now,:-
- Budget-Friendly: following the ingredients in this recipe, you can make this every weekend.
- Super Easy To Make: most of the work is in the prepping. Once you’ve placed your chicken in the oven, you can move on to other ideas.
- Make Ahead of Time: This is perfect for a potluck or dinner party where you can make it ahead of time.
- Versatile Side Options: enjoy this recipe with almost any side option you choose.
- Perfect for Meal Prep: if you’re into meal prepping, this is perfect. You can make batches of this recipe for the week.
Other chicken dinner ideas:
Thanks for being here and I hope you enjoyed the recipe and content.
Comment below if you made this recipe. You can also take a photo and tag me on Instagram @theshyfoodblogger and hashtag #theshyfoodblogger.
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~ TheShyFoodBlogger
Homemade Pineapple Baked Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lb chicken thighs
- ¼ cup pineapple juice
- 2 tsp all-purpose seasoning
- 1 ½ tsp browning
- 2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp cumin
- ⅓ cup ketchup
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp green seasoning recipe below
Pineapple Sauce
- ¾ cup crushed pineapple in pineapple juice
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- ½ tsp all-purpose seasoning
- ¼ tsp ginger powder
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Remove any skin and fat from chicken thighs. Wash chicken in water, lime juice, and vinegar. Pat dry and set aside.
- Season chicken with the ingredients listed above. Get the full recipe for the green seasoning below. Allow to marinate for 2 hours or overnight.
- In a medium saucepan, combine ingredients and bring to a boil over medium-low heat. Allow to cook for 5-7 minutes, then set aside to slightly cool.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the baking pan with oil, then layer the chicken thighs.
- Brush each chicken thigh with pineapple sauce. If any is leftover, pour over the chicken before covering it with a foil and placing it in the oven. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes to an hour.
- Turn at 20-minute intervals to ensure the chicken is even cooking. You can brush sauce over the chicken at each interval.
- Remove the foil at the last interval. Remove from the oven when the juices of the chicken run clear.
- Serve as desired.
Notes
Notes for Making Pineapple Baked Chicken:
- Green seasoning recipe here.
- You can get into the Caribbean spirit and use sprigs of thyme tied together to make a pastry brush and use it to coat chicken with sauce. The flavors using the thyme can add even more flavor.
- This recipe goes well with mashed potatoes or your favorite green salad.
- Add ½ tsp cornstarch or flour to the sauce and stir consistently for a thicker sauce consistency.
