If You Give a Kid a Crockpot: Crockpot Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken

Over the next several weeks, we'll be bringing you recipes for beginning cooks designed to teach basic cooking skills. So be on the lookout for all the recipes in the series. Today's recipe is part of the Cooking Challenge series.

Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken in the crockpot is the perfect "set it and forget it meal." It's sweet and savory and makes the perfect busy weeknight meal when served with rice and a side of steamed broccoli or on Hawaiian buns as sliders.

Crockpot Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 Tbsp sesame oil

1/4 cup brown sugar

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 Tbsp salt

1/2 Tbsp pepper

1 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)

20 oz can pineapple chunks, drained with juice reserved for sauce

1 Tbsp cornstarch

2 Tbsp cold water

Garnishes (optional)

sesame seeds

green onions, chopped

1. In a small bowl, whisk together, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes (if using), and 3 Tbsp of reserved pineapple juice. 
2. Place chicken in crockpot and evenly pour the sauce over top.
3. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or on high for 2.5-3 hours, until chicken is tender and easily shredded.
4. During the last 30 minutes of cooking, in a small bowl, whisk together 1 Tbsp cornstarch and 2 Tbsp cold water to make a slurry. 
5. Stir cornstarch slurry into sauce along with drained pineapple chunks.
6. Turn the crockpot to high and cook 15-30 minutes until sauce is thickened.
7. Shred the chicken and stir back into sauce. Serve over rice or on slider buns.

You Can Get with This or You Can Get with That (Recipe Substitutions):

• Substitute boneless chicken thighs for the boneless chicken breasts.
• Substitute apple cider vinegar for rice vinegar.
• Substitute olive oil for the sesame oil. 
• Substitute garlic powder or jarred minced garlic for fresh minced garlic.

This Is How We Do It (Kitchen Skills You'll Learn in This Recipe):

• Chopping vegetables
• Measuring ingredients
• Reading and following a recipe
• Setting a timer
• Shredding chicken
• Using a crockpot

If You Give a Kid a Cooking Challenge

This recipe is part of the three-part If You Give a Kid a Cooking Challenge recipe series. These recipes are designed to: 

• be easier to make
• have a minimal number of ingredients (minus pantry staples like oil and spices)
• be quick to prep 
• make enough for one person to have leftovers for a few days