What is Huli Huli Chicken
Huli Huli Chicken is not something I grew up eating, and that is a shame! This grilled marinated chicken dish that originated in Hawaii is absolutely delicious. It is the perfect combination of salty (from soy sauce) and sweet (from pineapple juice and brown sugar) and smoky (from the grill). Even the charred pieces of skin are delicious and will have you coming back for more. “Huli huli” means “turn turn” (or “rotate” or “flip over”) in Hawaiian, and that is exactly what you do when you cook Huli Huli Chicken. You flip the chicken more times than I would normally tell you to flip grilled chicken, and this simulates cooking on a rotisserie, helping to cook the chicken evenly and to not burn the sweet marinade.
What kind of Chicken to Use
This recipe is a crowd pleaser and as such, I like to use both white and dark meat to suit everyone’s tastes. The easiest way to do that is to use a whole chicken. Yes, you can buy a whole chicken cut into pieces at the market, but it’s really easy to break a whole chicken down yourself at home too. I prefer to buy whole chickens and cut them into pieces or leave them whole depending on what I decide to cook. After all, you can cut up a whole chicken, but you can’t put a cut up chicken back together again! You can see a step-by-step lesson on how to cut up a chicken in this article in the cooking school. You could also spatchcock the chicken and flip the whole chicken over several times as you grill it. Here’s how to spatchcock a chicken. Then again, if you only like white meat, feel free to just use bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, or bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs if you prefer dark meat. You decide!
What Ingredients are in Huli Huli Chicken
The main or most important ingredient in Huli Huli chicken is pineapple juice. That makes sense since pineapples are in such abundance in Hawaii. Pineapple has a distinct and sweet flavor that permeates through this dish right to the end, so don’t substitute (unless you want to make a different chicken dish). You’ll also add soy sauce, brown sugar, ketchup and rice wine vinegar, along with some grated ginger and garlic. All in all, this combination of flavors can’t lose.
How Long to marinate?
The marinade for Huli Huli chicken is so flavorful that it can still flavor the chicken with just a few hours of marinating time. Four hours is your minimum and overnight would be your maximum time for keeping the chicken in the marinade. However, you can freeze the chicken in its marinade and save it for another night’s dinner. This is handy if you want to have the ability to pull a really quick meal together some summer night. Store the chicken in a freezer (not storage) zipper sealable bag or an airtight container. The more air you can get out of the storage vessel, the better. Freeze it for up to two months and let it thaw in your refrigerator before you grill.
When to baste?
It’s important to remember that there is a significant amount of sugar in the recipe and sugar burns easily. That’s why turning the chicken often is actually a good idea for this recipe. Try to grill the chicken over indirect heat (on a side away from the coals if using charcoal or over a turned off burner if using a gas BBQ). Let the skin side sit on the grill for 8 to 10 minutes to start and then baste and flip the chicken every 5 minutes or so, making sure to watch how dark the chicken is getting. Honestly, if it gets dark it’s not a disaster. A little char on the chicken is all part of the dish and tastes great. Baste the chicken with the warm sauce one more time as you serve it. Huli Huli chicken really is all about the sauce.
What to serve with Huli Huli Chicken
If you’re outside and not planning on doing any indoor cooking, serve Huli Huli chicken with some cool salads like a classic potato salad or this cucumber salad. Otherwise, it’s perfect with some basmati rice or mashed potatoes with a side salad. A cool refreshing beer alongside is not a bad idea either!
Unfortunately I live in a condo that only allows electric grills. I would love to make this but wonder if there are any adjustments for using an electric grill.
Hi Annette. There are no specific adjustments for using an electric grill – you just need to be flexible with your timing. If your grill has a hot zone and a cool zone, try to cook the chicken in the medium cool area – you want to give the chicken time to cook through before the outside burns. Keep your eyes on it and flip it when it starts to get too brown.
Amazing
Holy moly huli huli…..mouth wateringly delicious!! It’s being added to our summer rotation!!!
Made this for dinner tonight. Will definitely make it again! Very good!
I took the liberty of adding a tbs of dijon mustard to the marinade and had to substitute white wine vinegar for the rice wine vinegar because I was out of rwv and I balanced the ingredients to my taste, but the chicken came out moist, bursting with flavor and a wallapalooza of sweet and sour goodness. Love this recipe!
The recipes all look, but I am looking for a good salmon patty recipe
Hi Sallie. I have a salmon burger recipe here: https://bluejeanchef.com/recipes/lemon-dill-salmon-burger/
ML
I used boneless chicken thighs. Everyone loved it. Keep them coming Meredith.
What if you don’t have a grill? I live in a apt but want to make this chicken. What is the best way to cook it indoors?
Hi May. I would cook it in the oven at 400ºF, flipping and basting it several times during the cooking process. Timing will depend on the size of your chicken pieces, but I would guess at least 30 minutes. You can turn the broiler on for added color at the end if needed.
My husband took one bite and called this Maui Wowie chicken! This is incredibly tasty. The weather was not conducive to grill outside, so after marinating, I baked it in a 325 oven uncovered until it was almost done then finished it in my cast iron grill pan, flipping and basting, basting and flipping. I made a veg-rice stir fry for a side and everyone was in the Clean Plate Club tonight! I’m making this once a week. Thanks Meredith for another winner.
Delicious! Will def add to the summer rotation!
Delicious! Made this for a dinner party and everyone loved it! It’s definitely going on the grilling rotation. The sauce is really what makes it so special. We served it with Hawaiian macaroni salad and some cut vegetables & pineapple.
Can this be done in an oven or cast iron grill? It so what temperature would the oven be?
You could make this recipe using a cast iron grill pan on the stovetop over medium high heat and then transfer it to a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Huli huli chicken was fantastic. What I grilled turned out exactly like the photos. The flavor was amazing. I would highly recommend.
This is amazing, I’ve made this a few times now and it’s a hit
This sounds delicious. I have a concern about the marinade. The raw chicken has been marinating. I am hesitant to use after the raw chicken has been marinate. If you cook the marinade does that make the marinade safe to eat?
Yes, the marinade will be safe to eat if you cook it. You will need to bring the marinade to a full boil in order to kill any bacteria from the chicken. Then let it simmer for at least 10 minutes until it thickens. It is then good to use as your basting sauce.
Sorry I do not have a grill…Can I airfry or bake?
An air fryer would be good to make the skin on the chicken crispy. You could air fry it at 370°F for 15 to 22 minutes or bake at 375°F for about 25 to 30 minutes.
I don’t have an outdoor grill so I used a raised grill pan and baked the chicken skin side up in the oven at 400 degrees until they turned a beautiful mahogany color and the internal temperature was 160 degrees. The Sauce! It was amazing! This recipe is going to be a favorite for a long, long time.
Can you Rotisserie a whole chicken instead of using parts? Or cut up chicken? Thanks
The chicken in this recipe needs to be marinated so it doesn’t really work with a whole chicken, but you certainly cut up a whole chicken and then marinate the chicken pieces.
We have a Traeger Smoker, do you think I could make this on the smoker grill? What temperature? Love your recipes!
Yes, you can grill this chicken on a Traeger. You’ll want to grill it at 350°F to 450°F It’s best to grill over indirect heat since you will be turning and basting the chicken during the grilling process.