Baked Teriyaki Chicken with Pineapple

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Baked Teriyaki Chicken with Pineapple is a family favorite, especially with my kids who love it. Served with some steamed brown rice and veggies, it’s a meal we eat all the time. We also make this healthy teriyaki sauce to use on the grill.

This Baked Teriyaki Chicken with Pineapple is one of those dishes you will make again and again. Since teriyaki sauce can be loaded with sugar and all kinds of hard to read ingredients, this version uses a quick homemade teriyaki sauce that is sweetened with honey instead of refined sugars. Don’t worry though, it is really easy to make and comes together in about 10 minutes on the stove. Plus by making it yourself, you get to control the flavors. You can add more or less honey to change the sweetness, add extra ginger for punch, or squirt in some Sriracha for heat.

Once you have the teriyaki sauce made, the rest is easy. Just add the pineapples, peppers, onions, and chicken to a baking dish and pour the sauce on top. Then walk away and let it do its thing in the often. After about 35 minutes, you will have the most delicious chicken. It’s moist, tender, and full of teriyaki flavor. And don’t forget about the peppers, onions, and pineapple. My kids gobble them up without even thinking about the fact that they are eating veggies.

Baked teriyaki chicken in a glass dish with green onions.

To lower the points and calories in this recipe, you could make it with chicken breast instead. My family just prefers the dark meat. Since it is cooked in the sauce directly, the chicken breast will still stay nice and tender. However, they may take a bit longer, up to 45 minutes, depending on how thick they are. Check them periodically and take them out as soon as they are cooked through. By using chicken breast, you eliminate about 40 calories, 6 grams of fat, and 2 points for those on Weight Watchers.

Tips and Tricks for this Baked Teriyaki Chicken

Teriyaki sauce: Don’t be afraid to play with the teriyaki sauce and create your own version. Adjust the sweetness, garlic, and ginger to change the flavor. You can also add heat with Sriracha or Asian garlic chili paste. You may also want to make a double batch if you want extra to drizzle on veggies and rice.
Chicken: You can really use almost any kind of chicken in this dish. Boneless skinless breasts and thighs will be the lightest options. You can also make bone-in chicken but you may have to adjust the cooking time.
Veggies: People always wonder if you can bake other veggies with the chicken. Honestly, I don’t recommend adding any extra veggies, because they tend to get mushy and overcooked. It is best to cook things like broccoli or green beans on the side and then spoon some extra sauce on top.
Pineapple: We love pineapple in our house, so I always serve this with some extra fresh pineapple on top. I love the mix of the cooked and fresh pineapple and it adds a nice texture to the dish.
Serving ideas: Mix things up and serve the chicken in lettuce cups, stuffed in tortillas with slaw as an Asian taco, over quinoa with lots of veggies, or as a sandwich with a quick slaw.