This Dump-and-Bake Aloha Chicken and Rice is an entire dinner that cooks in one dish! With just 10 minutes of prep you can stir together uncooked rice, raw chicken, and a sweet-and-savory sauce that's finished with crispy bacon. It's an easy weeknight meal that the entire family will love!
This Aloha Chicken and Rice brings together so many of my favorites in one meal -- it's no wonder that the supper has become a regular on our family table!
You seriously can't go wrong with a meal that involves almost ZERO prep work. You don't have to boil the rice, you don't have to pre-cook the chicken, and you don't have to monitor or stir a skillet. Plus, there's only one dish to wash at the end!
How to Make Dump-and-Bake Aloha Chicken and Rice:
Just whisk together a sweet-and-sour sauce, chop up a bell pepper, and dinner is practically done. The raw ingredients all cook together in the oven for the ultimate EASY weeknight dinner!
Let's start with the sauce. You'll need soy sauce, chicken broth, garlic, and brown sugar. Sounds good already, right?!
Whisk together the sauce in your baking dish or in a separate glass bowl.
Now it's time to add the rest of the ingredients for your Aloha Chicken and Rice. You'll need long grain white rice, diced onion (I use frozen pre-diced onion for a shortcut, but fresh onion is fine too), chicken breast, a can of pineapple tidbits, and a red bell pepper.
Stir these raw ingredients into the sauce. You don't need to pre-cook the rice or pre-cook the chicken. Just dump it all into the bowl!
Transfer the mixture to a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish, cover tightly with foil, and bake in a 425-degree F oven for 55 minutes.
I know that it looks like a lot of liquid, but the rice will absorb most of this sauce by the end!
After 55 minutes, remove the foil cover from the dish, stir everything together, and sprinkle chopped, cooked bacon on top. I use a package of fully cooked bacon for a shortcut, but you can cook your own bacon at home if you prefer.
The dish goes back in the oven (uncovered) for about 5-10 more minutes. This will give the bacon a few minutes to get crispy, and it will allow the sauce to thicken.
As the chicken and rice rests for about 5 minutes before serving, the sauce will thicken even more. When it's done, there will hardly be any liquid left in the dish and it will just be a nice, thick combination of tender rice, juicy chicken, and flavorful fruit and veggies!
What to serve with Aloha Chicken and Rice:
This is truly a one dish meal, since it already includes a starch, protein, and vegetables. You really don't need anything more! That said, if you'd like to serve an additional item on the side, try these options:
- Slow Cooker Southern Green Beans
- Light and Fluffy 3-Ingredient Grape Salad
- Strawberry Spinach Salad and Poppy Seed Dressing
- Garlic Roasted Broccoli
COOK'S TIPS AND RECIPE VARIATIONS:
- If you prefer to use brown rice instead of white rice, that will work fine. You will need to increase the baking time to at least 90 minutes, though. This may cause the chicken to dry out slightly, but the recipe will still work.
- Try topping your finished casserole with sliced or chopped peanuts or almonds. That extra salty crunch adds a nice touch to the dish!
- Make sure to cover your dish tightly with foil so that none of the liquid or steam escapes during cooking. The rice needs that liquid to absorb while it bakes.
- If you would rather use fully cooked chicken instead of raw chicken, that will work fine! Just stir in the cooked chicken during the final 10 minutes of baking time (at the same time that you add the bacon on top). This will give the chicken time to heat through without drying it out.
I called this dinner "Aloha Chicken" because of the combination of pineapple, soy sauce, and crispy bacon. It's practically sunshine on a plate!
While I might not be jet-setting to Maui any time soon, I can at least savor the tropical flavors and dream of clear blue ocean water as I enjoy another homemade dinner with my family. Hey, with a meal that's so simple and stress-free, you just might feel like you're on vacation, too!
More Dump-and-Bake Chicken Recipes that You Might also Like:
- Dump-and-Bake Kung Pao Chicken
- Dump-and-Bake Creamy Chicken Penne Pasta
- Dump-and-Bake Healthy Chicken Parmesan
- Dump-and-Bake Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
Dump-and-Bake Aloha Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup lite (or less sodium) soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
- 1 cup diced onion (I use frozen diced onion for a shortcut)
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple tidbits in juice, NOT drained
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins diced into bite-sized pieces
- 6 slices cooked bacon chopped
- Garnish: sliced green onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F (220C). Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- In the prepared dish (or in a separate bowl) whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, and chicken broth. Add uncooked rice, onion, bell pepper, pineapple (with its juice), and raw chicken.
- Cover dish tightly with foil. Bake for 55 minutes. Uncover and give it all a stir.
- Sprinkle with cooked, chopped bacon.
- Return the dish to the oven, uncovered, and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until bacon is crispy and sauce has thickened.
- Let stand 5 minutes before serving (the sauce will continue to thicken as it sits). Garnish with chopped green onions.
Notes
- If you prefer to use brown rice instead of white rice, that will work fine. You will need to increase the baking time to at least 90 minutes, though. This may cause the chicken to dry out slightly, but the recipe will still work.
- Try topping your finished casserole with sliced or chopped peanuts or almonds. That extra salty crunch adds a nice touch to the dish!
- Make sure to cover your dish tightly with foil so that none of the liquid or steam escapes during cooking. The rice needs that liquid to absorb while it bakes.
- If you would rather use fully cooked chicken instead of raw chicken, that will work fine! Just stir in the cooked chicken during the final 10 minutes of baking time (at the same time that you add the bacon on top). This will give the chicken time to heat through without drying it out.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in June, 2017. It was updated in January, 2019.
Wish there was a half star. I had real high hopes for this. After mixing it up and putting in the oven and waiting...take it out and it is a brown blob of crop. Way too salty and the rice in the center was not done. Looked nothing like the picture and the chicken was mealy and an odd texture. Yuck. Wish I had read the reviews. AlsoI am enough of a cook to know not to use 1 cup of soy sauce. More mad at myself. I might make again...love the concept, but will modify the ingredients.
I made this last night. The flavor was amazing, but the rice was still firm and there was a lot of liquid left. I used pineapple chunks instead of tidbits (there were none at the store). Not sure how what to adjust to make it perfect. Loved it enough to try again.
Hi, Cindy! It sounds like you just needed to cook it for a little bit longer. As the rice finishes cooking, it should absorb more liquid and become more tender -- solving both of your issues here. Hope that helps for next time!
I followed the recipe exactly and it was delicious, however your picture looks very bright and appetizing and mine looked very dark like a casserole of baked beans. What could be the difference?
Hi, Bev! I don't know! Maybe the lighting in the photo vs. your kitchen? I'm glad that it tasted good, though! 🙂
I loved the concept of this and made it. Visually and texturally it turned out fine, but I thought the salt level was unbearable. Unfortunately, I can’t justify making this again.
I made this tonight! Since a few others said it was too salty I reduced the soy sauce to a half cup. I also tweeted it a little and added some minced ginger (about a tblsp) and I added a half cup of Orange/pineapple juice …..it turned out really well! Rice was perfect and chicken was moist. I’d definitely make it again!
Thanks, Sophie!
I didn't have an issue with the rice or liquid content as some people reported, but the salt level was way over the top, even using low sodium chicken broth & soy sauce. I should have followed my instincts used less soy sauce and more broth. I left the bacon out of the dish (definitely didn't need that salt content also). The concept was good and I had high hopes, but the saltiness made the meal less than enjoyable.
Made this recipe tonight and was not disappointed! I read in some of the comments that there was extra liquid, so I added about 1/4 cup of extra rice. Next time I will adjust the soy sauce to broth ratio, as it was just a tad salty for my liking. My husband was all about it though! Hahah. Nice dinner change up, thank you for the great idea!
Thanks, Tiffaney!