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Grilled Huli Huli Chicken is a five star recipe! The marinade is quick and easy and full of such amazing flavor! You will make this again and again!
Grilling season is coming and I could not be more excited! Grilling can bring out the best in foods, try these favorites, Chicken, Asparagus, and Shrimp!
Huli Huli Chicken Recipe
This Huli Huli Chicken has been on my list of things to make for years now. I am kicking myself for not making it until now. We loved it so much we grilled it three nights in a row. Huli Huli originated in Hawaii and has quickly become a restaurant staple. Now you can make this at home. When my hubby took his first bite of this chicken he said it tastes exactly like our favorite restaurant. It is honestly one of the best things that we have grilled to date.
The marinade is quick and easy with a few ingredients and the flavor will blow your mind. I marinaded the chicken overnight so that it could soak up all that delicious flavor. You reserve some of the sauce to baste the chicken with while it grills. The sauce is thick and delicious and coats the chicken perfectly as it grills. We love to grill at our house and this recipe needs to be at the top of your list! It was incredibly grilled with our favorite grilled pineapple recipe. This recipe is easily a five-star recipe that you will make again and again. We already can’t wait to make it again!
What You Need for Grilled Huli Huli Chicken
Everything can be found at your local grocery store, look for fresh ginger in the produce section.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs: You can use chicken breasts but they can dry out and not be as flavorful.
- Unsweetened Pineapple Juice: You can find this in the canned fruit section sometimes as well as the juice section of your grocery store.
- Soy sauce: Low Sodium soy sauce will work here too.
- Brown Sugar: The sugar will caramelize the chicken and gives it a beautiful flavor.
- Ketchup: This will add flavor and richness.
- Chicken Broth: Adds flavor to the marinate, look for low sodium if you desire.
- Fresh Ginger Root Grated: I can often find the ginger in the produce section of my grocery store.
- Minced Garlic: Fresh minced garlic is best but you can used jarred to save a bit of time.
- Green Onions: Sliced for garnish.
Let’s Make Some Grilled Chicken!
Super simple and easy, but big on flavor, this is going to become a staple in your grilling rotations.
- Marinate: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, chicken broth, ginger, and garlic. Reserve 1 cup sauce for basting. Add the chicken thighs and sauce to a ziplock bag and marinate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
- Grill It: Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat for 6-8 minutes on each side or until no longer pink. Baste occasionally with reserved marinade during the last 5 minutes. Garnish with green onions if desired
The Best Huli Huli Chicken Tips
With all grilled foods there are some do’s and don’ts to make sure it is the best tasting chicken you have ever had.
- Chicken: What kind of chicken you use matters. When you are grilling the possibility of losing moisture is more likely. You want to cook your chicken to 165 degrees without drying it out. It is best to use chicken thighs because they have dark meat which is naturally moister and has a bit more fat. You can use breasts but you want to pound them out the same thickness so they cook evenly and pull them off the grill when they are about 162, they will continue to cook while resting.
- Rest Your Chicken: To help the chicken retain its moisture and flavor you want to let your chicken rest after it is done cooking. This gives the chicken time to redistribute the juices, leaving more inside than on your plate. This is true for any meat you grill. Let it rest covered with foil for about 10 minutes.
- Marinade: Make sure you reserve marinade to baste the chicken once on the grill. Do not use the marinade the raw chicken sat in. It will spread bacteria and possible food poisoning.
- Do Not Have A Grill? No worries, you can still enjoy this incredible dish by cooking the chicken in the oven at 400 for 20 min or in a pan on the stovetop.
Popular Sides For Huli Huli Chicken
Grilled main dishes are a great spring and summer staple. Add sides that compliment your dish and highlight the season. Here are some tried and true recipes to try when serving your Huli Huli Chicken.
- One of our favorites is to simply serve this with grilled pineapple, rice, and stir-fried vegetables.
- Make a large batch and serve at a potluck with Summer Corn Salad, Bacon Ranch Pasta or Tuscan Pasta Salads.
- Keep it fresh by serving fresh fruit and vegetables with dip.
- Have a few fun appetizers or side dishes to liven the party. We love Vegetable Egg Rolls, Easy Cream Cheese Wontons, and Fried Rice.
Storing and Using Your Huli Huli Leftovers
I love this recipe, because you make a lot and they make the best leftovers! It is like it tastes better the next day.
- Store leftovers tightly covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can freeze the chicken in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Use leftovers to top some of your favorite salads, like Broccoli Ramen Salad, or add to a Buddha Bowl.
More Grilling Fun
Even if you do not have a grill, these recipes can be made in the oven or in a pan on the stove top. These are full of flavor, and grilling brings out the best in them. Grilling keeps the heat out of the kitchen too, which is nice on those warm summer nights. Grilling is great for big gatherings and potlucks. Grab one these recipes for your next BBQ.
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Grilled Huli Huli Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs chicken breasts also work
- 1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger root grated
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
- green onions sliced for garnish
Instructions
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, chicken broth, ginger and garlic. Reserve 1 cup sauce for basting. Add the chicken thighs and sauce to a ziplock bag and marinate at least 3 hours or overnight.
- Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat for 6-8 minutes on each side or until no longer pink. Baste occasionally with reserved marinade during the last 5 minutes. Garnish with green onions if desired
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
A Reader’s Review
“Absolutely delicious! Easy and many ways to eat it. Last evening we skewered the chicken!” -Tricia
I thought it was unsanitary to baste with marinade that raw chicken had been soaking in? Any thoughts on this? It looks delicious though!!
Read the recipe again. !t calls for reserving one cup of marinade for basting. Thus this one cup is not used to marinate the chicken and is safe to use to baste the chicken as it cooks for the last five minutes.
I’m pretty sure they used the reserved one cup to baste with!
Well, how about heating the marinade to simmer and hold it that way for 15 min. and that will kill any bacteria in it. That will also reduce the marinade and make it a little thicker. Beside if you are grilling the temp of the grill should kill any bacteria in it. The temp should be about 350° over the grill. It’ll be ok.
I marinated the chicken over night in a zip lock bag. I make it around 7 at night and then bring it out to grill the next day at 5. I grill the chicken and use what’s in the bag to baste several times during the final stages of cooking. Whether it’s supposed to be good for you or not, this is a family favorite I have made at least 10 times in 3 months. My daughter has her own family but when they come over for dinner this is one of the most requested dinners. Her in laws love it too and they are Hawaiian. Move to California after about 20 years and they love my Huli Huli chicken
My chicken is falling apart and kinda slimy is that normal? I marinated over night plus 6 hours
Ummm that might just be your chicken? It shouldn’t be falling apart and marinating it shouldn’t affect it.
No good for those who need nutrition info.
Plug the ingredients into any recipe builder you find online.
I gave this four stars on trust and the fact that it looks terrific… I have some thighs marinating right now! Pretty close to sweet & sour, but no vinegar except what’s in the kitchen. My only problem will be letting it marinate long enough before I cook it!!
that’s supposed to be ketchup, not kitchen… duh
This recipe looks very good! However, it is not Huli Huli chicken. Huli Huli is a cooking method, not a recipe. It is very simply rotisserie half-chicken, cooked over a bed of kiawe wood coals for hours. It is wonderful to drive around the island on weekends and catch the scent & follow it to the parking lot source to a neighborhood fund raiser. Best chicken ever!
True. huli huli is Hawaiin for “turn”. The chickens are placed on long rotisserie racks across a table with coals or gas. The chicken is constantly turned. There is a spe ific recipe used for this chicken.
Exact translation is Turn Around. I lived on Oahu for 7 yrs. This is probably my most favorite way to have chicken. It is also cooked with indirect heat mostly and right at the end moved over the coals to sear the chicken. Fran O. is correct about the Kiawe wood coals. Any hardwood will work, but Kiawe gives it a particular taste that other hardwoods can’t. There used to be a spot along side the road to Wiame Bay that this local guy would set up his rotisserie and food truck. He served this with cooked rice and grilled pineapple. It’s was to die for.
I had huli huli in Maui and can’t wait to make this. But I would not make it with skinless and boneless thighs. I think it would be better with the skin and bone….more flavor.
Has anyone made this using thighs with the skin still on??
3rd time I have made this, always go back to this recipe, simply delicious and simple. Thanks for sharing!
Amazing! The perfect summer chicken recipe, although I plan to make it all year long. I made this for a dinner get together and my guests loved it. All those different flavors combine into one delicious, not to mention beautiful, chicken recipe. The grilled pineapple alongside it was awesome as well. Thank you so much for helping me be a wonderful hostess with your delicious recipe.
My husband accidentally bought regular pineapple juice in these little cans. Do you think this recipe would work out with sweetened pineapple juice? I LOVE this recipe, by the way!!!! It’s always a hit at our bbq’s!! I just never made it with sweetened pineapple juice and am worried how it’ll turn out.
I think it will still turn out great!
Do it, it will be awesome!
Has anyone tried an oven baked/broiled version of this? I miss out on so many recipes because, as sacrilegious as it is, I don’t have grill!
They have little tinfoil disposable grills, with charcoal already in it, for like $4 at the grocery store. lol Splurge, have a grill night!
I marinated it overnight then patted it dry & seared it in a pan with oil then baked it for 425 for maybe 15 minutes. I didn’t bother basting though. I just reduced the marinade in the pan I seared the chicken in. It turned out good but s little too salty. Maybe use reduced sodium soy sauce.
We cannot grill outside. How would this work in a grill pan or baked?
Buy a small grill!
I bake Hawaiian chicken in the oven all the time. Buy bone in thighs skin on, but trim the excess fat off. Bake at 350 skin side down, turn chicken and cook for another 30 minutes. The sauce is good over rice if you use a blaster to get under the fat and since it’s been cooked it’s sake to eat now, unlike if you BBQ.
To clarify…..are you saying, bake skin side down for 30 minutes, then turn chicken and back for another 30 minutes (total of an hour?)
I am can’t find where you are seeing that? You grill for about 6-8 minutes in the instructions.
It is just one cup. You alternate the flour mixture and milk as you mix it in to the butter mixture.
HI! MY NAME IS ELENI. I JUST READ YOUR QUESTION ,ABOUT GRILLING INDOORS. I HAVE AN INDOOR “SMOKELESS” (IT ISNT) GRILL THAT YOU PUT WATER IN A TRAY UNDER THE GRILL TO CATCH THE DRIPPING FAT.ALSO, WITH THIS RECIPE YOU ALSO HAVE TO WATCH OUT FOR SUGAR, WHICH COULD IGNITE. I ALMOST BURNED MY HOUSE DOWN WITH AN HIBACHI, ON THE WOODEN PORCH.EVEN THOUGH I HAD IT MOUNTED ONTOP OF 4 BRICKS ON EACH SIDE, THE RADIANT HEAT WAS ENOUGH TO IGNITE THE PITCH IN THE WOOD. MY NEIGHBOR BURNED THE FRONT OF HER HOUSE WITH AN HIBACHI .I DONT SEE WHY YOU COULDNT BAKE THEM ON A COOKIE SHEET COVERED WITH ALUMINUM FOIL.I ALWAYS USE A BIG PIECE. OF FOLDED WAX PAPER TO KEEP THE FOIL OFF MY FOOD. IT WORKS GREAT. PUNCH HOLES OR SLITS IN IT TO LET THE STEAM ESCAPE. AND BROIL UNCOVERED FOR 2 OR 3 MINUTES AT THE END. I CANT WAIT TO MAKE THIS RECIPE.!!!!!
It has to be grilled. We just made it in the oven and it looks horrendous. The sauce is all brown and looks disgusting. 🙁
Try an air fryer
I have to say that I made this for dinner tonight with about 2#s of chicken. I wish now that I had made the full for because my six year old was asking to eat it again tomorrow night. Lol. It was great! Thank you!
As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew this is what I wanted to try for Mother’s Day. I knew my sister-in-law and I would love it, and, well, if our hubbies and my grown son and nephew didn’t, oh well! After all. It was for MOTHER’s Day! Well…… this is my new most favourite way to have chicken, and everyone was SOOO in love with it that my hubby declared that it was to be made for Father’s Day too! On a scale of 1-10, I’m fairly confident that this comes in at a solid 63! The taste from the marinade is ahhhhhh-mazing, and although the chicken is heavenly on its own, the grilled pineapple takes it to a whole other level. Neither my son nor my bro-in-law like pineapple, but after hearing the raves from the rest of us, they both decided to ‘give ‘er a go’ and then helped themselves to seconds and even THIRDS! Once again, I must thank you for sharing your talent with us, and please don’t ever stop!
This was really good! Prep time was minimal. Recipe adjusted nicely for less than 4 pounds of chicken. Will make again!
Would bone in chicken breast work? I tend to dry out boneless breast. Thank you!
Ive tried bone in chicken breast and they turned out great! They just take a little longer on the grill!
Hey girl this looks so yummy!