Oven Baked Pineapple BBQ Chicken (Whole30)

Name: Oven Baked Pineapple BBQ Chicken (Whole30)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 150 min
Ingredients: 5-6 lbs chicken drumsticks; 1 cup pineapple chunks; 1 tsp salt; ½ yellow onion; 4 green onions; 1 bundle of fresh thyme (leaves removed from the stem); 6 cloves garlic; 1/4 cup parsley; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 cup whole30 compliant ketchup; 1/2 cup coconut aminos; 1 tablespoon garlic powder; 1 tablespoon onion powder; 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1 teaspoon fresh ginger (grated); 1 tablespoon Chinese Five Spice; 1/2 cup pineapple juice (no sugar added); 1 teaspoon whole30 compliant spicy brown mustard; 1/2 orange (juiced); 1 tsp salt

Pineapple BBQ Chicken are marinated drumsticks, baked until tender then slated in a sweet, savory homemade sauce. Add this Whole30 friendly Oven Baked Pineapple BBQ chicken to your weekly menu and it is sure to be a hit with the family.

Pineapple BBQ Chicken

I make some kind of large batch chicken dish at least once a week and this one has quickly become a favorite with the kids. I love using drumsticks because they are so kid-friendly. My kids just pick them up and take juicy bite after bite until it is all gone.

Why You’ll Love This Pineapple BBQ Chicken Recipe

Crowd Pleaser: Who doesn’t like BBQ chicken? Whether it is cooked on a grill or in the oven, it’s always goes quick.
Super Flavorful: Kick your barbecue chicken up a notch with an easy homemade BBQ sauce with a touch of tropical flair. With unexpected ingredients like fresh ginger and pure pineapple juice, this sauce is better than any store-bought BBQ sauce I have tried!
Delicious Year Round: Craving BBQ in the middle of winter? Oven baked pineapple BBQ chicken allows you to enjoy the taste of Caribbean barbecue, any time of year. No grill or summer weather required!

a tray of pineapple bbq chicken garnished with cilantro and orange slices

What makes this Pineapple BBQ Chicken Whole30 friendly?

The BBQ sauce in this dish is whole30 friendly because it does not contain any added sugar. To make this recipe whole30 compliant you must use a compliant ketchup or you can make your own ketchup at home and skip the sugar. I also used coconut aminos as a substitute for soy sauce and brought the dish together with pure fruit juices.

Table of Contents[Show All]

Pineapple BBQ Chicken
Why You’ll Love This Pineapple BBQ Chicken Recipe
What makes this Pineapple BBQ Chicken Whole30 friendly?
Ingredients for Pineapple BBQ Chicken
How to Make Pineapple BBQ Chicken
Storage
Tips for the Best Pineapple BBQ Chicken
Frequently Asked Questions
Oven Baked Pineapple BBQ Chicken (Whole30)

Want to learn more about the Whole30 and why I am doing it? Check out my post The Whole30 and me.

Ingredients for Pineapple BBQ Chicken

This recipe has two flavor components: Caribbean green seasoning and a sweet and tangy BBQ sauce made from scratch.

Chicken drumsticks: You can use chicken thighs, chicken breasts, or chicken wings for this recipe but I prefer chicken legs because the dark meat retains moisture and more flavor and they are easy for my kids to grab.
Pineapple chunks: This adds a pop of color and bright citrus flavor that enhances the natural sweetness of this dish.
Salt: To taste.

1/2 cup of green seasoning:

Yellow onion
Green onions
Fresh thyme leaves, removed from the stem
Cloves of garlic
Parsley

1 cup of homemade bbq sauce:

Olive oil: This acts as a binding ingredient.
Whole30 compliant ketchup: Use ketchup as the base for your sauce.
Coconut aminos: This provides a pop of umami flavor without using soy sauce.
Seasoning: Season with garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and Chinese Five Spice.
Fresh ginger: This spice adds a fiery kick of pungent flavor.
Pineapple juice: Use pure pineapple juice, no sugar added.
Whole30 compliant spicy brown mustard: This adds a zesty quality.
Orange: Juiced.
Salt: This enhances the overall taste.

See recipe card for quantities.

How to Make Pineapple BBQ Chicken

Making your own Caribbean Style Pineapple BBQ sauce

close up view of pineapple BBQ sauce in a saucer with some on a wooden spoon

Most Guyanese people whip up homemade BBQ sauce by combining ketchup, Chinese sauce (a locally made hoisin-type sauce), and some citrus or acid (vinegar). But to create this whole30 friendly sauce, I combined Whole30 approved ketchup, coconut amino, spices, pineapple juice and orange juice.

Marinate Chicken Overnight

a baking tray of green seasoning marinated chicken legs

Most Caribbean people I know use green seasoning (a sofrito/pesto type of marinate) in every dish. I am not one of these people but I use it when I am baking chicken. I believe that every dish should have a flavor unique to the dish and sometimes green seasoning can be overpowering.

However, in this case, adding green seasoning to the chicken and marinating it overnight adds great flavor to the chicken. Of course, you can add the seasoning and then bake the chicken immediately after, but I don’t recommend it.

Adding the Pineapple BBQ Sauce to the chicken

basting marinated chicken legs with pineapple bbq sauce

I remove my chicken from the refrigerator 30 minutes before I am ready to bake and let it sit out on my counter so that it can come up to room temperature. Then I add half of the bbq sauce, ensuring to brush it over all of the chicken thighs. Once the chicken is coated in BBQ sauce we are ready to get it to the oven.

basting chicken legs with bbq sauce in a baking sheet

When making oven baked BBQ chicken, I cover the baking dish with aluminum foil for the first half of the baking process. This allows the chicken to cook in its juices which creates a really juicy and tender chicken. Then I remove the aluminum foil and allow the juices to cook down to a delicious and thick BBQ sauce.

After removing the aluminum foil I let the chicken cook for 30 minutes, then I turn all of the drumsticks over and brush with the remaining pineapple BBQ sauce. At this point I also add some chunks of pineapple to the dish.

I don’t add the pineapple at the beginning of the cooking process because something about the pineapple sitting in the raw chicken juices just doesn’t make sense to me. But you can add it at the beginning if you like.

baked pineapple bbq chicken with pineapple chunks in a baking tray

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat leftovers in the oven for the best results.

Tips for the Best Pineapple BBQ Chicken

Don’t skip the marinade. Even if you only marinade for 30 minutes, it makes a difference.
If marinating chicken overnight, remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking and allow the chicken to come up to room temperature. The meat cooks more evenly, resulting in less juices leaking out or evaporating as it bakes.
Don’t add all of the BBQ sauce to the raw chicken. Applying the sauce too early can cause it to burn because most BBQ sauces contain sugars that caramelize and burn at high heat. I add only half before baking and then add the rest later.
Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before serving. Allowing the chicken to rest after cooking gives the juices time to redistribute throughout the meat. If you cut into the chicken immediately after cooking, these flavorful juices may end up on the cutting board instead of inside the meat, making it drier.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does pineapple juice break down chicken?

Yes. Fresh pineapple contains bromelain, an enzyme that tenderizes meat. Don’t use it in a marinade because if left too long, it makes the meat mushy.

Does BBQ sauce tenderize chicken?

BBQ sauce itself does not tenderize chicken in the same way that marinades with acidic ingredients like vinegar or citrus juices do. However, some BBQ sauces contain acidic components like vinegar, which can help break down the proteins in the chicken, making it more tender.

How do you get BBQ sauce to stick to chicken?

For this pineapple BBQ chicken recipe, I brush chicken with half of the BBQ sauce before baking and reserve the other half for later, when the chicken is nearly done.