This pineapple chicken stir fry recipe is made with whole ingredients such as chopped bell peppers, broccoli florets, pineapple chunks, and chicken, of course! The stir fry sauce is naturally sweetened with pineapple juice and topped off with a dash of sesame seeds. No regrets!
Sweet Pineapple Chicken Stir Fry
Sometimes, I'll have this crazy craving for Chinese takeout. Does that happen to you?
I usually bounce back and forth between healthy cashew chicken and this recipe for pineapple chicken. I always love a good stir fry! And, I can already tell that you are going to love this healthy weeknight dinner with minimal ingredients!
Pineapple chicken has simple, healthy ingredients. It can be easily made with recipes you probably already have in your pantry and fridge. If you are following a gluten-free diet or have an allergy, choose tamari over soy sauce.
As far as the stir fry sauce goes, I love finding ways to sweeten my recipes without using cane sugar. Pineapple not only adds beauty to this recipe, but it is so sweet that you don't need any white or brown sugar. In fact, this tastes incredible that you might never want to order takeout again!
Okay, maybe I can't exactly promise that, but I can tell you that the flavors are bigger, bolder, and better!
Ultimately, I created this sweet chicken recipe because I really wanted a healthy alternative to some of my favorite Chinese takeout dishes. Well, what I made actually tastes better than takeout - try it for yourself and see!
Ingredients In This Stir Fry
This recipe only uses simple and healthy ingredients. The entire list is in the printable recipe card a little further below.
- Avocado Oil: Use this to cook the chicken in the frying pan. I used about 2 tablespoons.
- Chicken Breasts: Dice the chicken before you cook them because that will make them cook faster. For this recipe, I used a little over a pound. You can also use boneless chicken thighs instead.
- Onion: Use your favorite type of onion. I diced a small red onion because it is sweeter and has a lot of flavor.
- Bell Peppers: Dice both red and yellow peppers. This adds color and nutrition to the stir fry. You can also add some green bell peppers if you want.
- Broccoli: Use as much broccoli as you like and chop it up into small florets. The smaller the florets, the easier and quicker it will cook.
- Pineapple Chunks: I used the entire 20-ounce can of pineapple chunks in this stir fry. Remember to drain it first and keep the juice to use in the sauce. I went with a canned version because they tend to be sweeter. You never really know when you use a fresh pineapple.
- Sesame Seeds: Just sprinkle them on top to add a garnish (and a bit more flavor).
- Rice Wine Vinegar: You'll need about ¼ cup.
- Soy Sauce: Use low-sodium if you are trying to consume less salt. If you are gluten-free, swap with tamari sauce. Either way, you'll need about ⅓ cup.
- Sesame Oil: This helps all the other ingredients really pop! You only need 1.5 tablespoons as a little bit goes a long way.
- Arrowroot: Add about 2 tablespoons to the stir fry towards the end. This will help the sauce thicken up.
Kitchen Tools Required For This Stir Fry
Another thing I love about this recipe is that it doesn't require lots of appliances. Here's what I used to make it:
- Chef's Knife
- Cutting Board
- Large Skillet or Wok
- Whisk
For measuring, you will need ¼ cup, ⅓ cup, 1 teaspoon, ½ teaspoon, and 1 tablespoon.
How To Make Easy Healthy Stir Fry
Even if you haven't ever made stir fry before, this recipe could not be any simpler. Anyone can make it!
First, chop up everything - the veggies and the chicken. Then, cook your chicken in a large pan with the avocado oil.
After the chicken is completely cooked, remove it from the pan and drain all the extra liquid.
In the same pan, add other tablespoon of avocado oil and onion, peppers, and broccoli. Let cook for another 7-8 minutes or until they begin to soften.
Meanwhile, make sauce by whisking together all sauce ingredients in a mixing bowl.
When the veggies are ready, add the chicken back to pan, along with the sauce and pineapple chunks.
Let all of this cook over medium heat for 5-6 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
Below are some common stir fry questions. Don’t see the answer you’re looking for? Leave a comment at the bottom of this post!
What are some healthy ways to serve this stir fry?
Serve this stir fry over rice, pasta, or even cauliflower rice. The sauce is pretty sweet and tastes amazing on your favorite type of rice.
I highly recommend making a batch of this veggie fried cauliflower rice!
How do you make it taste spicier?
This is a really mild recipe. If you want it to have a bit of spice, add some red pepper flakes to the sauce. You could also add a dash (or more to taste) of sriracha.
Can I make this meatless?
Yes, this is a fantastic recipe to make meatless, too! If you want a vegan protein source, add some tofu. Otherwise, it tastes wonderful with just the vegetables as well.
Substitution Tip
Wondering if you can use different meat or veggies in the stir fry? There are a few ways you can.
This is a wonderful way to use up any leftover raw veggies that are in your refrigerator. Instead of broccoli, use some cauliflower florets. You can even chop up and add zucchini or squash to your stir fry.
I also like making it with some snow peas and matchstick carrots. Be creative and use any vegetables that you want!
Yes, you can use different types of meat too. I think chicken is light meat that absorbs the flavors really well and it cooks quickly. Try it with some chopped-up pork loin or even some thin-sliced steak.
Storing leftovers
This pineapple chicken stir fry recipe is the perfect freezer meal. Make it, let it cool down completely, and then store it in a resealable freezer bag. Then, when you are ready to make it again, let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator and just reheat it in a large skillet.
It's also pretty perfect to store in the refrigerator for your meal plan (or just to eat later on in the week). Keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will stay fresh for up to 5 days.
If You Liked This Recipe, You'll Want To Try These!
Here are some more of my favorite chicken recipes. Enjoy!
- Healthy Baked Chicken Parmesan
- One Pan Honey Mustard Chicken Dinner
- Healthy Chicken Nuggets (Baked & Air-Fried)
- Easy Chicken Pad Thai
- Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Recipe by Erin Morrissey and Photos by The Mindful Hapa
If you tried this recipe or any other recipes on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Follow @erinliveswhole on Instagram and tag me in any of the recipes you make so I can repost them!
Healthy Pineapple Chicken Stir Fry
Ingredients
Method
- In a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon avocado oil. Add diced chicken and cook for 7-8 minutes or until cooked through.
- Remove from pan and drain any excess liquid.
- In same pan, add other tablespoon of avocado oil and onion, peppers, and broccoli. Let cook for another 7-8 minutes or until beginning to soften.
- Meanwhile, make sauce by whisking together all sauce ingredients.
- When veggies are ready, add chicken back to pan, along with sauce and pineapple chunks.
- Let cook over medium heat for 5-6 minutes or until sauce has thickened.
- Serve over rice and sprinkle with sesame seeds! Enjoy.
Nutrition
Notes
- Use canned pineapple chunks instead of fresh. Canned pineapple tends to be sweeter and more consistent than fresh, which means your sauce will hit that perfect sweet spot every time. Save the juice from the can — you'll need it for the sauce!
- Remove the chicken from the pan before cooking the veggies. Cook the chicken first, take it out and drain any excess liquid, then add the vegetables to the same pan. This keeps everything from getting soggy and ensures the veggies cook up nicely.
- Don't skip the arrowroot powder in the sauce. This is what gives the sauce its gorgeous thick, glossy consistency. Just whisk it in with the other sauce ingredients and let everything simmer together for 5-6 minutes until it thickens up beautifully.
Sue via says
Can fresh pineapple be used for stir fry
Erin says
Hi Sue, yes, of course! Let me know how our stir fry comes out!
R says
I dunno. Mine tasted sour. What did I do wrong? I used fresh pineapple, otherwise followed the directions.
Erin says
Hi, I would try adding more honey next time! Your pineapple might not have been as sweet. 🙂
AnaLiesa says
I don't have rice wine vinegar. I do have rice vinegar, red wine vinegar, and white wine vinegar. Will either of those 3 work as a substitute for the rice wine?
Erin says
Hi AnaLiesa, rice vinegar is perfect! Let me know how your stir fry comes out!!
Andrea says
This recipe is DELICIOUS!!!!!!! First time trying to make a sir fry. Husband had 4 big helpings and I had 2.
I added 4 cups of broccoli, tofu, water chestnuts and doubled the sauce. Served over rice.
This recipe was seriously fabulous!!!! Highly recommend and for a first timer easy to make. This will be a weekly dinner for us
Thank you for sharing recipe.
Erin says
Hi Andrea, so happy you both loved it and made it your own!! 🙂
Sheila says
Such a HEALTHY recipe and delicious! It is very hard to find this type of dish without either added sugar or fish sauce.
You can enhance it with whatever heat level you desire and make it less sweet by increasing the vinegar a bit or dilute the pineapple juice with a little water. I did use fresh pineapple and juice. Toasting the sesame seeds first makes the sesame flavor more noticeable. I served it over Thai rice noodle linguine.
Erin says
Hi Sheila, so happy you loved it so much and made it your own!! 🙂
NannyV says
Loved making this recipe, so quick and easy. I did halve the quantities as there’s on the 2 of us, and we had enough over for lunch next day. Delicious 😋
Erin says
Hi Nanny, so happy you loved it! 🙂
KatieH says
Very yummy!
The pineapple makes it so juicy. It’s easy to make on a weeknight & makes great leftovers. I will be making this again!
Erin says
Hi Katie, so glad you enjoyed it!!
Jill says
Holy Vinegar. It's either supposed to taste semi sour or I put too much in. I still enjoyed it.
Erin says
Hi Jill, so happy you loved it! 🙂
Dennis Duffy says
Great recipe, thank you!
Only mods I made was to marinate and season the chicken, and just brown it in the pan...let it finish cooking through after reincorporating. Oh...and throw in 3 or 4 slices of jalapeño! Adds a little depth while still not being spicy!
Erin says
Hi Dennis, so happy you loved it and great idea! 🙂
Katie says
This is our family's favorite stir fry! Definitely a new staple in our dinner rotation. The sauce is perfection!
Erin says
Hi Katie, so happy everyone enjoys it!!
Patt says
Delicious. I only had fresh broccoli on hand so my dish had pineapple chicken and broccoli and it was a hit with the family. Thanks for sharing.
Erin says
Hi Patt, so happy you loved it and great idea!! 🙂
Donna says
This recipe looks delicious!
I have everything to make it except for the rice wine vinegar. Is there a substitute I can use?
Erin says
Hi Donna, thanks and yes, any other vinegar! Or splash of white wine works too! Let me know how yours comes out!
Steph says
Delicious, easy recipe! I was worried the pineapple flavor would be too sweet or overpowering, but it was just right. I did salt & pepper the chicken before cooking for extra flavor. Also added red pepper flakes for some heat.
Erin says
Hi Steph, so happy you loved it so much and made it your own! 🙂
Dawn says
This is my new favorite stir fry sauce. So simple and so delicious!!
Erin says
Hi Dawn, so glad you loved it!! 🙂
Nichole says
So easy to make! This was perfect for meal prep!
Erin says
Hi Nichole, so glad you enjoyed it!! 🙂
Megan says
Delicious and easy!!!
Erin says
Hi Megan, so glad you loved it!
Rita says
This came out really good. I added fresh baby corn and sliced green onions. A little salt and chili oil on my plate made it pop!
Erin says
Hi Rita, so happy you loved it and made it your own!!