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Easy Hawaiian Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner

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This Easy Hawaiian Chicken sheet pan dinner packs simple ingredients, a tropical flare, & tons of flavor! This simple 30 minute meal is perfect for your busy weeknight. With a rainbow of colors, and fresh delicious flavors of coconut and lime, this is a meal that your whole family will love. Inspired by Princess Moana, this sheet pan chicken breast recipe is perfect for teaching kids to love new foods.

This easy sheet pan dinner boasts simple fresh ingredients,  a tropical flare, and tons of awesome flavor! Ready in just 30 minutes, this is the perfect meal for any weeknight of the year! 
A black and white bowl of Polynesian chicken

 

A black and white bowl of Polynesian chicken with a Moana doll on a wooden table

 

 

This easy sheet pan chicken breast recipe is perfect for those busy weeknights when you need a quick and easy dinner that is loaded with great flavor! This Easy Hawaiian Chicken is definitely not boring! With colorful veggies like red peppers, red onions, and sweet potatoes to create interesting flavor and textures, and juicy pineapple chunks, this meal explodes with tropical flavor. Sprinkle the tender chicken with shredded coconut and a squeeze of lime juice and you have yourself a delicious meal the whole family is going to love!

 

Something super magical happens when you roast veggies and fruit, and this recipe is no exception. With minimal seasonings, and a little bit of roasting time, the ingredients are really allowed to shine here. Each ingredient is perfectly cooked, fantastically flavored, and soooo easy. My children gobbled this meal up happily, even though there was lots of joking that they were eating Her-Hei (you totally have to keep it real, right? LOL).

A cartoon drawing of a woman feeding soup to a little girl in a princess costume while another little girl in a princess costume slices a red onion

Welcome to the Eat Like A Princess Series!

I designed this series as a fun way to teach my daughters about new cultures through the Disney Princesses in hopes that they will become more open to trying new foods, to understand other cultures better, and to enjoy exploring the world around them. And still staying within the 30 minute weeknight dinner theme. You can see other recipes in this series here, including:

 

**Note: This recipe is not intended to be 100% authentic. Moana is a fictional princess (errr.. chief’s daughter ) who lives in a made-up land called Motunui which is loosely based on Polynesian culture. This recipe is intended to be easy enough that children can help you prepare it by chopping up vegetables and adding final touches. It is my hope that it is interesting enough to pique their interest in new cultures and foods without being too intense or weird. 

 

 

A black and white bowl of Polynesian chicken on a wooden table

 

“Moana! Make Way, Make Way!”

I think Moana will go down in history as my favorite Disney movie EVER. Seriously, what is not to love? Moana is a spunky and brave girl who follows her heart, who loves her family and culture deeply, and who is not afraid to do what needs to be done. Plus I love how they add tons of cultural touches into the movie. And hey, no prince!!!

 

A black and white bowl of Polynesian chicken with a bowl of pineapple on a wooden table

 

How to Make This Hawaiian Chicken Recipe Easy:

This meal is super easy to make! There are really only a few steps – prep the produce, make the marinade, chop the chicken, and then toss everything together and bake! It is a great meal for those busy weeknights! 

How to Prep Hawaiian Chicken Sheet Pan Ahead of Time:

  1. Chop your veggies ahead of time (or buy them pre-cut in the produce section of your grocery store) and store them in air-tight containers in the fridge.
  2. Add the marinade ingredients to a glass jar with a lid. Store in the fridge until you are ready to make (up to 1 day) and then just shake them all together again before you use it.
  3. Buy your chicken cut into chicken tender strips instead of in big breasts.
  4. Serve with microwave pouches of rice, or use your rice cooker (affiliate link) to prepare the rice without thinking about it.

 

 

A black and white bowl of Polynesian chicken with a Moana necklace on a wooden table

 

How to Make Easy Hawaiian Chicken Kid Friendly:

This chicken breast sheet pan recipe is totally a kid-friendly meal! With familiar flavors and beautifully colored ingredients, this is a simple meal that helps to expand their palates in easy ways. Plus, Moana would have totally eaten this and loved it! A little peer pressure works wonders, huh?

 

Tips on Family Dinner Conversations:

Dinner time is more than cleaning your plate! Its also a perfect time to engage with your kids about what you are eating in an easy and stress-free way. Use these conversation starters to help open up a conversation about this Easy Hawaiian Chicken Sheet Pan:

  • Talk about where Moana was from, what the weather was like, and how this was a food she enjoyed eating. (*Note: So yes. This is chicken, just like HeiHei. They make a note to say in the movie that they eat both pork and chicken on the island of Motunui – its kind of a fact of life. )
  • Talk about the textures, flavors, and smells of the vegetables, pineapple, chicken and rice. Which is the chewiest? Which is the sweetest?
  • Ask questions about what their favorite part of the meal is, what they would like to change next time, and what would make it better for them (a dipping sauce? different vegetables?).

 

How to Serve Hawaiian Chicken:

This chicken breast recipe is a great meal to serve to kids of all ages! The vegetables and pineapple are cooked to soft, so they are easy to chew for little ones just starting table foods. Chicken and rice are also really great foods for all ages, and there is nothing here that is too much of a stretch that is intimidating for kids to try. This is a complete meal, with protein, vegetables, a starch/grain, and fruit all in one! You don’t need anything else with it! 

  • For Babies and Toddlers – cut the veggies and chicken into bite sized pieces and serve each component in its own little pile (so a pile of pineapple, a pile of rice, a pile of red peppers, etc). 
  • For Preschoolers – Serve this meal in a graduated deconstructed state. I would still recommend pulling the chicken out and serving the chicken and rice in their own piles. If you feel the cooked pineapple might not go over well, you can serve some fresh on the side. Leave the vegetables all mixed together, so that they start to learn that it is ok if some food is touching others. Ask them to sprinkle on their own shredded coconut.
  • For Older Kids – Use some discretion here on how your kids eat best. If they would eat best with this in semi-separate piles, go ahead and pull out the chicken from the veggies and serve beside the rice. If they can handle foods touching each other, go ahead and serve it similarly to how you would serve it for yourself.
  • For Adults – Serve this chicken sheet pan alongside rice on your plate! Sprinkle liberally with shredded coconut and serve with lime wedges. 

 

 

A black and white bowl of Polynesian chicken

 

Kids in the Kitchen:

One of the best ways to get kids interested in eating new foods (besides making food inspired by their favorite characters, books, and movies…) is to get them involved! Here are some easy ways your kids can help you cook this Hawaiian chicken breast sheet pan:

  • Kids aged 1-3 can help you wash and dry the produce, measure out ingredients, and shake up the marinade. They can also be in charge of garnishing with coconut shreds and wedges of lime on everyone’s plate.
  • Kids aged 4-6 can help you do everything above, slice the pineapple and peppers into chunks and help toss the ingredients together.
  • Kids aged 7-10+ can help you do everything above, plus help prepare the rice.

*Please note that these recommendations are generalized, and to please use your personal discretion with your child’s skill level. And always, always supervise! Read more about how to have your children help you in the kitchen.

 

Try these other fun Hawaiian inspired recipes:

 

 

A black and white bowl of Polynesian chicken

Hawaiian Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner

This easy sheet pan dinner boasts simple fresh ingredients,  a tropical flare, and tons of awesome flavor! Ready in just 30 minutes, this is the perfect meal for any weeknight of the year! 
4.86 from 7 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: 30 Minute Meal
Cuisine: Hawaiian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories: 459kcal
Author: Jenni

Ingredients

  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite sized pieces
  • 2 cups fresh pineapple diced in chunks
  • 1 medium red bell pepper diced
  • 1 medium green beer pepper diced
  • 1 large sweet potato peeled and sliced into coins
  • 1 medium red onion sliced into thick slices
  • 1 TBSP toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 TBSP brown sugar
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 TBSP unsweetened shredded coconut
  • juice from 1/2 lime
  • *Serve with Rice.

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 400 Degrees F.
  • Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.
  • Place the chicken, pineapple, peppers, and potatoes onto the baking sheet.
  • Drizzle with the oils, sprinkle with salt and pepper and brown sugar and toss to coat.
  • Evenly spread in a single layer on the baking sheet.
  • Bake for 15 minutes, then stir, and then bake for an additional 10 minutes.
  • Squeeze with the lime juice and sprinkle with the coconut.
  • Serve with rice
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 1Cup | Calories: 459kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 138mg | Sodium: 329mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 23g

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23 Comments

  1. Annie @ Annie's Noms says:

    This looks SO wonderful and I love how easy it is to make. It’s great to get kids involved at an early age too! I can’t wait until my nephew is old enough to help me in the kitchen!

  2. Julia @ Happy Foods Tube says:

    I love your Eat Like a Princess mission :). What a great idea! No wonder you loved it – it looks delicious! 🙂

  3. What a fun post! This looks so yummy, I love pineapple!

  4. Christine | Mid-Life Croissant says:

    Love that you use the thigh. My favorite part. And now I will have Moana songs in my head all day. Which I’m just fine with.

  5. Oh my goodness, adorable and delicious! I love it!! The chicken sounds so great and I love a one pan meal!

  6. Yum! I love all the colors and how easy this is to put together. Moana is a favorite with my kids and I bet they would love this.

  7. Ashley @ Wishes & Dishes says:

    I love sheet pan dinners! Love this idea.

  8. Megan @ MegUnprocessed says:

    30-minute meals are the best! Everyone needs a great recipe that is quick and easy!

  9. Jennifer Farley says:

    This is so fun! I love how easy to recipe is.

  10. So cute! I can’t say we lived Moana (although we like the music)! But I’d eat this every day!

  11. This looks so delicious and I just love how you made it tied to the movie! What a fun idea for your girls, and I am sure that they were so excited to try it! What a great quick meal!

  12. Lane & Holly @ With Two Spoons says:

    I love this series! So cute!

    1. Thank you! We are really enjoying creating it!

  13. This is just such a great idea. And I love sheet pan dinners! I have to start being better about getting my girls helping me prepare food. I do better at breakfast time with them making pancakes and scrambling eggs and such but by dinnertime my patience is more exhausted and I just never get them in there with me. Thanks for setting a good example and reminding me how important it is!

  14. We loooove Moana around here! It is the only movie I have actually sat down and watched more than once since I was a kid, and my kids have that soundtrack going day and night (and day and night, and day and night…) 🙂 I showed my daughter the photo and told her we could eat the same food as Moana, and she is super excited 🙂

  15. Ashleigh @ Dash of Evans says:

    We are also loving Moana and I love this meal idea! Chicken thighs are so delish! I showed my twins this and it’s on our meal plan now. YUM!

  16. Such a fun idea! I love cooking with my niece… we’ll have to try this!

  17. We love your cooking series! Moana is such a cute movie (we watched it like 10 times) and this dish is delicious!!! YUM!!!!

  18. Princess or not, a VERY tasty meal!

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