Enjoy summer vibes with this sweet and spicy Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Bowl in under 30 minutes. Just grab your favorite BBQ sauce, chop some chicken, onions, sweet peppers, pineapple, and zucchini, and serve it over rice, and dinner will be served in no time! Be sure to save some leftovers for lunch!
If you love an easy, healthy chicken and rice bowl like this, try our Trader Joe's Chicken Shawarma Bowl, Pesto Chicken Quinoa Bowl, or Creamy Tuscan Chicken Bowl.
Before getting started, I invite you to set some healthy intentions. You can read more about setting intentions here.
🎯 Quick Look: Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Stir-Fry Bowl
- 🥘 Key Ingredients: Chicken breast (or thighs), Hawaiian-style BBQ sauce, sweet peppers, zucchini, fresh pineapple, and rice or cauliflower rice base
- ⏱ Time: Prep ~10 minutes | Cook ~20 minutes | Total ~30 minutes
- 🍽 Serves: ~4
- 🎨 Flavor Profile: A sweet-and-savory tropical mix-juicy chicken glazed in BBQ sauce, bright pineapple, crisp veggies, with hearty rice or low-carb cauliflower rice
- 🌿 Benefits: Clean-ingredient recipe ideal for weeknight dinners; offers lean protein, vegetables, and flavor without processed additives; adapts easily for low-carb or vegetarian swaps
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💚 Why You'll Love It
- Fun, colorful bowl with a sweet + savory tropical vibe
- Easy weeknight meal with simple, whole-food ingredients
- Works with rice or cauliflower rice, depending on your goals
- Customizable, meal-prep friendly, and picky-eater approved
- Tastes like takeout, but made clean 🌱
Ingredients
Chicken- Air-chilled organic boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs are best and worth the investment.
Hawaiian BBQ Sauce- Hawaiian-style BBQ makes for a delicious stir-fry sauce. For a clean version, try Primal Kitchen Hawaiian BBQ. There are more savory sauce choices if you prefer a different flavor for your stir fry! Be sure to search for organic and check the ingredients.
Avocado oil- Avocado oil is among the most stable oils to cook with due to its stability and high smoke point. Oils that are not stable turn rancid and create highly toxic free radicals that turn into carcinogens even under medium heat!
See the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
Note: Organic is best for produce, but if you cannot find organic pineapple or onions, it's not that big of a deal. Produce with thick, removable skins like these will be pretty well protected from the harsh chemical sprays used by conventional farms. The thinner-skinned produce is the one that is good to buy organic.
Substitutions and Variations
Low-carb or grain-free: Consider using spiralized zucchini, riced cauliflower, or spaghetti squash instead of rice
Vegetarian/vegan alternative: Substitute the chicken for cooked jackfruit, tempeh, or black beans, or simply add more of your favorite vegetables!
Homemade BBQ sauce is always better; if you have time, consider making your own!
Try teriyaki sauce instead!
Beef: To swap chicken for beef, use flank steak or skirt steak!
How to Make a Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Bowl
Step 1: Rinse and cook the rice.
On the stovetop: Add 2 cups of rice to 3.5 cups of water or broth and cook on medium until the water evaporates.
In the Instant Pot: Use a 1:1 rice-to-liquid ratio. Use a 12-minute manual or rice setting and allow it to naturally release.
Step 2: A couple of hours before, chop chicken into ½-inch cubes and marinate in BBQ sauce in a sealed bag or bowl. Cook on high, tossing frequently until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Step 3: Reduce the heat to medium. Add BBQ sauce, onions, peppers, zucchini, pineapple, and red pepper flakes and stir to combine until the veggies are soft and the flavors are melded.
Step 4: Remove from heat and serve over rice. Enjoy!
Hint: Cook the meat and the rice simultaneously (in separate pots, of course) to save time!
Expert Tip
Cube the chicken ahead of time and marinate in BBQ sauce in the fridge. Allow the meat to marinate in the BBQ sauce for a couple of hours before cooking for extra flavor!
Pairing
Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Bowl goes well with snow peas, broccoli, asparagus, or green beans on the side!
Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Bowl FAQ's
You can marinate the chicken before cooking. Place it in a ziplock bag in the fridge for a couple of hours. Be sure to cut the chicken beforehand to avoid a mess! While cooking the chicken in the skillet, stir continuously for 6-7 minutes, making sure the meat is cooked thoroughly and no pink is shown. Check the pieces of meat with a meat thermometer periodically to monitor temperatures. 165°F is the safe temperature. Check several pieces. When the temperature gets close to 165, reduce the heat and add the sauce and vegetables.
If you heat the grill to 450-550°F and use a grill-safe skillet or wok, you can definitely do so.
Overcooking is a possibility. Chicken can become rubbery if overcooked, and vegetables can become soggy. Stay close to the pan and monitor the meat with a thermometer and the vegetables with a fork test. The vegetables should be mildly softened but easy enough to pierce with a fork.
We prefer avocado oil for its high heat point. Steer clear of toxic and highly processed vegetable oils and canola oils, as they negatively affect your health. Volatile oils create toxic chemical compounds when heated. Always look for extra virgin olive oil, unrefined coconut oil, and avocado oils. These are the best and least processed cooking oils to use for your health!
More Healthy Bowls
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Recipe
Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Bowl
Equipment
- Chefs knife
- cutting board
- Skillet
- Cooking/serving spoon
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup Organic Hawaiian BBQ sauce plus more if marinating
- 1.5 cups rice rinsed
- 2 cups clean water or broth depending on method
- 1 teaspoon Avocado oil
- 1 lb sweet peppers washed and chopped
- ½ medium sweet onion chopped
- 1.5 lb organic boneless chicken breast diced in ½ inch pieces
- 1 zucchini washed and chopped
- 1 cup chopped pineapple
Instructions
- On the stovetop: Bring water or broth to boil. Reduce heat and add rice, stir, and cover. Reduce to medium-low heat and let simmer for 15 minutes or until the liquid is gone. Remove from heat and keep covered for an additional 5 min. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
- Chop chicken into ½-inch cubes. Add oil to a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken cubes and cook until all sides are brown and the internal temp reaches 165F
- Add BBQ sauce, onions, peppers, zucchini, and pineapple to cooked chicken and stir to combine until veggies are soft and flavors are melded.
- Remove from heat and serve over rice. Enjoy!
Video
NCP says
Hawaiian BBQ bowl is so good. I love trying different variations of rice and chicken. This is a fun one, the mix it up