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Instant Pot Island chicken bowls are the perfect easy summer meal! Shredded chicken is tossed in a sweet and tangy teriyaki-inspired sauce, quickly cooked in the Instant Pot, then served over rice with a side of fresh pineapple and avocado salsa.
When it comes to summer food, I gravitate toward dishes that are fresh and simple. As much as I love cooking, the last thing I want on a hot day is to spend hours in the kitchen heating up my house, and I definitely don’t want to sit down to anything too hearty. While it makes perfect sense to use your Instant Pot in the summertime, it can be hard to find Instant Pot recipes that are light and fresh instead of hearty soups and stews. That’s where these tasty island chicken bowls come in! The chicken is made in the Instant Pot (or the slow cooker if you prefer!), so no heating the kitchen, they’re topped with the most deliciously fresh pineapple and avocado salsa, and they come together in under 30 minutes. The whole family will be able to get behind these!
How to Make Instant Pot Pineapple Chicken
So, there are a lot of variations of what exactly makes an island-inspired chicken out there – from BBQ to sweet and sour to spicy, but for this recipe we decided to go with a teriyaki-inspired sauce for our chicken! The sauce is perfectly sticky, and hits all the right notes of sweet, tangy, and salty. The first step in making these island chicken bowls is putting the sauce together, which is a breeze with the Instant Pot!
- Reduce the coconut aminos. Coconut aminos are our secret weapon when it comes to making delicious soy-free teriyaki sauce! You’ll simply set your Instant Pot to ‘saute’ then add a cup of coconut aminos and let them simmer for 5-8 minutes reduced by half. This thickens the coconut aminos and concentrates their flavors.
- Add the remaining sauce ingredients. Next, you’ll add lime juice, sriracha, garlic powder, ginger, sesame oil, and pineapple juice to the sauce. Give it a whisk then turn off the Instant Pot.
- Add the chicken. Next up, you’ll add 2 pounds of chicken to the Instant Pot. I personally prefer using boneless/skinless chicken thighs for Instant Pot recipes because they retain the most flavor and don’t dry out – but if you prefer white meat you can use either chicken tenders or boneless/skinless chicken breast instead. Either way, you’ll simply toss the chicken with the sauce and then set it to cook for 12 minutes.
- Make the rice. While the chicken cooks, make your favorite rice according to the package instructions. If you’re eating grain-free, feel free to substitute with cauliflower rice instead!
- Make the pineapple salsa. To make the pineapple salsa, you’ll dice up 2 cups of pineapple, an avocado, some cilantro, red onion, and a small jalapeno, then toss it with lime juice.
- Shred the chicken and thicken the sauce. Once the timer on the Instant Pot goes off, you can manually release the pressure, then pull the chicken out and shred with two forks. Turn the Instant Pot back to ‘saute’ mode, then whisk together some arrowroot starch and water and pour it into the sauce. Whisk it again and let it come to a boil. Once the sauce is thickened, turn the pot off, then add the shredded chicken and toss to coat.
- Assemble the bowls. Spoon the rice into a bowl, then top with the chicken and pineapple salsa and serve!
There you have it, easy island chicken and rice bowls! We hope you and your family love this recipe as much as we do.
More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
Looking for more summer-friendly, easy Instant Pot chicken recipes? This honey mustard Instant Pot chicken and potatoes is one of our all-time favorites! We also love making this Instant Pot Salsa Chicken in big batches to use for taco nights and burrito bowls, and this Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas & Rice is a one-pot recipe that your whole family is sure to love.
Looking for another deliciously fresh, bright, and super quick dinner bowl? These Caribbean Blackened Salmon Bowls, complete with coconut rice, sweet mango, purple cabbage, avocado, and fresh cilantro-lime sauce, are a perfect choice!
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Ingredients
For the Island Chicken
- 1 cup coconut aminos
- 1/3 cup pineapple juice
- 2 tablespoons lime juice about 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons sriracha optional
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger or 1 teaspoon ground
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (may also use chicken breasts or tenders)
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot or tapioca starch
- 4 1/2 cups cooked white rice or cauliflower rice for serving
For the Pineapple Avocado Salsa
- 2 cups pineapple diced
- 1 large avocado diced
- 2 tablespoons lime juice about 1 lime
- 1/3 cup fresh chopped cilantro
- 1/4 red onion diced
- 1 small jalapeno seeds removed, diced (optional)
Instructions
- Add the coconut aminos to the Instant Pot on saute mode and cook for 5-8 minutes, until thickened and reduced by half, then turn off the Instant Pot.
- Stir in the lime juice, sriracha, garlic powder, ginger, pineapple juice, and sesame oil. Add the chicken and toss to coat, then set the Instant Pot to ‘manual’ and adjust to cook for 12 minutes.
- While the chicken cooks, make the pineapple salsa. Add all of the salsa ingredients to a bowl and toss to coat, then set aside.
- When the timer on the Instant Pot goes off, manually release the pressure, then remove the chicken from the pot and shred with two forks, or with the paddle attachment of your stand mixer.
- Put the Instant Pot back on ‘saute’ mode, then whisk the arrowroot starch with 1/4 cup water. Pour the arrowroot mixture into the sauce and whisk to combine. Let the sauce come to a boil and thicken, then turn off the Instant Pot and return the chicken to the pot and toss it to coat with the sauce.
- Assemble the bowls with the rice, chicken, and pineapple salsa and enjoy!
Kay says
Hi! You list adding pineapple juice into the instant pot in the directions but I don’t see an amount on the list of ingredients
Amber Goulden says
Sorry about that, it’s 1/3 cup!
Rebecca says
Great looking recipe! There’s only 2 of us so I was thinking of halving the recipe to only 1 pound chicken breast. If so, should I reduce the IP cooking time? Thanks so much!
Amber Goulden says
I would keep the cook time at 12 minutes! One note – the Instant Pot needs at least 1 cup of liquid to come to pressure so I wouldn’t half the sauce.
Monika says
If using a slow cooker- do you make the sauce (add in lime juice, sriracha, garlic powder, ginger, pineapple juice, and sesame oil), before you add the uncooked chicken to the slow cooker? The recipe only specifies the reduced coconut aminos. More clarification on this would be greatly appreciated for slow cooker!
Amber Goulden says
Yes, for the slow cooker, just follow the instructions for reducing the coconut aminos on the stovetop over medium heat for 5-8 minutes, then stir in the remaining sauce ingredients and add to the slow cooker with the chicken and cook for about 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low, until it is shreddable!
Ariel says
I own a ninja foodi. Can I cook this recipe in that as well since there is a high pressure cooking mode?
Melinda says
I made it in a Ninja Foodi and made it last night and it came out perfect!
Brandi Schilhab says
So glad to hear that, Melinda! This one is on my menu this week too!
Rebekah says
This recipe is amazing! We used half coconut aminos and half low sodium soy sauce because it’s what we had. I sort of screwed up and boiled the sauce a little too long with the arrowroot powder (made the texture weird) – but that’s my mistake, not an issue with the recipe! To make it a little healthier we used brown rice and actually didn’t use all the sauce. This will absolutely be added to our meal prep rotation! I’m hoping that the avocados don’t brown immediately since they’re covered in lime juice.
Amber Goulden says
So glad you enjoyed it Rebekah!
Jessica says
The Fed And Fit Cookbook includes macros, Is it possible to also add macros to your online recipes?
I am SUPER excited to try this one out tonight! Looks like a great weekday recipe. Thanks again!
Laura says
Easy and super tasty! Sweet without being overpowering.
Claudia says
This was SOOOO tasty. Even my 13 month old gobbled up the chicken.
Amber Goulden says
So glad you liked it Claudia!
Lindsey says
what kind of pineapple juice do you suggest?
Amber Goulden says
Any 100% pineapple juice will do!
Lisa Payne Kirker says
This was delicious! Cassy Joy and Amber, you two bomber disappoint!
Martha says
This was my first instant pot meal. I love this recipe. Delicious
Kate says
Hi! My grocery store didn’t have coconut aminos and I won’t get a chance to stop by another one before I make this. I have both soy sauce and Tamari at home (low sodium versions of each) and don’t have any food intolerances – would one of those work as a substitute? If so, would you recommend one over the other? Thanks!
Amber Goulden says
Hi Kate, without coconut aminos, the sauce won’t reduce down, and tamari and soy sauce are MUCH saltier than coconut aminos. Instead, I’d recommend subbing about 1/4 cup of tamari and 3/4 cup of chicken broth for the coconut aminos, and skipping the step of reducing at the beginning. At the end after you remove the chicken, put the pot back on saute mode and add arrowroot starch to the mixture about 1 teaspoon at a time until it reaches the desired thickness!
crystal tucker says
how long for frozen chicken breasts?
Brandi Schilhab says
12 minutes should still do the trick, Crystal! It’ll just take the Instant Pot a little bit longer to reach pressure!
April says
This looks awesome! However our family has a coconut intolerance but no problem with soy. If I were to swap in soy sauce to make this how much should I use?
Brandi Schilhab says
Soy sauce is much saltier than coconut aminos, so I’d recommend subbing 1/4 cup soy sauce + 3/4 cup chicken broth (rather than just soy sauce). Also, since the soy sauce + broth mixture won’t reduce down, skip the step of reducing at the beginning. I hope this helps, April! Enjoy!
Heidi says
Silly question-The nutrition info info is for 5 servings. So assuming the info is per serving?
Brandi Schilhab says
Yep, the nutrition info is per serving!
Christina James says
Delicious!!!
Brandi Schilhab says
Wahoo! We’re so glad you enjoyed these tasty bowls!
Jacqueline M says
My entire family complimented me on this recipe. This is a rare occurrence that everyone likes what I cooked and this is the second time it has been with one of your receipes. I may start cooking your receipes exclusively.
Brandi Schilhab says
So good to hear, Jaqueline! This recipe is actually on my menu this week too!
Jolie says
Anyway to make this on the stove top? Don’t have an instant pot or slow cooker.
Brandi Schilhab says
Sure! We recommend making your shredded chicken and sauce separately if you’re going the stovetop route.
For the chicken – sear the chicken on both sides in a hot pan, then cover it with chicken broth, place a lid on the pan, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until you’re able to easily shred it with two forks.
For the sauce – add the coconut aminos to a pan on the stovetop, let simmer until thickened and reduced by half, then add in the lime juice, sriracha, garlic powder, ginger, pineapple juice, and sesame oil. Give it all a good stir, add the arrowroot starch + water mixture, and allow the sauce to simmer and thicken for a few more minutes.
Once your shredded chicken + sauce are finished, just toss them together! Enjoy, Jolie!
Carole says
This looks amazing!!
Is there a pdf or printable version?
Brandi Schilhab says
There sure is! At the top of the post, just under the disclaimer, there is a yellow printer icon to the right of the ‘jump to recipe’ button! Enjoy, Carole!
Anna da Palma says
This recipe prints really tiny. Any way you could fix that? Thanks! Can’t wait to try it!
Brandi Schilhab says
Thanks for letting us know! We’ll take a look at it!
Sarah says
So excited to try this!! Does the cooking time change at all for tenders vs breasts? Thanks!
Brandi Schilhab says
Nope, same amount of time, Sarah! Enjoy!
Ana says
Any ideas how to adapt this recipe to a Thermomix?
Thank you very much!
Lisa says
I am so curious about the amount of sugar in this recipe I guess you need to eat small portions?
Brandi Schilhab says
This recipe serves 5, and the nutrition facts are attached to the recipe card if you’d like to see specifics. Enjoy, Lisa!
Julie Ann Price says
This has become an all-time fave for us. I’ve done in it with chicken in the crockpot, and it’s so simple and full of flavor with the perfect sweet/savory balance. I’ve also used leftover pork from meal prepping and warmed it on the stove “crispy pork bowl” style (from COEAW) then added the sauce in – SUPER GOOD! 10/10 recommend cooking the jasmine rice in coconut milk for added richness & Hawaiian vibes.
Brandi Schilhab says
Oooh, I LOVE that! It’s one of my favorites too…I’ll have to try it with crispy pork! Thanks for sharing this with us, Julie Ann!
Clare says
I have made this twice and can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong. The flavor is really strong and almost too tart and salty. Any advice?
Brandi Schilhab says
Hi Clare! This dish does have a bold Hawaiian flavor. What brand of coconut aminos are you using? We’ve found that the Big Tree brand tends to be a little bit saltier. As far as the tartness goes, you can try replacing the pineapple juice with chicken broth! I hope this helps!
Sarah says
I love this recipe, my family finds it too salty. Is there anything I can do to reduce the saltiness? I’ve tried coconut aminos and low sodium gf soy sauce.
Brandi Schilhab says
Hi Sarah! We use Coconut Secret coconut aminos and have found that it’s less salty than other brands. You can also either skip the reduction step and add an extra 1/2-1 tbs of starch at the end, or if you find it too salty after it’s already made, you can thin the sauce with water and add more starch to thicken it until you get the flavor you’re looking for! I hope that helps!
Karen says
Sounds so good! If I have pre cooked shredded chicken, how do I adjust?
Brandi Schilhab says
I’d recommend making the sauce in a pot on the stove, letting it simmer until thickened (5-8 minutes), and then tossing your precooked chicken in the sauce! Enjoy…these are really yummy!
Sonya says
I made with soy sauce and chicken broth substitute as directed in comments, cut Sriracha in half for the kids and left out jalapenos but served with extra Sriracha. I made it with chicken breast and found that I needed to cook it another 3 minutes to be able to shred it easily. I used canned diced pineapple and used the juice in there to cut down on prep and things to buy Really yummy! I’ll be making it again
Brandi Schilhab says
So glad you loved it and made it your own, Sonya!
Heather K says
This took me out of my comfort zone and recipe rut! Despite me messing up the first part of the recipe, this turned out great. The whole family tried all elements and everyone raved about the chicken . My daughter and I were fans of the salsa…glad to have some leftover for a snack with some chips tomorrow!
Brandi Schilhab says
So glad your family enjoyed this, Heather! And that sounds like a DELICIOUS snack!
Katy says
10/10 AMAZING!! Everyone in my family loved this dish. It is super easy and quick to make. You need to make this!!
Amber Goulden says
So glad to hear that Katy!
Cynthia Marshall says
I wanted seconds and thirds! So good! My entire family LOVED this meal. My husband has requested that it makes a regular appearance on our table. I did not thicken the sauce though because we like the juice to be absorbed by the rice.
Brandi Schilhab says
Wahoo! So great to hear that, Cynthia! We’re so glad it was a hit!
Chelsea says
Made this for dinner tonight, it was delicious! The flavors were unique too. Loved it for a quick summer dinner. Thanks so much!
Brandi Schilhab says
Oh good! So glad you enjoyed it, Chelsea. Thank you so much for sharing this with us!
Sam says
Is there any way to make this low carb? It sounds delish, but my husband is pre-diabetic.
Brandi Schilhab says
Hi! You could swap the rice for cauliflower rice, but the pineapple juice and coconut aminos may still make the dish too carb-heavy though.
Laura says
WOW!! This dish is full of flavor and so simple. I prefer to make it in my crockpot, and it turns out great every time. This recipe is one the entire family loves, which is a sometimes hard to do with little ones. I love that I don’t have to buy special ingredients that I will only use for this recipe. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Melissa Guevara says
We are so glad to hear that is is a hit for the entire family! Thank you for taking the time to share with us. -Melissa
Melissa says
This was good but definitely didn’t need all the sauce and I am so thirsty after eating it. Tasted really salty. When I figured the sodium just in the coco aminos, this dish has a whopping 7840 mg of sodium!!! There has to be a better alternative for using a full cup of coco aminos. (They’re also expensive) Any lower sodium alternatives?
Melissa Guevara says
Hi Melissa! I am sorry the dish was too salty! We use Coconut Secret coconut aminos and find that they have less sodium than other brands. You can also try subbing 1/4 cup coconut aminos + 3/4 cup chicken broth and skip the step of reducing at the beginning. I hope this helps!
Shelly says
This was AWESOME and soooooo easy! I expected to have leftovers but there were none! I saved the sauce to put over some chicken tomorrow. This was great and the family loved it. Thank you for a great recipe!
Melissa Guevara says
So glad that the entire family enjoyed, Shelly! Thank you for taking the time to share with us.
Erica says
This was such a good meal! It rivaled going out to dinner! My husband and I both enjoyed this!
Melissa Guevara says
We are so glad to hear that, Erica! Thank you for taking the time to share with us! -Team F&F
Mary says
Quote from my husband: “Good Lawd Woman!!! This is delicious!” My entire family agreed. Thank you 🙂
Melissa Guevara says
We love to hear that, Mary! Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us. -Team FF
Krysta says
I sent the link to my sister this morning and said I was planning to make it for dinner. She replied that she had made it last night haha and it was delicious. Well, she was right! Super easy, and so flavorful! I used GF flour instead of arrowroot (because that’s what I had) and canned pineapple. I also didn’t have jalapeño for the salsa but it was still delicious! Side note: I’ve never used thighs to make shredded chicken in the instant pot, and it was such a game changer! So much juicier! Thanks for another GREAT recipe!