Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken — Our Planting Day Reward

Garden planting week. Jack has been waiting for this the way prisoners wait for parole — counting down the days since the last frost, checking the soil temperature with his thermometer every morning, monitoring the ten-day forecast with the intensity of a meteorologist who also happens to be seven years old and has opinions about barometric pressure. On Saturday, he declared: "Planting conditions are acceptable." Kevin said, "Is he granting us permission?" I said, "Yes. Don't question it."

We dug the beds together. The compost tumbler has been working all winter — Jack turned it faithfully, twice a week, in all weather — and the compost was dark and rich and crumbly, the kind of soil amendment that Roger Weber would call "good dirt," which is the highest compliment in the Weber vocabulary. We mixed it into the beds. We planted the tomato seedlings — eight plants this year, up from six. We direct-sowed the green beans, the sunflowers, the peppers. And we planted the corn. Bodacious. From seed that Dad sent. The same variety, the same hope, pressed into suburban dirt with a seven-year-old's thumb.

This year the corn section is bigger — six rows instead of four. Kevin watched the planting from the deck and said, "We're going to have a cornfield in the backyard." I said, "We already have a cornfield in the backyard. It's just getting bigger." He said, "The neighbors are going to talk." I said, "The neighbors already talk. Dave Peterson asked me last month if we were starting a farm stand." We're not starting a farm stand. Yet. Jack hasn't asked. Yet.

After planting, I made pulled pork sandwiches for the crew — crockpot pulled pork, coleslaw, buns. We ate in the backyard, sitting in the dirt, surrounded by freshly planted beds. Jack ate his sandwich and surveyed his garden with the satisfied expression of a man who has done a day's work and is pleased with the result. He's seven. He looks forty. He looks like Roger at the end of a planting day — tired, content, certain that the seeds will grow because they always have and because he planted them right.

Planting day calls for a meal that works as hard as you do — which means it needs to cook itself while you’re outside with your hands in the dirt. I’ve been making crockpot pulled pork for years on these days, but this past spring I switched things up with a slow cooker Hawaiian chicken that Jack declared “even better,” which is high praise from someone who takes his dinner opinions as seriously as his soil temperature readings. You pile it on buns, you eat it in the backyard surrounded by freshly planted beds, and it tastes exactly like a day well spent.

Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken with Pineapple

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 6–8 hours (low) or 3–4 hours (high) | Total Time: Up to 8 hours 10 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or breasts)
• 1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
• 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated (or 1 teaspoon ground ginger)
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch + 2 tablespoons cold water (for thickening)
• Sliced green onions and sesame seeds, for garnish
• Buns or steamed rice, for serving

Instructions

1. Make the sauce. In a medium bowl, whisk together the crushed pineapple with its juice, soy sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes until fully combined.
2. Load the slow cooker. Arrange the chicken thighs in a single layer in the bottom of a 5–6 quart slow cooker. Pour the pineapple sauce evenly over the top.
3. Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 6–8 hours, or on HIGH for 3–4 hours, until the chicken is very tender and pulls apart easily with a fork.
4. Shred the chicken. Remove the chicken to a cutting board and shred with two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and stir to coat in the sauce.
5. Thicken the sauce (optional but recommended). If you’d like a thicker, glossier sauce, whisk the cornstarch and cold water together in a small bowl until smooth, then stir into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for an additional 15–20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
6. Serve. Pile the Hawaiian chicken onto toasted buns or over steamed rice. Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately — ideally outside, in the backyard, surrounded by freshly planted garden beds.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 310 | Protein: 32g | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 28g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 780mg