If you’re looking for an easy dinner that the whole family will enjoy, you’ll love these Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken Bowls. They taste so good, you might even want to hula dance while you clean up the table after dinner. With Instant Pot chicken recipes like this one, you’ll never get bored with chicken!
I think it’s time to face the fact that I have a secret love affair with rice. Not only is it an inexpensive way to add volume to a meal (essential when you’re feeding teenage boys!), but it also works well with so many different flavors.
For this recipe though, I decided to pay homage to the flavors that traditionally pair well with rice. If you want to bring a little bit of paradise to your dinner table, these Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken Bowls should do the trick.
How to Make Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken Bowls
One of the reasons I share so many Instant Pot recipes is because they make getting dinner on the table every night so easy! You only dirty one pot and you don’t have to babysit your food while it cooks.
These Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken Bowls are one of my easiest Instant Pot recipes. Aside from browning the chicken, it’s pretty much a dump meal!
Step 1 – Sear the Chicken
First, set your Instant Pot to sauté, add two tablespoons of oil and let it heat up. Once the oil is hot, add the boneless chicken thighs and sear them for 2-3 minutes.
Step 2 – Add Sauce Ingredients
Next, you’ll add pineapple juice, ginger and tomato paste to the chicken and cook until bubbly.
Then, add the chopped pineapple and uncooked long-grain white rice and turn off the Instant Pot. Add the broth.
Step 3 – Pressure Cook
Secure the lid on the Instant Pot, select “Manual” and set the time for 10 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally. Your Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken Bowls are ready to serve!
Top with some sliced green onions for color and to a small punch of extra flavor.
Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken Bowls Recipe
Ready to make these Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken Bowls? Here’s the recipe card with the exact measurements.
If you like pineapple, you will love these Hawaiian chicken bowls!
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 4 chicken thighs chopped and deboned
- 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 1/2 cup chopped pineapple
- 1/2 Tablespoon ginger minced
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups chicken broth or water
- Green onions optional garnish
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Select the saute setting on your instant pot and add the olive oil.
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Sear the chicken for 2-3 minutes.
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Add the pineapple juice, ginger and tomato paste to the Instant Pot.
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Allow to cook until bubbly, then stir in the pineapple and rice. Turn off the IP.
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Add the broth and secure the lid.
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Select the manual pressure setting and set the timer to 10 minutes. Natural release.
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Garnish with chopped green onions.
Several readers have complained about the dish turning out too bland. One reader recommended adding 1/8 tsp allspice, 1 tsp fish sauce and 1 tsp hot sauce. The same reader also added 1/2 cup of shredded coconut before pressure cooking. If you want to bump up the flavor, give these additions a try!
Weight Watchers Freestyle = 9 Points Per Serving for 4 Servings if you use chicken breast
More Rice Bowl Recipes
Do you love to cook with rice? If you liked these Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken Bowls, you might enjoy some of my other rice bowl recipes.
Instant Pot Thai Chicken Rice Bowls
Instant Pot Chicken Taco Bowls
More Instant Pot Resources
Love your Instant Pot? Find more Instant Pot Recipes here. And check out my favorite Instant Pot Hacks.
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Colleen says
Loved this recipe but it is missing something… I can’t put my finger on it…! I did add the All Spice and shredded coconut. I also used crushed pineapple (they didn’t have pineapple chunks). I think this actually made the flavor more consistent. I did also double the ginger and that definitely added some nice light flavor!
Thank you for this! We will definitely be experimenting more with it!!
Corinne Schmitt says
Thanks so much for your feedback Colleen!
Christie says
Hi! Just tried this and it’s a great recipe except my rice came out very mushy. Would a quick release help fix this? I did a natural release and it took over 20 minutes so I’m assuming a quicker release would cut down on the mushiness?
Sandra says
This recipe came out excellent. I made a few adaptions. I first sauteed 1/2 vidalia onion, red pepper, and 2 andouille sausage links. Added a TBS of minced garlic after onions were translucent. I used chicken broth. A small tin of pineapple chunks which might be 1/2 cup. I seasoned the chicken with garlic powder and black pepper. I used 1.5 cups of Jasmine rice. I added the sausage because I like a little bit of heat with the sweet.
Sarah J Kaka says
The step-by-step area of the recipe says tomato paste, but the recipe says tomato sauce–I didn’t see the discrepancy until after I had already purchased the sauce, and started prepping the dish. Which is it, for future reference?
Corinne Schmitt says
Hi Sarah, thanks for pointing out the discrepancy. It should be tomato paste. Updating the recipe card now to clear up the conflict.
Kristin says
Just made this tonight! First instant pot meal to not have leftovers, even though I doubled the recipe!
To combat the blandness mentioned, cooked the chicken in some teriyaki sauce and salt and pepper, then followed the rest of the recipe as is. So delicious! Will definitely be making this one a LOT.
Jennifer Goetz says
Made this to delicious results with a few changes: The amount of liquid surprised me so I only used 1 3/4 C broth and it was a perfect consistency. I also noticed the comments calling it ‘bland’ so I added about 1/8 tsp allspice, 1 tsp fish sauce and 1 tsp hot sauce. I also borrowed from another Hawaiian rice recipe I love by adding a half cup of shredded coconut before cooking. Thanks for the recipe!
Corinne Schmitt says
Thanks so much for sharing your adaptation of the recipe! I’m going to add some of your suggestions to the Notes section of the recipe card for the benefit of other readers. I really appreciate the feedback!
Annette Ellis says
I cannot eat rice (or pasta), is there a reasonable substitution? Thanks in advance for any help you can be!
Corinne Schmitt says
Couscous or quick-cooking quinoa would probably be your best bet. You might need to add extra water though (I would add an extra cup).
Don says
Rice was mushy bland flavor next time will do quick release still a keeper with tweaking (didn’t throw away )
Corinne Schmitt says
Thanks for the feedback Don. I’ll add your quick release recommendation as a note in the recipe.
christina parsons says
hello! do you think you can double this recipe and others? We are looking to batch cook. Just discovered your site – love your easy one pot recipes.
Corinne Schmitt says
Hi Christina, thanks for your kind words! In response to your question, I often double the recipes since I have 2 teenage boys who never seem to have enough to eat! Generally, the pot will take longer to come to pressure but you shouldn’t have to adjust the cooking time setting. Just make sure you don’t overfill your pot. When I’m cooking for my own family and doubling the recipe, I use my 8-quart. I love the idea of batch cooking but haven’t tried it yet. Do you have a favorite resource for getting started?
christina parsons says
thank you so much. I only have a 6quart but will see how much I can fill it up! I don’t have any resources for batch cooking – I tend to just double or triple some recipes and freeze leftovers!
Anna says
Can you use tinned pineapple?
Corinne Schmitt says
Hi Anna, yes – the pineapple pieces I use are from a can.
Ladylani says
Tried with chicken breast (forgot to buy thighs). Turned out bland and mushy. This was only my 2nd time cooking with the IP. Not sure if its size (8qt) is affecting results. Also surprised how long it takes for natural pressure release (more than 20 minutes). Hope 8m not doing something wrong.
Mandy says
I used chicken breasts and seared them for a minute longer. Everything came out cooked but it tasted very bland. Not enough flavor for me.
Corinne Schmitt says
Hi Mandy, thanks for the feedback. Depending on what type of flavor you like best, you can always kick up the flavor by stirring in sweet and sour sauce or teriyaki after you’re done cooking but before serving. If you mix it in when the rice is still in the pot, it should warm through enough. If you like it with a little more kick, you could double the ginger before cooking. Hope this helps if you end up making it again!
Nicole says
Can I use chicken breasts and will it take the same amount of time?
Corinne Schmitt says
Yes, you can use breasts instead of thighs. Make sure you cut the breasts into smaller pieces though so they cook all the way through in 10 minutes.
Rachel says
If I have frozen chicken and brown rice could I still make this work?
Corinne Schmitt says
Possibly. The frozen thighs and brown rice would both need to cook longer so I’d change the time to 22 minutes and still use a natural release. The only drawback might be that the pineapple will be a little mushy being cooked that long.
Rachel says
I went ahead and thawed my chicken thighs but I did use brown jasmine rice. I cooked it for 20 minutes and did the 10-minute natural release. It tasted so good!! Is yours very brothy? The bowl in the picture doesn’t look like it. I thought 4 cups of liquid seemed like a lot. It was really tasty though. I absolutely loved it! I well definitely be making again! Thanks!
Johanna Murphy says
Any type of rice work with this?
Corinne Schmitt says
Hi Johanna, any long-grain white rice. I’ll add that to the recipe too. Thanks for asking.