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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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.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 10 mins
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Cuisine: Whole30, Grain-free, Paleo
Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
- ½ lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs
- ½ small onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, slightly drained
- ⅓ cup coconut aminos*
- 1 lime, juiced
- ½ tsp. ground ginger
- ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp. sea salt
- ¼ 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
- Place chicken, onions, and garlic in a slow cooker.
- 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.
- Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred with two forks.
- Return chicken to slow cooker, stir to mix all ingredients, and set the temperature to warm (or low) until ready to serve.
- Assemble Swiss chard wraps with desired ingredients.
Instant Pot Directions:
- 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.
- Add remaining ingredients (chicken through black pepper). Press ‘Cancel’ button and lock lid in place. Flip vent valve to ‘Sealing’ position.
- Cook at High Pressure for 12 minutes, adding 2 minutes if breasts are really thick or they’re frozen into a block. 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.
Notes
*May substitute 3 Tbsp. gluten-free tamari or soy sauce + 2 Tbsp. water for the coconut aminos if you don’t need this to be Whole30-friendly.
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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heidi says
Do you have a post discussing coconut aminos? If not, are you willing to share more about them and why we might want to include them in the diet? Or a suggestion for possible substitution? Thanks!
Stacie Hassing says
Hi Heidi, we do not have a post discussing coconut aminos at this time. My guess is that a quick Dr. google search will help you discover loads of information on coconut aminos 🙂 We like coconut aminos because it’s soy-free, Whole30-friendly, very clean and much much lower in sodium when compared to soy sauce or tamari sauce. We use coconut aminos in several of our recipes. Hope this helps!
Melanie says
Hello! I am sensitive to pineapple so can you suggest a substitution? Could I use mandarin oranges? Thank you for posting so many fabulous recipes and helpful information.
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Melanie,
We haven’t tested the recipe with mandarin oranges though they seem like they’d be a fine substitute. You’re really just looking for something to add a little sweetness and acidity (which helps tenderize the meat). If you try it with oranges we’d LOVE to hear how it turns out.
Melanie says
Good morning,
I substituted the Mandarin oranges for the pineapple and thought that it still needed a touch of sweetness (after cooking) so I added 2 tablespoons of raw honey. I didn’t have swiss chard so I used a coconut wrap and added spinach and avocado and it was just perfect. I am counting the hours until lunch…
Once again, thank you for creating and sharing such fabulous recipes and for helping me have a little more fun in the kitchen!
Jessica Beacom says
Hey Melanie,
Thanks for the feedback! I’m so happy to hear you found a dish you loved that meets your dietary restriction and that you’re eating well and enjoying your time in the kitchen. Guess our job is done here! 😉
Vivian says
Tried this tonight! It was excellent. Very filling! Thanks
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Vivian,
So glad you loved it – it is a very satisfying meal and so simple to make. Thanks for taking the time to stop by and share your experience.
Heather says
I am really excited to try this! I am having trouble finding coconut aminos. Can this recipe be made without them?
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Heather,
You really do need them to add that salty/umami flavor however, if you can find them locally and you tolerate soy, then you could replace them with gluten-free tamari sauce (using about 1/2 of the amount called for in the recipe + a few extra tablespoons of juice from the canned pineapple to get that salty/umami taste).
Katie says
Hello! I plan on making this tonight but also was unable to find coconut aminos. If I substitute with soy sauce how much should I use? Thank you!
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Katie,
Sorry for the late reply. I believe I made a suggestion in a previous comment about subbing soy sauce or tamari for the coconut aminos – hopefully you caught that. Otherwise, I find that if you’re using soy or tamari (wheat-free soy sauce) that you’ll want to use roughly HALF of the amount of coconut aminos called for in the recipe to account for the saltiness of the soy or tamari.
So in this recipe, you’d want to use roughly 3 1/2 Tbsp. soy or tamari sauce + a little extra juice from the canned pineapple to make up for the natural sweetness of the coconut aminos.
Jess says
This was so delicious! Another winner from you guys!
★★★★★
Stacie Hassing says
SO great to hear! Thanks for the feedback 🙂
Tarmy says
I made this tonight and it’s going on our dinner rotation! So delicious and easy to customize!
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
That’s great! It’s a favorite at our house too. We often use it to make ‘stir-fry bowls’ with cauliflower rice (rice for the kids) then top it with stir-fried veggies, nuts or seeds then a drizzle of our Teriyaki Sauce (which you can find the recipe for here: https://therealfoodrds.com/one-pan-teriyaki-chicken-veggie-bake/)
Elizabeth Hogan says
Stopping by to say this is AMAZING. Tried it during a Whole 30, and the whole family approved. I also shared it on facebook and friends tried and loved it. (We used the InstantPot as a slow cooker…sometime I’ll try to quick pressure cook it though.)
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Elizabeth,
Thanks for taking the time to stop in and share your experience with this recipe. We’re so happy you loved it and thanks for sharing the love with your friends, too! I recently did mine under pressure and it took 15 minutes + natural pressure release.
MEL says
I”d love to try this recipe but it’s virtually impossible to buy chicken thighs where I live (in Switzerland). Would it be too dry to use breast only or is there some other suggestion?
TIA
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Mel,
You can use chicken breasts with great results. We tend to use a mix of breasts and thighs because thighs are tough to overcook and they’re less expensive than breasts here in the U.S. But that said, all breasts works great too. Just keep an eye on them so they don’t overcook since all slow cookers run a little differently (some are hotter than others!) I hope that helps!
Beata says
This recipe came out delish…Chicken was very tender…I used 4 large chicken breasts and doubled all of the other ingredients…. with the exception of coconut aminos….I only used 1/2 cup…. I also put jalapeno pepper in there for an extra kick… and it came out absolutely wonderful. Great recipe!
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
Thanks for sharing, Beata! Love the addition of the jalapeño pepper!
Trina Mitchell says
What can be used to substituted for the Coconut aminos??
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Trina,
If you don’t need them to be Whole30-compliant you can use Tamari sauce or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (wheat-free versions of soy sauce). If soy isn’t an issue, then I’d suggest using a low-sodium soy sauce if that’s what you have on hand or have access to at your local market.
Kym says
Have you tried boiling or steaming the chard before wrapping? Does the raw chard hold up?
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Kym,
You can do it either way – use the chard leaves raw (which soften a bit when you add the hot chicken) or lightly steam and cool them. As long as you cut the center ‘rib’ from the leaf it will fold up nicely – unless it’s really thick – then I allow the meat to sit on the leaf for a minute then roll them up.
Sharon says
Hello, love your recipes! I was just wondering about the Hawaiian shredded chicken recipe! Im allergic to pineapple! Not sure what to use instead????
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Sharon,
I’ve not tried this recipe without the pineapple so I can’t confidently give you a substitution for it. Perhaps our Instant Pot Shredded Chicken prepared with chicken broth mixed with a little coconut aminos would be a better fit (you could even make it in the slow cooker – just cook on low heat for 5-6 hours).
Amy says
I’ve got this in the crockpot now! It smells delicious. I was wondering how big a serving is. I see you indicated 6 servings, but I was curious of the grams or ounces. Thanks!
Stacie Hassing says
Hi there! We haven’t actually weighed the ingredients/servings out in ounces so I would suggest simply dividing the recipe into 6 equal servings. Sorry if that’s not the answer you were looking for. I hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
Cassie says
Hi there! Cooking this tonight.. just curious what you are using for a dipping sauce (in picture)
Jessica Beacom says
Hi!
That’s coconut aminos in the picture that we’re using for a dipping sauce.
Autumn says
Hi Stacie!
This looks delicious. Where did you find your pineapple chunks to be Whole30 compliant (& the brand)? Also, what brand of coconut aminos do you use?
★★★★★
Stacie Hassing says
Just look for pineapple in it’s own juice. Several brands offer that. I use Coconut Secret.
Jenny says
My friend made this. SOOOO good! And the pineapple doesn’t overwhelm the recipe. I’ll be making this.
★★★★★
Brynn says
This looks delicious. But what is the dipping sauce that’s in the picture? Am I missing it on the recipe?
Jessica Beacom says
Thanks, Brynn. The ‘dipping sauce’ is just a side of coconut aminos.
Barbara says
Can this be done in an instant pot and if so could you provide instructions for converting it?
Barbara says
I apologize. I just found the instant pot conversion. LOL I just had not scrolled far enough. Making it now.
Nadine says
Hi, i’m not a fan of coconut anything. Can i substitute Bragg amino acids?
Jessica Beacom says
You sure can but you’ll want to use slightly less of the Bragg’s than you would the coconut aminos because they’re much saltier (you can make up the difference with some water).
Dawn says
This is so delicious. Perfect for a hot summer day. Even my picky granddaughter ate 2. I will definitely be making this again.
holly says
Do you think this recipe would work with a pork tenderloin?
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Holly,
I haven’t tried it with a pork tenderloin but I imagine it would work fine (though it MAY need slightly more cooking time if the loin is larger, i.e. much thicker than a chicken breast)
Allie says
Wow!! This is so easy and incredibly good. I picked this recipe because my husband loves pineapple, but I think I loved it even more than he did. Will definitely be making this again!
★★★★★
Renee Scott says
Can you substitute pork for the chicken?
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Renee,
Yes, you can. You may need to cook it a little longer though, especially if you plan to use a pork shoulder, to allow more time for it to become tender.
Laura says
My instapot chicken always comes out over cooked and rubbery. I followed this recipe exact and it was still overcooked and inedible. Are there suggestions so that doesn’t happen? Every recipe I follow, it’s the same. It’s really disappointing because I’ve now gotten to the point where I don’t want to use it at all 🙁
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Laura,
It sounds like you may need to try using less cooking time next time. Even though the Instant Pot is pretty standard from model to model, we’ve found that slight differences do exist such as some running hotter than others (like slow cookers tend to do) and altitude can make a difference too (you need to add more cooking time the higher up you get from sea level).
Perhaps reduce the cooking time by 20% and use manual release as soon as the cooking time is up and see if the chicken is done to your liking. If not, replace the lid, flip the value to the sealing position then add a couple more minutes of cooking time. The Instant Pot will come up to pressure pretty quickly this second time around since everything in the pot is still hot.
Amy Price says
Made this in my slow cooker using all chicken breasts (all I had in the house), low sodium soy sauce (reduced to half the volume of the coconut aminos in the recipe as written) and included all of the juice from the canned pineapple. Cooked on low heat for just 2.5 hours to avoid overcooking the chicken breast (my slow cooker runs HOT) and it was perfect. I seriously can’t believe how good this is. Most of the time if I make slow cooker white meat chicken it turns out to be something I feel virtuous about eating, but it doesn’t exactly make me look forward to dinner if you know what I mean. I love your website for healthy recipes that I can make happen even on a busy weekday that are also delicious! Thank you!
Jessica Beacom says
Thanks for sharing how you made this, Amy – especially the part about using half as much soy sauce as coconut aminos (since they’re so much saltier) and making up for the difference in liquid volume by using all of the juice from the pineapple.
And I can totally relate to what you say about not always loving chicken breasts (because they’re usually so dry!).
Autumn says
This recipe is colorful and nutrient dense, will be trying soon.
Stacie Hassing says
Enjoy!! 🙂
Sarah says
And whatnos the sauce you are serving with on the side in your photo? You left that out!
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Sarah,
The sauce is just a bowl of coconut aminos.
Veronica L @ Sharktank says
I fell in love with this dish from the very first bite, it was a delightfully flavorful experience that had you wanting more with each bite you took and since it’s paleo diet friendly you can dig in without a care in the world. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
★★★★★
Brooke says
What about the yummy sauce?
Stacie Hassing says
Hi! It’s included in the recipe. 👍🏻
Jennifer says
This is a fantastic weekday dinner! Super-easy to toss with cabbage and avocado, in lettuce wrap for me and tortillas for my boys. So much flavor! This is now a staple for us!
Stacie Hassing says
Love hearing this. Thanks for commenting and sharing that this recipe is a winner for you and your family!
Tonya says
Salty!!!!!!!!! Couldn’t taste the full flavor because of all the salt.
★★
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Tonya,
I’m sorry to hear you found this recipe too salty for your taste. Did you use coconut aminos, tamari or soy sauce?
Nick says
What should be the time if doubling the recipe?
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Nick,
You shouldn’t need to increase the cooking time if you’re just doubling it (at least I haven’t and I always make a double batch).
Shelly says
What is the dipping sauce?
Jessica Beacom says
It’s just some extra coconut aminos with red pepper flakes.
Kim says
What do you dip these in? They look delicious!
Jessica Beacom says
They’re shown with a side of coconut aminos.
Pamela says
I made this last night and my entire family LOVED this recipe. Even my man as he is a big carb guy and he didn’t complain about not having more to eat or still being hungry. The ingredients complement one another perfectly. This is now bookmarked and will be a recurring recipe! Thank you!