Crockpot Pina Colada Chicken

Tropical pina colada chicken in a serving dish.

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This pina colada chicken is the creamy, tropical coconut and pineapple chicken of your dreams! Cooks in a crockpot for easy meal prep.

Servings servings

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 4

Total Time 4 15

Equipment

Slow cooker 4 quart
Fine mesh strainer

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1½ pounds chicken breast
6 fluid ounces pineapple juice
¼ cup lime juice
13.5 ounce canned coconut milk refrigerated
¼ medium white onion diced
3 medium fresno peppers diced
1 teaspoon salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Add the vegetable oil to the bottom of your slow cooker or crockpot, making sure it covers the entire cooking surface. Then lay the chicken breast in a single layer on the bottom of the crockpot.
Add the pineapple juice and lime juice to the crockpot.
Next, scrape off the solid fats from the top of the coconut milk (it should have separated while in the fridge). Set the fat aside in a small bowl - you'll need it later.
Add the remaining coconut milk (liquid) to the slow cooker.
Add the diced onions, peppers, and salt to the slow cooker.
Cover and cook on LOW for about 4 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through.
Once the chicken is cooked, carefully strain the contents of the crockpot into a large bowl - you’ll want to save the cooking liquid. Use a fine mesh strainer so as not to strain out the peppers and onions.
Shred the chicken with two forks and return the chicken, peppers, and onions to the crockpot.
Add back in 1 cup of the cooking liquid plus 3 tablespoons of the coconut milk fat (per 1.5 pounds of chicken breast) to the crockpot.
Stir to combine with the chicken, and serve hot or keep on the "warm" setting until ready to serve.

Notes

Coconut milk: When you get home from the grocery store, put the coconut milk in the fridge! You'll need to separate the solid fats from the liquid. By refrigerating it, the fats will move to the top of the can so you can easily scrape it off and set it aside.

Fresno peppers: We love cooking with fresno peppers for their bright color and spicy flavor. If you can’t find them at the store, you can swap them with pretty much any other pepper - jalapeno, serrano, poblano, or bell peppers work great. Fresno peppers are typically very small, so make sure that you adjust the amount accordingly if you’re using a different type of pepper (you should aim for the same volume of diced pepper when swapping for an alternative).

Meal prep suggestion: This pina colada chicken is delicious served over cilantro lime rice. Make both at the beginning of the week and store them together in pre-portioned meal prep containers for up to 5 days. When it’s time for lunch, simply pop it in the microwave for about 1 minute and enjoy!

Storing and reheating: You can store shredded pina colada chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze it in meal-ready portions using containers like these 1-cup Souper Cubes, and it’ll keep for up to 3 months.

Reheat single servings of pina colada chicken in the microwave for about 30 to 45 seconds, stirring halfway through. If using from the freezer, we recommend defrosting it overnight in the fridge and then reheating as usual.

Serving suggestions: You can use this versatile protein in so many different chicken dishes! We love serving pina colada chicken with rice, in tacos, or in a salad. Or, try our tropical chicken bowls recipe. Check out our blog post above for detailed meal suggestions.

Author: Nicole Langdon

Calories: 248kcal

Course: Ingredient, Main Course

Cuisine: Fusion

Keyword: big batch, chicken breast, coconut milk, crockpot, fresno peppers, lime juice, meal prep, pineapple juice, salt, slow cooker, tropical, white onion

Nutrition