Make Ahead Crock Pot Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken

When it comes to meal prepping, your freezer and your slow cooker are your best friends! That’s why this simple recipe for crock pot pineapple teriyaki chicken works so well. Combine chicken breast with sweet pineapple chunks, crispy veggies, and savoury teriyaki sauce, then pop everything in the freezer until you’re ready to eat. After that, simply dump the ingredients in your slow cooker, set it, and forget it until dinner time!

We are fans of freezer meals that can be cooked in the slow cooker like our BBQ Meatballs, That Lady’s Chicken, or the Crock Pot Chana Masala.

Crock Pot Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 cup teriyaki sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 can pineapple chunks, drained
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• can water chestnuts, drained

Assembly Instructions:

1. Combine the cubed chicken breast, teriyaki sauce, water, brown sugar, garlic, carrots, pineapple chunks, red pepper, green pepper, and water chestnuts in a large bag.
2. Squeeze the ingredients in the bag together to mix the sauce into the chicken and vegetables.
3. Remove excess air from the bag, seal the top, and place it in the freezer until you’re ready to start cooking.

Cooking Instructions:

1. Transfer the mixture to the refrigerator to thaw overnight.
2. To cook the chicken in the slow cooker, pour the entire bag into the bowl of your crockpot and place the lid on top. Set to cook on low for three to four hours.
3. To cook the chicken in the oven, transfer the entire contents of the bag to a large baking dish. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake uncovered for 50 minutes.
4. Serve on rice.

How Long Does Teriyaki Chicken Stay Fresh in the Fridge?

After your family finishes eating your pineapple chicken, you might have a few leftovers to pack up. Any leftover chicken and vegetables should be stored in the refrigerator until you’re ready to enjoy it again. Simply transfer the leftover ingredients to an airtight container and your dish will stay fresh for up to four days.

Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Recipe Ideas

This quick and easy one pot dinner is a great option for a quick weeknight meal. But the best part about this simple recipe is how easy it is to adjust. Try these recipe ideas as you’re preparing your freezer meal.

• Serve with rice. While this one pot meal features all the meat and vegetables your family needs for a full dinner, the addition of rice is a great way to round up the meal. Your pineapple chicken can be served with white, brown, or jasmine rice.
• Use chicken thighs. Boneless chicken breasts are a great option for freezer cooking, but they can sometimes get dry while cooking in the crockpot. Another great option for slow cooking is boneless chicken thighs. You can substitute chicken thighs for chicken breast in this recipe for added juiciness and flavor.
• Try whole chicken breasts. Cutting the chicken into bite-sized pieces is great for easing serving. But you can also reduce your prep work by freezing and cooking whole chicken breasts. After cooking your chicken in the slow cooker, remove it from the pot and shred the meat. Then return the shredded chicken back to the slow cooker to mix it with the sauce and vegetables before serving.
• Add more vegetables. Featuring pineapple, carrots, and bell pepper, this chicken dinner is already packed with healthy ingredients. But there are a variety of other veggies that would taste amazing with when combined with the rest of the ingredients in this dish. Try mixing in some broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas, and mushrooms for even more texture and flavor.
• Freeze after cooking. If you would prefer to reduce the amount of prep work you need to do on the day of cooking, you can also cook the teriyaki chicken before freezing it. After cooking the chicken according to the recipe instructions, allow the ingredients to cool completely. Then transfer everything to a freezer bag or container and store until you’re ready to reheat it.

Is it Safe to Freeze Chicken in Marinade?

Using teriyaki sauce as a marinade is a great way to add flavor to your chicken. But keeping the meat in the marinade for too long could cause the chicken to breakdown. That might make you wonder whether freezing your chicken in marinade is a good idea.

In fact, adding marinade to the bag with your chicken before freezing is a great option. Storing the chicken with the sauce will help infuse flavor into the meat. But since the marinating process will stop once the chicken and sauce are frozen, you don’t have to worry about damaging the chicken while it’s being stored in the freezer.

Can I Cook Chicken on High in the Crockpot?

Setting your slow cooker to high is a great way to speed up the cook time of your crockpot recipes. But when it comes to chicken, it’s best to keep your slow cooker on low. High heat can make your chicken breast tough and chewy. Luckily, chicken cooks fairly quickly in the crockpot – even on the low setting. Your teriyaki chicken will be ready to eat after cooking for around four hours on low.

Print

Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

3 hrs

 

Course: Main Course

Keyword: chicken

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts cubed
• 1 cup teriyaki sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 cups carrots peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 can pineapple chunks drained
• 1 red pepper chopped
• 1 green pepper chopped
• can water chestnuts drained

Instructions

Assembly Instructions:

1. Combine the cubed chicken breast, teriyaki sauce, water, brown sugar, garlic, carrots, pineapple chunks, red pepper, green pepper, and water chestnuts in a large resealable freezer bag.

2. Squish to combine.

3. Remove excess air from the bag, seal the top, and place it in the freezer until you’re ready to start cooking.

Crock Pot Cooking Instructions:

1. Thaw.
2. Pour the bag contents into crockpot. Cook on low for three to four hours.

Oven Cooking Instructions:

1. Thaw.

2. Transfer the contents of the bag to a large baking dish. Preheat the oven to 350° and bake uncovered for 50 minutes.

Recipe Notes

Serve over rice.