Slow Cooker Hawaiian Shredded Chicken

Slow Cooker Hawaiian Shredded Chicken is the perfect blend of sweet and savory. It’s a recipe that’s great for leftovers and can be served warm or cold.

Flavorful, light and simple.

Happy first day of Spring! You might be wondering why the heck we’re kicking off Spring with a slow cooker recipe. Seems odd, huh? But this Slow Cooker Hawaiian Shredded Chicken recipe is perfect for any season.

My favorite way to dish-up this slightly sweet and savory, tender shredded chicken is wrapped tightly in a crisp Swiss chard leaf with shredded carrots, red cabbage, green onions, cilantro, sliced almonds and avocado. I then use additional coconut aminos for dipping which adds another punch of delicious flavor. Seriously, so good! You could also serve the chicken on a bed of greens, over cauliflower rice, and stuffed in a perfectly ripe avocado half.

That’s right, Slow Cooker recipes can be enjoyed all year long!

If you’ve been following our blog for some time now, you may have gathered that we’re quite fans of slow cooker (and Instant Pot) recipes AND we’ve gathered that you like them too! Our most popular recipes on the blog to this date just so happen to be slow cooker recipes such as our Buffalo Chicken, Chicken Chile Verde, and White Chicken Chili. Slow Cooker recipes can really be enjoyed all year long. In the winter they’re great for making hearty meals like roast & potatoes and soups & stews and in the warmer months they’re perfect for using in place of the oven because they don’t give off as much heat. No one wants to heat the house up on a scorcher of a day.

I  like to make this Slow Cooker Hawaiian Shredded Chicken recipe in the warmer months and then serve it in a lettuce or chard wrap with whatever veggies are in-season. Since today is the first day of Spring (wahoo!), I thought this was a perfect recipe to share!

Shred, wrap and eat!

After the chicken has cooked in the slow cooker for about 4-5 hours and is quite tender, you’ll want to remove the chicken, place it on a plate and shred with two forks. Once the chicken is shredded, return to the slow cooker and place on warm or low until ready to serve.

Wrap it up OR serve however you wish.

Now it’s time to assemble. Do your thing! Wrap it in a crisp chard or lettuce leaf, serve it on a salad, serve it over cauliflower rice or stuff it in an avocado half. Whatever sounds good to you.

You can store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days and enjoy warm or cold – perfect for lunchtime salads. You may also freeze the leftovers which will make for a fast-and-easy, delicious meal down the road. When you’re ready to enjoy, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw overnight in the fridge. In the morning, place the chicken in the slow cooker and cook on low until heated through.

Slow Cooker Hawaiian Shredded Chicken is Whole30 compliant as long as you use unsweetened canned pineapple – be sure to read the ingredients. 

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Let's Get Cookin'

Slow Cooker Shredded Hawaiian Chicken

Hawaiian Shredded Chicken is the perfect blend of sweet and savory. It’s flavorful, light, and a simple slow cooker meal. Follow the recipe and serve the chicken in a chard wrap—or feel free to serve it however you wish: on a bed of greens, on top of a sweet potato, or over cauliflower rice. This recipe makes for great leftovers and can be served hot or cold.

• Author: The Real Food Dietitians
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 4 hours
• Total Time: 4 hours 10 mins
• Yield: 6 servings
• Cuisine: Whole30, Grain-free, Paleo

Print Recipe

★★★★★ 5 from 5 reviews

Ingredients

• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, slightly drained
• 1/3 cup coconut aminos
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• For the wrap: Swiss chard leaves (or leaf lettuce), avocado slices, shredded carrots, shredded cabbage, green onions, sliced almonds, fresh cilantro, etc.

Instructions

1. Place chicken, onions, and garlic in a slow cooker.
2. In a small bowl, combine pineapple, coconut aminos, lime juice, ground ginger, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir to mix, and then add to slow cooker.
3. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred with two forks.
4. Return chicken to slow cooker, stir to mix all ingredients, and set the temperature to warm (or low) until ready to serve.
5. Assemble Swiss chard wraps with desired ingredients.

Instant Pot Directions:

1. Select ‘Saute’ function. Add 1 Tbsp. fat of choice (we like ghee or coconut oil). When fat is melted, add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes until onions start to soften.
2. Add remaining ingredients (chicken through black pepper). Press ‘Cancel’ button and lock lid in place. Flip vent valve to ‘Sealing’ position.
3. Select ‘Poultry’ setting (15 minutes; add 2-3 minutes if breasts are thick) When cooking time is up, manually release pressure and carefully remove the lid. Shred chicken with two forks and serve as desired. Updated: For High Altitude, allow for 5 minutes of natural release before flipping the valve to ‘Venting’ position.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
• Calories: 190
• Sugar: 7 g
• Sodium: 400 mg
• Fat: 5 g
• Carbohydrates: 10 g
• Fiber: 1 g
• Protein: 24 g

Give this Slow Cooker Hawaiian Shredded Chicken a try and comment below what you think and also let us know if you slow cook your way through Spring and Summer?

Pin now to enjoy later.

Photo Credit: The photos in this blog post were taken by Jess of Plays Well with Butter. 

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About Stacie Hassing

Stacie is a Licensed and Registered Dietitian from rural southern Minnesota where she and her husband reside on 5 acres with their two pups, Walter & Lucy. She’s a creator of simple and wholesome recipes, a lover of nature, a crossfitter, a seasonal runner, and she’s on a mission to inspire as many as she can live a healthier and happier life from the inside out.