Get this flavour-packed chicken dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes. Hawaiian Chicken is a retro recipe that delivers a satisfying meal today!
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Aussies love chicken – Hawaiian-style
Aussies have always enjoyed Hawaii as a holiday destination, and I remember it being a particularly popular destination in the 80s and early 90s. We loved our Hawaii-themed parties, too – with plenty of florals, sarongs, hula skirts, leis and pineapple decorations.
In the kitchen, we created Aussie-style "Hawaiian" chicken. If you couldn't afford a trip to Hawaii or weren't invited to a Hawaiian-themed party, your tastebuds could go on a tropical adventure instead! And it could all be prepared with basic ingredients in less than half an hour.
I've based this Hawaiian chicken recipe on a couple of recipes I found in community cookbooks from this era.
Ingredient notes
To make this chicken dinner, you'll need:
- chicken tenderloins (or your preferred cut of chicken)
- pineapple pieces, tinned (in juice or syrup – use syrup if you want the dish to be sweeter)
- celery, onion and capsicum (red or green)
- tomato sauce and soy sauce
- cornflour
- olive oil
- salt and pepper.
Keep scrolling to the recipe card at the end of this post for ingredient quantities.
How to make Hawaiian Chicken
Start by slicing the celery, onion and capsicum. Fry over medium heat for 2-3 minutes in oil (see image 1). Remove from the frying pan and set aside.
Strain the syrup or juice from pineapple pieces. Add the pineapple pieces to celery, onion and capsicum that has been set aside.
Place the juice in a bowl along with the tomato sauce and soy sauce. Add a few tablespoons of the juice and sauce mix to the cornflour to make a paste. Set aside.
Cook chicken in the frying pan until browned on either side and almost cooked through (see image 2). Return the vegetables and pineapple to the frying pan along with the juice and sauce mix (see image 3). Pour the cornflour paste into the pan and stir over medium heat until mixture starts to thicken.
Simmer for a few minutes (see image 4). Add a little salt and pepper.
Serving and storage
Serve immediately with some fluffy boiled rice!
While it is best served immediately, you can refrigerate for up to 2 days. Just make sure you reheat thoroughly before serving.
You can also freeze this chicken dish in an airtight container. Defrost in the fridge overnight and, again, remember to reheat thoroughly before serving.
More chicken dinners
If you like this recipe, you might like these ones too:
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Hawaiian Chicken Recipe Recipe
Equipment
- large frying pan
Ingredients
- 500 grams chicken tenderloins
- 430 grams pineapple pieces, tinned (in juice or syrup)
- 3 stalks celery
- 1 medium onion
- ½ capsicum (red or green)
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons cornflour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Slice celery, onion and capsicum. Fry over medium heat for 2-3 minutes in oil. Remove from frying pan and set aside.
- Strain syrup or juice from pineapple pieces. Add pineapple pieces to celery, onion and capsicum that has been set aside. Place the juice in a bowl along with tomato sauce and soy sauce.
- Add a few tablespoons of the juice and sauce mix to the cornflour to make a paste. Set aside.
- Cook chicken in frying pan until browned on either side and almost cooked through.
- Return the vegetables and pineapple to the frying pan along with the juice and sauce mix. Pour cornflour paste into the pan and stir over medium heat until mixture starts to thicken. Simmer for a few minutes. Add a little salt and pepper before serving with rice.
Notes
- yes, you could use chicken breast or thighs instead of tenderloins
- use pineapple pieces in syrup if you want the dish to be sweeter.
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