Upside Down Pineapple Chicken Thighs

These Upside Down Pineapple Chicken Thighs are simmered in a sweet and mildly spicy sauce that’s so good you won’t want to leave any behind!

We’re kind of hooked on this pineapple upside down thing…check out these tasty Pineapple Upside Down Shots and one of our favorite side desserts, these Pineapple Upside Down Whisky Cakes! Don’t think we forgot about the sides, either – this Pineapple Upside Down Sausage Stuffing is one for the books!

The gravy in this Upside Down Pineapple Chicken Thighs recipe is unreal!

A Sweet & Spicy Chicken Thigh Recipe

I’m learning to love that sweet and spicy flavor combination that happens in so many recipes we’ve been making lately. The Sheet Pan Chicken Murphy recipe we made was my first experience with peppadew peppers – and man, it was a good one.

There’s something about that combination of flavors that I really just love, and these Upside Down Pineapple Chicken Thighs are one of the best examples of that! The chicken thighs in this recipe simmer in the most delicious gravy to make them so tender you can cut them with a fork.

Serve this chicken thigh recipe over rice so that you can get every last bit of that delicious pan gravy!

How To Make Upside Down Pineapple Chicken Thighs

Start out by browning the chicken in butter and oil until the skin gets crispy and browned. Don’t skimp on this step, that nice crispy brown skin adds tons of flavor to these chicken thighs when they’re done.

These Upside Down Pineapple Chicken Thighs start by browning the thighs until crispy!

Remove the chicken thighs from the skillet and start the gravy in the same pan, cooking until it gets thickened. The pan gravy is made with pineapple juice, soy sauce, chicken broth and peppadew peppers and I’m telling you, you’re going to love it.

This Upside Down Pineapple Chicken Thighs has the most amazing sweet and spicy sauce!

Add the chicken back to the skillet and cover with some of the gravy, then cover the skillet and let it cook for 20 minutes. So not only is this a crazy good chicken recipe but it’s also a super easy chicken recipe.

Just about 30 minutes to get these tasty chicken thighs on the table!

Upside Down Pineapple Chicken Thighs recipe is the perfect mix of sweet and spicy!

What Side Dish Can You Serve With Chicken?

Let’s not forget about the sides! Chicken recipes are so versatile so you can add lots of side dish recipes!

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Upside Down Pineapple Chicken Thighs recipe is the perfect mix of sweet and spicy!

Upside Down Pineapple Chicken Thighs

  • Author: Dan
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x

A delicious chicken thigh recipe made with a sweet and spicy glaze. This one skillet dinner is not only easy but the flavor will blow you away!

Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 lbs. chicken thighs, skin on
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

For the Gravy

  • 2 tablespoons flour mixed with pan drippings plus 1 more tablespoon butter
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup pineapple juice (you can use the reserved juice from the can of pineapple)
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 20 oz. can pineapple chunks in pineapple juice, drained reserving juice
  • 1 cup peppadew peppers

Instructions

  1. Melt the oil and butter over medium high heat.
  2. Mix the flour, salt and pepper together in a bowl. Coat the chicken with the flour mixture, shaking off the excess, then add the chicken thighs skin side down for 5-8 minutes or until the skin is golden brown. Flip the thighs over and brown for another 5 minutes, then remove from the skillet to a plate.
  3. Add the additional tablespoon of butter to the skillet and the pan drippings. Once melted sprinkle in the flour and whisk until smooth. Cook the flour mixture for a minute then slowly pour in the chicken broth while whisking.
  4. Whisk in the pineapple juice, soy sauce and brown sugar then let come to a boil to thicken. Once the gravy comes to a boil turn the heat down to a simmer.
  5. Simmer the gravy for 5 minutes until thickened then add in the pineapple chunks and peppers.
  6. Add the thighs back to the skillet, skin side up, along with any drippings from the plate. Make sure you get the thighs down into the gravy, then spoon some of the gravy on top before you cover with the lid.
  7. Cover and cook on medium low heat for 20 minutes.
  8. Remove the chicken thighs to a serving platter, pour the gravy over the top of the chicken and serve.
  • Category: dinner
  • Method: stove top
  • Cuisine: American

 

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10 Responses
  1. Carrie

    Not sure where the chicken broth comes into this recipe, as it is never in the directions . I left it out and it came out delicious

    1. Dan

      Carrie, I actually wrote pineapple juice twice. It goes in after the butter/flour mixture. But I’m glad it still came out ok!

    1. Dan

      Sorry about that Cassidy! The first amount of flour is for dredging the chicken, I updated that to make it more clear.

  2. Peter H

    This was a pretty good meal. It has a pretty standard sweet and sour taste. Two stores I went to didn’t have Peppadew peppers so I chose some hot banana peppers that didn’t bring the nice color contrast visually but the sweetness of this recipe really allows for some spice heat to be added, and these were tasty. Also, the gravy was way too liquid, so I removed the chicken peppers and pineapple and simmered the sauce for an Additional 20 minutes to thicken it up. Maybe the recipe could use less chicken broth to start with?






  3. Tracy

    This was easy and delicious plus, I was able to make mine gluten free. I assumed this would end up in the oven but saw that wasn’t in the instructions. I baked it in the oven anyways with baby carrots and cauliflower mix in there for about 35-40 min at 400.






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