Take a tropical getaway with this delicious Air Fryer Hawaiian Chicken Recipe, easy to make gluten-free, and it can also be made in the Ninja Foodi Air Fryer or Multi-Cooker too!
Air Fryer Hawaiian Chicken combines great flavor with sweet and savory sauce, paired with crispy air-fried chicken. This recipe cooks up in less than 20 minutes and is perfect paired with Ninja Foodi Jasmine Rice. It’s coated with cornstarch, which is naturally gluten-free, and then uses gluten-free soy sauce. This meal will quickly become a family favorite!
What you’ll love about the Air Fryer Hawaiian Chicken Recipe:
- Fast and Full of Flavor – Ready in less than 20 minutes!
- Simple Ingredients – Uses pantry-style ingredients that are simple and usually on hand.
- Gluten-Free Friendly – Easy to make gluten-free by swapping the soy sauce, that’s the only swap!
Ingredients needed for Air Fryer Hawaiian Chicken:
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
- Cornstarch or Potato Starch
- Canned Pineapple Chunks
- Sweet Onion
- Green Bell Pepper
- Red Bell Pepper
- Gluten-Free Soy Sauce or Coconut Aminos
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Brown Sugar
- Ground Ginger
- Cornstarch
- Water
As mentioned, this dish can easily be served with cooked rice. Always be sure to check all ingredients before using if you are cooking gluten-free, ensuring that all ingredients are free of any cross-contamination.
Tips for Making Hawaiian Chicken in the Air Fryer:
This recipe will start with the chicken being coated with cornstarch and placed in the air fryer basket to cook. The chicken needs to reach an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F. This can be easily checked with a meat thermometer. It’s best to use olive oil spray or grapeseed oil spray to lightly spray the chicken to keep it moist.
While the chicken is cooking, the sauce will be prepared on the stovetop in a small saucepan. It will simmer and come to a boil to soften the veggies. The cooked sauce will be coated over the cooked chicken to make Hawaiian Chicken. The cooked chicken can be placed in a bowl, then pour the sauce over the chicken and stir the mixture. Once it’s done, it can easily be served alongside rice or vegetables. It can also be served with a variety of white rice, like coconut rice.
- Do not overcrowd the basket; work in batches if needed.
- Use canned pineapple chunks and reserve the juice for the sauce. Alternatively, you can use fresh pineapple, but you will need pineapple juice too.
- If you want to adjust the sweetness, add a tablespoon of brown sugar to make it sweeter if preferred.
- Add crushed red pepper chili flakes, or sriracha, to the marinade to make it spicy.
- Use chicken thighs, these will hold up without drying out in the air fryer, they stay moist.
Remember that all air fryers heat differently, so it is very important to closely watch the chicken and be sure the correct temperature is reached without overcooking. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
How do you store leftovers?
Once cooled, store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. When ready to reheat, heat at 350 degrees F in the air fryer for 2-3 minutes or until warmed through. Remember, this chicken is best served fresh!
Air Fryer Hawaiian Chicken is quick, easy, and full of flavor. It’s easy to customize making it sweet or spicy and perfect to pair with your favorite veggies and rice!
If you like this recipe, you’ll also love this Air Fryer Honey Garlic Chicken and Air Fryer Sesame Chicken!
Easy Air Fryer Hawaiian Chicken
Ingredients
- 6 Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
- Cornstarch or Potato Starch
- 1/2 Cup Pineapple Chunks Reserve Juice
- 1/4 Cup Diced Sweet Onion
- 1 Green Bell Pepper Diced
- 1 Red or Orange Bell Pepper Diced
- 1/4 Cup Pineapple Juice
- 1/4 Cup Gluten-Free Soy Sauce or Coconut Aminos
- 1/4 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
- 1/2 Tsp Ground Ginger
- 1/2 Tbsp Cornstarch
- 1/2 Tbsp Water
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into chunks and coat with cornstarch, use about 1/4 cup and then add more if needed to fully coat the chicken.
- Spray the air fryer basket with olive oil cooking spray.
- Add the chicken and cook at 390°F for 10 minutes, open the lid, stir it up, and spray another coat of oil.
- Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- In a small saucepan, combine the pineapple, onion, bell pepper, pineapple juice, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and ground ginger.
- Bring this up to a low boil for about 2-3 minutes or until vegetables are soft.
- Combine the 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch with 1/2 Tbsp of water to create a slurry, lower the heat on the sauce, and whisk in the slurry to thicken.
- Let it sit for about 2-3 minutes to thicken.
- Mix the sauce with the chicken.
- Serve with cooked rice.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Esme Slabbert says
Oh my word, this does look so incredibly tasty. Bookmarked it.
Thank you for sharing and participating at SSPS 363. See you at #364
Paula Short says
Kristy, this sounds fantastic! I can virtually taste this.
Thanks bunches for sharing with Sweet Tea & Friends this month dear friend. I’m so happy you’re here.