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Chipotle Pineapple Chicken with Bang Bang Sauce. We love this recipe! Chicken is cooked in a smoky chipotle-tomato sauce with tamari, garlic, and honey, then roasted on a sheet pan with sweet chunks of pineapple for a tropical, island-inspired twist. Serve everything over bowls of rice with creamy avocado and a drizzle of spicy, tangy, restaurant-style bang bang sauce. It’s vibrant, easy, and delish!
As we inch closer to summer, I’m craving more and more tropical flavors—think Caribbean-inspired dishes that are both spicy and sweet, filled with fresh pineapple and bold sauces.
And, as always, I’m keeping things simple. This recipe is a one-pan wonder—easy, quick, and minimal cleanup. Perfect for busy weeknights or low-effort entertaining.
When I shared this with my family, we all agreed: the flavors are some of our absolute favorites. The inspiration came from a trip we took to Turks and Caicos a few years back. While we were there, we ate our way through tacos, burritos, and lots of dishes featuring chicken, rice, and beans—with so many fun sauces and toppings. That balance of smoky, spicy, and sweet really stuck with me.
This dish is my take on a jerk-style roasted chicken I had at a small local restaurant. It came served over rice with caramelized pineapple and a spicy sauce. I skipped the beans this time to keep things streamlined—but if you love them, they’d be a great addition.
This one’s fun, flavorful, and just a little different. Hope you love it as much as we do!
Here are the details
Ingredients – for the chicken
- tamari – or you can use soy sauce
- vinegar – I use apple cider vinegar
- honey
- tomato paste
- canned chipotle chilies in adobo
- sweet paprika
- fresh thyme
- garlic
- chicken breast or thighs
- fresh pineapple chunks
- salted butter
- sesame seeds
Ingredients – for serving
- steamed rice
- sliced avocado
- sesame seeds
- fresh thyme – basil or cilantro would be yummy too!
Bang bang sauce ingredients
- mayo
- sweet Thai chili sauce
- garlic
- lime zest
Tools
A blender and a sheet pan are all you need!
Step 1: the chicken
Start by arranging the chicken on a sheet pan. Use a pan big enough to also fit the pineapple.
Step 2: make the sauce
For the sauce, everything gets blitzed together in a blender. Tamari, apple cider vinegar, honey, tomato paste, chipotle chilies in adobo, sweet paprika, fresh thyme, and garlic.
Blend the ingredients together into a smooth sauce.
Then pour the sauce over the chicken.
Step 3: bake
Add the pineapple chunks to the sheet pan. Top each piece of chicken with butter and a sprinkle of sesame seeds, then bake.
The chicken will cook for about 25 minutes. As the chicken cooks, the pineapple caramelizes, and the sauce will thicken up.
Step 4: make the bang bang sauce
Mix mayo in a bowl with Thai chili sauce, garlic, and lime zest. You can also add a pinch of salt and pepper or even chili flakes!
This is one of my favorite sauces. The sweet Thai chile sauce is the secret to the deliciousness!
Step 5: assemble
Serve the chicken, pineapple, and sauce over bowls of rice. If you’re feeling fancy, maybe even make some cilantro lime rice. That would be delicious.
Then add slices of avocado and top each bowl with generous spoonfuls of the creamy bang bang sauce. I usually add a squeeze of fresh lime too!
Once together, this becomes one totally delicious bowl!
Looking for more recipes? Here are a few to try:
Crockpot Chipotle Pot Roast Tacos
Spicy Chipotle Honey Salmon Bowls
Chipotle Pineapple Bang Bang Chicken Skewers
Coconut Chicken Fingers with Bang Bang Sauce
Baked Crunchy Hot Honey Chicken
Sheet Pan Honey Garlic Chicken and Feta Potatoes
Sheet Pan Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Buffalo Cauliflower with Spicy Tahini Ranch
Lastly, if you make this Chipotle Pineapple Chicken with Bang Bang Sauce, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Chipotle Pineapple Chicken with Bang Bang Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup tamari/soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice or apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1-3 chipotle chiles in adobo
- 1 tablespoon sweet or smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 pounds chicken breasts or thighs
- 3 cups fresh pineapple chunks
- 2 tablespoons cold, salted butter, sliced
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1 avocado, sliced
- rice, for serving
Bang Bang Sauce
- 1/2 cup mayo or plain Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup sweet Thai chili sauce
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 2 teaspoons lime zest
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Arrange the chicken on a sheet pan.2. In a blender, blend the tamari/soy sauce, vinegar, honey, tomato paste, chipotle, paprika, thyme, salt, and pepper until the chilies are chopped. Pour the sauce over the chicken, tossing to coat. Snuggle the pineapple around the chicken. Top the chicken with butter. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over each piece of chicken. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.3. To make the bang bang sauce, combine all ingredients in a bowl.4. Serve the chicken, sauce, and pineapple over bowls of rice. Add some sliced avocado and fresh thyme. Top with bang bang sauce. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
This came out so juicy and saucy, loved it! Could see me shredding this next time for tacos or something!
Hi Julie,
Awesome! Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have the best week:)
How do I cook it so that the chicken is crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside? The oven made it so it was the same all the way through and, frankly, a bit chewy.
Hi Grant,
Sorry to hear this. You could always pop the broiler on at the end to really crispy up the chicken. You could also grill the chicken, that would be a nice option. I hope this helps for next time!
This recipe rockedddd!! The pineapple is like little bursts of played flavor joy!! We used basmati rice and I’ll definitely be making again!
Hey Jess,
Happy Sunday!! I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed:)
I don’t know how you come up with these combinations, but this was delicious. Thanks so much for a great recipe.
Lol thanks so much, Rachel:) Love to hear this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you making it! Have the best weekend! xx
So bummed the peppers really overpowered it. I would have been so much happier with all the flavors prior to the chipotle peppers. 1-3 is such a large range for an ingredient like this in my opinion. I did 2 and it was just too much and couldn’t taste anything else. I love HBH but this recipe was not for me.
Hi Lindsey,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear you didn’t love it! Xx
Help! Thighs or breasts
Hi Lindsey,
You can use either one for this recipe:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
I made this tonight for my husband and me. It was delicious! Definitely company worthy. I owe a home cooked meal to a neighbor, and I think I’ll make this!
Hi Andrea,
Happy Monday! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, love to hear it was a winner!!
We absolutely LOVED this recipe! I don’t understand how you came up with the idea to put chipotle flavor alongside the quasi Asian/Hawaiian flavors of thai chili, soy sauce, pineapple, etc. but the combination is brilliant and SO yummy! So much rich, complex flavor packed into this simple recipe. Don’t skimp on the thyme, because that is surprisingly delightful as a garnish on top. My husband flipped out over this meal. We will be making it again! 🙂
Thanks a lot, Liv! I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, love to hear it turned out well!🌼
I made this tonight and it is a HIT!! All of the flavors meld so well. It is complex and delicious and just the right amount of heat and sweet! It’s moving to our top 10 go-tos for sure!! It was simply incredible and super easy to put together!! Thank you!!
Hey Eliza,
Awesome! Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have the best week:)
You forgot to say what to do with the four cloves of garlic. Assume they are for the sauce but followed recipe and chicken was already in the oven when I realized those instructions were left out.
Hi Connor,
So very sorry to hear this! The garlic is added in step 2. I hope everything tasted okay! Have a great weekend! xx
This turned out really well, except that the sauce burnt pretty badly on my sheet pan. Good thing it was nonstick, but still a mess and hard to clean. As other people have suggested, you might want to adjust the directions to show that the garlic goes into the blender in step 2. In any case, a delicious recipe that I’m sure I’ll be making again!
Hi Helen,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe! Sorry to hear about your sauce sticking to the pan. So glad the chicken was enjoyed! xx
Made this recipe last night. It was great! However I missed adding the garlic to the sauce because it’s missing in the instructions. Plenty of garlic flavor in the Bang Bang sauce. Will make this again.
Hi Judy,
Fantastic!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and your feedback, I’m so glad to hear it was enjoyed! x
This was sooooo good!!!
Thanks so much, Brandi!! Love to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Happy Sunday! xT
Another delicious meal. My family loved this one. Will def keep in the rotation
Hi Diego,
Happy Sunday!💐💕 Love to hear this recipe was a hit, I appreciate you making it and your comment! xx
Made this tonight it’s a big hit! Love how all of the flavors came together. Thanks for another great recipe Tieghan!
Hi Shiloh,
Amazing! So glad this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for making it! Have a wonderful weekend!💐
We really enjoyed this tonight! Especially love the chipotle flavor coming through on the chicken—delicious. The Bang Bang sauce was an excellent offset to the smoky spicy sauce on the meat. I added some halved shallots on the baking sheet. Great recipe!
Hi Lucy,
Happy Thursday! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe and your feedback, love to hear it was a winner! x