Ready in under an hour, baked pineapple teriyaki chicken is a quick dinner recipe for busy nights. The thick and delicious homemade teriyaki sauce adds tons of fresh, bold flavor—and you control the ingredients, sodium, and spice. Serve with rice or quinoa and vegetables for a wholesome meal.
I originally published this recipe in 2015 and have since added new photos, helpful success tips, and a couple small tweaks to ensure a thicker teriyaki sauce.
If you’ve ever made my honey garlic shrimp, you know that dinners can be quick, healthy, and flavorful. Today’s baked pineapple teriyaki chicken is bursting with flavor and makes excellent leftovers. I encourage you to add this easy meal to your weeknight recipe rotation!
Why You’ll Love This Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Recipe
- Simple to prepare
- Completely from scratch, so you control the ingredients
- Healthy and wholesome
- Ready in under an hour
- Makes great leftovers (and freezes well, too)
- Customizable to your taste preferences
- Packed with protein
One reader, Lisa, commented: “…You really scored a touchdown with this one. The chicken and the pineapple absorb all of the flavor from the teriyaki sauce beautifully. I had to sop up all the remaining sauce because I didn’t want any of it to go to waste. Definitely a recipe to do again and again!!!! ★★★★★“
One reader, Frida, commented: “…I made it last night and instantaneously became a staple in my house. I’ll substitute soy sauce with tamari next time to make it gluten free, and use chicken drumsticks which are a personal preference. This sauce is out of this world!!! ★★★★★“
One reader, Michelle, commented: “This was really easy and tasty! I added a chopped red bell pepper into the baking dish and used partially thawed, frozen pineapple chunks. We all loved it and my 7 year old even asked to add it to his favorites list—high praise!! ★★★★★“
Favorite Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
This is my very favorite homemade teriyaki sauce made with real ingredients you can pronounce. It is similar to the sauce in this honey teriyaki chicken (we use more honey in that recipe). It’s incredibly versatile and delicious on cooked salmon or stir-fry veggies, too.
We’ll use brown sugar and honey to sweeten the sauce. Not much of either, just enough to balance the soy sauce and bring a sweet profile to the sauce as a whole. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and salty, and you know exactly what’s in it.
If you enjoy trying homemade sauces, try the garlic pan sauce from this creamy garlic chicken and vegetables dish. (Unbelievable!)
Ingredients You Need:
- Chicken: I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead, or even bone-in chicken thighs, drumsticks, or wings.
- Pineapple: Fresh, canned, or frozen—use whatever form of pineapple you’d like!
- Cornstarch: This is what thickens the sauce; I do not recommend skipping it. Dissolve it in a little water first before adding it to the pot.
- Brown Sugar & Honey: For sweetness.
- Soy Sauce: You can use reduced-sodium or regular soy sauce here. You could also use tamari instead, for a gluten-free option.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: This balances the flavors in the sauce. You can use rice wine vinegar instead if needed.
- Garlic: You need 1 clove, minced, for flavor. If you love garlic, feel free to add more!
- Ginger: You can use dried ground ginger or minced/grated fresh ginger, whatever you prefer/have on hand. I usually use fresh. Just make sure to adjust the amount accordingly. 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger = 2 Tablespoons fresh minced ginger.
- Pepper: Freshly ground black pepper, like the ginger, adds just the right amount of spice, without making the sauce spicy.
Overview: How to Make Baked Teriyaki Chicken
Make the sauce. Cook the sauce ingredients together on the stovetop. Let it boil for a couple minutes to thicken the sauce. The consistency should be slightly thicker than maple syrup, or thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. I slightly increased the amount of time it boils in the recipe, to ensure a thicker sauce.
Pour the sauce over the chicken. Pat the chicken dry, and arrange it and the pineapple in a greased baking dish. Pour all of the teriyaki sauce on top.
Bake. Bake until the chicken is completely cooked through. During this time, prepare any sides you want to serve alongside. Rice and broccoli are my favorite pairings.
Right before it’s finished baking, I remove the pan from the oven and cut the chicken into smaller pieces. This is completely optional. Here’s the dish before cutting the pieces of chicken:
Serve. Garnish with a sprinkle of scallions/green onions and sesame seeds, if desired. These are the same garnishes I always add to another similarly flavored dish: slow cooker honey teriyaki chicken. (That one is always a hit!)
Are you looking for a traditional Japanese-style teriyaki sauce? I’ve made and loved Nami’s homemade teriyaki sauce.
Yes, absolutely. If you want regular baked chicken teriyaki, skip the pineapple altogether. You could even replace it with 1 cup sliced red bell pepper (about 1 pepper).
You can, and I recommend salmon. The bake time will be slightly shorter, until the fish is completely cooked through.
I recommend baking this teriyaki chicken uncovered.
More Favorite Dinner Recipes
- Baked Chicken Meatballs
- Maple Sesame Salmon
- Honey Garlic Shrimp
- Slow Cooker BBQ Meatballs
- Citrus Chicken Quinoa Salad
- Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Lemon Thyme Chicken
Baked Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Ready in under an hour, baked pineapple teriyaki chicken is a quick dinner recipe for busy nights. The thick and delicious homemade teriyaki sauce adds tons of fresh, bold flavor—and you control the ingredients, sodium, and spice. Serve with rice or quinoa and vegetables for a wholesome meal.
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon room-temperature water
- 1/4 cup (50g) light or dark brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (43g) honey
- 1/2 cup (120ml) soy sauce
- 1/4 cup (60ml) apple cider vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 Tablespoons minced fresh ginger (or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger)
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts (about 2 lbs. total)
- 1 cup (175–190g) fresh or canned pineapple chunks*
- optional: chopped scallion/green onion and sesame seeds, for garnish
Instructions
- Use a fork to whisk the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl. It will be a thick, milky liquid. Combine the cornstarch mixture, brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and pepper in a small saucepan over low heat. Whisking occasionally, bring to a boil. Once boiling, stop whisking and allow to boil for 2 minutes, or until the sauce coats the back of a spoon and is the consistency of maple syrup. Turn off the heat and set aside for at least 10 minutes, allowing it to cool and thicken.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Lightly grease a 2–3-quart baking dish, such as a 10-inch baking pan, 11×7-inch baking pan, shallow 9×13-inch pan, or 10-inch cast iron skillet. In the photos, I used this exact pan. Set aside.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Arrange in the prepared pan. Add the pineapples on top and all around the chicken. Pour sauce on top, then turn the chicken over to make sure every inch is coated in the sauce. Use a basting/pastry brush if needed.
- Bake uncovered for 30–32 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked through (internal temperature should be at least 165°F (74°C)). This is optional: at the 25-minute mark, remove from the oven and carefully slice the chicken into chunks, then return to the oven. The smaller the chicken pieces, the more sauce they’ll soak up. You can also cut up the chicken prior to cooking.
- Sprinkle green onion and sesame seeds on top and serve the chicken and pineapple with sauce from the pan poured on top. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: The teriyaki sauce, prepared in step 1, can be made 1 day in advance and stored in the refrigerator. You can even prepare the dish and chicken through step 3, cover the pan tightly, and keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. Bring to room temperature, and then bake as directed.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Saucepan | Casserole Dish (any similar size will work; I used this pan in photos) | Pastry Brush
- For a rounded out meal, serve with broccoli, rice, quinoa, baked sweet potatoes, or anything to soak up the delicious teriyaki sauce.
- Pineapple: You can use fresh, canned (drained), or even frozen pineapple. If using frozen, thaw and pat dry first. You can also skip the pineapple altogether if desired, or replace with 1 cup sliced red bell pepper.
- Slight updates in 2025: I increased the sauce’s boiling time from 1 minute to 2 minutes to allow for a thicker sauce. You will also pat the chicken dry, which helps the sauce coat it easier.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 chicken breast and 1/4 cup pineapple
- Calories: 399
- Sugar: 34.9 g
- Sodium: 598.8 mg
- Fat: 5.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 39.5 g
- Protein: 46.4 g
- Cholesterol: 144.8 mg
Reader Comments and Reviews
This is the best teriyaki I have tried. Normally, I will refuse teriyaki. I DO NOT like it. This was a different story. I did not add the pineapple, but made double the sauce and threw in a TON of broccoli and other yummies. So good, I am making it again tonight.
Good call on double the delicious teriyaki sauce! Thanks so much for repotting back Beth.
I made this last night, I don’t think I could ever go back to store bought teriyaki sauce again! I couldn’t believe how simple and delicious this was. I regret not making it sooner. Do you think I could safely double the sauce ingredients? how long do you think it would keep in the fridge?
Doubling the sauce works perfectly. I’ve done it for larger batches. I’d say cup to 6-7 days in the fridge is fine.
We made this recipe as a new tradition of choosing new recipes each week to get our family out of a food rut and I am so happy that I found this recipe!
I will be making this again for sure!
Love this recipe! This will most likely be my lunch tomorrow. Quick question though, can I use apple cider vinegar?
Yep, absolutely.
I love this recipe. even my picky husband ate every bite! I made a few small changes including onions and peppers and cut my chicken into bite size pieces before pouring the teriyaki sauce on top. I had to finish it on the stove to thicken up the sauce. I will definitely be making this again! it was so easy.
I made this for dinner tonight for the first time and it was wonderful! Super easy to make and it was delicious. I will be eating this and your chicken chili every night
This was great – thanks! Super easy and delicious. Made it exactly as written, slicing at the 25 minute mark. I was a little worried it would be dry as I have trouble baking chicken breast but it wasn’t at all. My six year old claimed it was the best thing he had ever eaten 🙂
Absolutely delicious. My partner and I really enjoyed our meal. Thank you for sharing your recipe with us
I tell everyone you CAN’T go wrong with Sally’s recipes!! This dish came out delicious!! The teriyaki sauce is perfect, not too sweet. I made it with sticky rice and some roasted broccoli and green beans. I only wish I added more chicken (I only used 2 breasts) because we don’t have any leftovers!! LOL
Thank you again Sally!!
I made this for dinner and it was so good! I had lots of leftover sauce so I think next time I will serve it on top of rice. I think the sauce would be great with rice! Thanks for the yummy recipe!
Hey Sally! Can I substitute white vinegar for cider vinegar? Thanks 🙂
That works!
Made this for dinner tonight along side some steamed carrots and rice and it was a huge success! I usually don’t make savory foods, so my dad was a little skeptical when I told him I wanted to make dinner, but he absolutely loved it! He said it was the be teriyaki sauce he’s EVER had! Thanks for this delicious recipe!
Hey Sally! I am loving your meal recipes so much! I just made this tonight and cut up the chicken before hand and I think I made the sauce correctly. It smelled delicious while cooking and tasted great too. Anyway, I cooked it the entire 30 minutes and when I took it out, it ended up being really watery and not the thick sauce. Insert weeping face emoji here. The chicken still tastes good though! Do you have any idea what might have gone wrong? I am still working on my cooking skills, so I’m sure it’s my fault. Just trying to fix what I did wrong for next time! Thanks!
It will be thin from the juices of the chicken cooking– totally normal! Will thicken as it cools. And will be super thick if there are any leftovers.
Bless you Sally! You totally deserve a blogger award of some sort. Well many blogger awards and one of them would be for best at responding to reader’s comments! The chicken turned out perfectly and there are leftovers. Thank you thank thank you for everything!
Made this for supper tonight and it was absolutely delish! I’m always looking for healthy and simple weeknight fixes, and this was a perfect meal that satisfies without undoing a gym session! It came together very quickly without standing over the stove, which is the last thing most of us want to do after office, gym, life, etc!
I cut my chicken breast into pieces beforehand and served with steamed broccoli and microwavable organic brown rice from Costco (huge time-saver). Also used fresh pineapple. This is definitely going into my repertoire. Thanks, Sally!
Made this. And we LOVED it. Along with evety recipe of yours I have tried so far. Waiting for my “cheat day” Saturday to make your pumpkin Chocolate chip pancakes I don’t even care that it is still August. ☺️
Holy man this was delicious (and SO easy)! As a mom with a VERY active toddler, I am always on the lookout for easy and healthy recipes….this one will be added to our rotation! I had rice wine vinegar and used that instead of the cider vinegar (wasn’t sure if you were talking apple cider….so I used the rice wine vinegar having thought both smelled the same and had the same mellow flavor). Thanks again for another fabulous dish!!!
Hi Sally!! Made this delicious chicken last night… It was a HIT!! Keep ’em coming! Thanks!
This was so delicious I licked the plate! This will definitely become a regular in my house. Thanks Sally! 🙂
This was awesome and so easy!
I made this tonight and WOW, it was amazing, delicious and easy!
I had the “what am I going to make for supper?” blues then I stumbled across this. Problem solved!
Amazing!!!!!! It’s going in my rotation! So easy and I always have all this on hand! My 2.5 yr old gobbled up the chicken. Served with brocolli and basmati rice. Thanks again!
Made this last night and my husband and I really liked it, strangely though, the kids did not!?!? I thought they would go crazy for it but hey, 10 year olds…what can I say??
My only change was fresh ginger since I love it and always have it in my fridge. I think I will buy some low sodium soy sauce next time because I did find it a bit on the salty side but I think that’s just my soy sauce’s fault 😉 All in all, a great, easy and quick supper!
I made this last night for dinner and it was a huge success!! When my roommate came home she immediately commented on how good it all smelled! We both ended up having seconds, and a friend of ours came over and basically inhaled the rest! I loved how easy this recipe was – and how inexpensive it is! I already had most of the ingredients so it is definitely something I can easily and affordably make over and over!
Made this tonight and it was awesome. Rather than bake it, I made it as a stir fry (since I had a ton of veggies leftover from a party earlier in the week). I just mixed the sauce in a measuring cup and dumped it in during the last few minutes, making sure it boiled so the cornstarch thickened it up. So much better than a bottle of teriyaki. Thanks!!!!
I made this tonight and it was a hit. My sauce was a bit thinner than yours so next time I will try to boil it down a little more. And I added broccoli to the same pan when baking the chicken. thx!
Made it for dinner last night. Best teriyaki sauce I’ve ever done at home and by far beats anything out of a bottle, now to try it with shrimp!
Thanks for answering the age old question – “what’s for dinner?” This was delicious. I added a little chili sauce for some heat, but we really enjoyed this. My husband kept sneaking extra bites from the pan before I had a chance to put away the leftovers. We paired ours with brown rice and broccoli. Delish!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was absolutely delicious! So easy and loved the walk away time which gave me more time to play with my kids. 🙂 thanks for a great recipe!
Sounds great, but I have three questions, first of all I will be using canned pineapple, should I drain it first or add in the juice as well?
Also, should the chicken be baked covered or uncovered?
Last question Can crushed pineapple be substituted in this recipe?
Thank you so much, I will look forward to your reply
Hi Grace! Drain it – uncovered – crushed should work.
Just what I needed! An easy, quick, tasty chicken dish that even my kids will eat! Thanks so much!