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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
Made it with chicken breast and with tofu. Both excellent.
Prefer the chicken but that’s usually the case for me, anyway.
can this be cooked in the oven or under a stove broiler
Yes, I recommend cooking it on the grill for the best flavor and texture but if you need it in the oven you can bake it at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 20 minutes and flip over until it is cooked until the internal temperature is 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Made this over the weekend and was well received by the entire family. The mixture of flavours in this dish makes you wanting more.
Will be making it again. Love it!
Could this marinade be used for pork too?
I haven’t tried it on pork but I don’t see why not. Let me know how you like it.
love new marinades, especially for chicken, since it usually needs some flavor enhancement, so thank you!
It looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it. Just one question: Do you think it would turn out ok if you put the chicken and marinade in a bag and froze it? I am working ridiculous hours and need things in the freezer I can grab and air fry. Any thoughts?
Oh, and thank you for a great website! I love to see your emails in my in box! Always find something so tasty and quick!
This is my go to camping dish when I serve a big meal for the group – 20 people- I make it in advance, put the chicken and marinade in big zip locks, freeze it and then it it also acts like a freezer block in to cooler as well. Take it out to thaw before you cook. Still tastes awesome. I save some of the marinade and reduce it to baste with. Winner winner chicken dinner.
Absolutely delicious! Easy and many ways to eat it. Last evening we skewered the chicken!
One of the other comments said “so glad you included pineapple juice”. Just because a dish is Hawaiian doesn’t mean it has pineapple in it. Most traditional Hawaiian dishes don’t have pineapple in them. The rest of the marinade seems to be very good and the chicken looked very good.
“Just because a dish is Hawaiian doesn’t mean it has pineapple in it”… family is from the Big Island; most people put pineapple in it. Also I wouldnt really call this a traiditional dish as it was first created in the 30s when cultures started blending because of all the people that came to work in the cane fields.
Great recipe! Reminds me of home.
Tim, you can say that about every ethnic recipe. There are some dishes that just work better with that “special’ ingredient. Huli Huli is one of those meals. Creole vs Cajun for example. Creole recipes use a lot of tomatoes but not Cajun recipes. But there are some Cajun recipes that do call for tomatoes and it would not be the same if excluded.
Good recipe!
The recipe gets 5 stars, the ads? Seriously? Corporate sites don’t have as much detritus and distractions.
So glad your recipe has included pineapple juice. Most Huli Huli recipes leave it out. We love this meal and have made it dozens of time.
Sorry, forgot the rating. 5*
Love this. Thank you!!
This may be the best darn chicken grill recipe I’ve ever had. The marinade caramelized as the chicken grilled. I cut up zucchini, red and yellow peppers, onion, broccoli, carrots & mushrooms and grilled them with a soy, garlic and fresh ground ginger.
The pineapple makes this very special. Before serving, I drizzled the reduction over the chicken and it really made the complexity of flavors pop. Don’t leave off the green onion garnish.
Every single person at the party begged for the recipe. Big hit.
Made this 2 weeks ago for husband who absolutely loved recipe. I marinated the chicken for 24 hours and it was bursting with flavour. This weekend I have small family BBQ and this was wanted above hamburgers/ hotdogs! I’ll be making with Corn salsa and grilled pineapple which really enhances the taste of chicken! Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe!
wondering if this marinade could be used on pork chops to
Oh, yes! That sounds delicious!