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Fire up the grill for this Hawaiian favorite! Huli Huli Chicken features juicy chicken thighs marinated in a crave-worthy sweet and tangy sauce and grilled to perfection.
Table of Contents
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- Step-by-Step Instructions
- Origin of Huli Huli Chicken
- Where did Huli Huli Chicken get its Name?
- Tips for the Best Results
- What to Serve with Huli Huli Chicken
- Five-Star Reviews
- Grilled Huli Huli Chicken Recipe
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Grilled Chicken Recipes
- More Authentic Hawaiian Recipes
I’ve prepared chicken just about every way imaginable, but this Huli Huli Chicken recipe is the one I keep coming back to – it’s THAT good. The sweet and savory Huli Huli Sauce is so delicious, that it gets drizzled over everything on my plate – rice, pineapple, even mac salad! Break out of your boring chicken routine with this fantastic recipe and your family will thank you!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chicken Thighs – Like Shoyu Chicken, you definitely want to go with chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts for this recipe. The meat is juicier and it will just turn out better, I promise.
- Huli Huli Sauce – The sauce is made with simple ingredients including fresh pineapple juice, soy sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, cider vinegar, garlic, and ginger. It’s a delicious combination of flavors that create the perfect Hawaiian chicken glaze.
- Green Onions – Optional for garnish.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Place chicken thighs in a gallon-sized Ziplock bag.
- Combine Huli Huli sauce ingredients and pour over chicken.
- Marinate at least 2 hours and up to 20 hours (no more than 20 because the sauce is so acidic it will break down the chicken)
- Grill over medium heat to an internal temperature of 165-degrees. Simmer the sauce in a pan while chicken is cooking.
- Pour sauce over chicken and serve with rice and/or your favorite Hawaiian side dishes.
Origin of Huli Huli Chicken
This recipe comes with a cool back story! Ernest Morgando, a naval intelligence officer in World War II, and Mike Asagi, a chicken farmer, founded the Pacific Poultry Company in Hawaii in the late fifties. After the pair first barbecued some chicken in a teriyaki-like sauce, it became a popular dish that was sold at various school and business fundraisers. You can now find the sauce in stores, restaurants, road-side stands and drive-ins on the Hawaiian islands.
Where did Huli Huli Chicken get its Name?
“Huli” means to “turn” or “reverse” in Hawaiian, so “huli huli chicken” refers to the chicken being turned over in a rotisserie roaster. Since we don’t have a rotisserie roaster, we opt for the grilled version (which still applies in my opinion because the chicken is being turned over on the grill several times).
Tips for the Best Results
- Don’t throw out that marinade! Simmer the sauce on the stove top and make a delicious glaze to pour over the top or use to glaze the chicken on the grill. If you simmer the sauce in a big enough pot you can just throw the grilled chicken in while the sauce is still simmering. This is something I learned in Hawaii and it makes the chicken SO GOOD.
- Grill up the pineapple slices over medium to medium-high heat and serve along with the chicken. Hawaiian dishes and grilled pineapple are meant for each other!
- Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness. This keeps your chicken nice and juicy. If you cut the chicken open to check for pink, the juices will run out and your chicken will be dry.
- If you don’t have an outdoor grill, you can use a cast iron grill on the stovetop.
- Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes before serving. Wrap it in foil after grilling and just let it sit for 5-10 minutes. The chicken will relax and become more tender as the juices redistribute throughout the meat.
- Store any leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. Re-heat in an oven or air fryer. Try to avoid re-heating in the microwave.
What to Serve with Huli Huli Chicken
Because this is a traditional Hawaiian dish, you can’t go wrong with plain white rice, coconut rice, or sticky rice (Calrose rice). You can also serve with pineapple slices. We use the juice from the pineapple slices in the recipe and then grill the pineapple up with the chicken (SO good).
Five-Star Reviews
Yum! This sauce is so delightfully tangy and the chicken turns out so delicious and moist!
Betsy
I love grilled pineapple! It goes perfectly with this chicken! So tasty!
Ashley
My whole family loves this yummy chicken! It has quickly become a favorite when we grill!
Wilhelmina
Grilled Huli Huli Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 cup pineapple juice (the juice from a 20 oz can of pineapple slices)
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon garlic (crushed or minced)
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
Instructions
- Place chicken thighs in a gallon-sized Ziplock bag.
- Combine remaining ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and whisk until sugar is dissolved.
- Pour sauce into the bag over the chicken. Press air out of the bag and seal.
- Marinate at least 2 hours and up to 20 hours.
- Drain marinade into a medium-sized sauce pan and remove chicken to grill. Simmer sauce over medium heat while chicken is being grilled (about 15 minutes). Stir often. When sauce has thickened a little bit, remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Grill chicken for 5-7 minutes per side over medium heat.
- When internal temperature reaches 165-degrees, remove from heat and cover with foil for 3-5 minutes before serving.
- Place chicken in a large serving bowl and pour sauce over the chicken, toss to cover in sauce.
- Serve with pineapple slices, rice and/or side dishes mentioned above.
Video
Notes
Recipe Tips:
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- Use leftover marinade to make a delicious sauce. Simmer on the stove and use as a glaze to grill or pour over the top of the chicken.
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- Grill up some pineapple slices to serve along with the chicken. You won’t be sorry.
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- Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness, rather than cutting into the chicken. This keeps your chicken nice and juicy.
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- Allow the chicken to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving, to keep the chicken juicy. Wrap it in foil after grilling and just let it sit. The chicken will relax and become more tender and the juices will stay put.
Nutrition Information
Frequently Asked Questions
Although similar to the sweet and savory flavor of teriyaki sauce, huli huli sauce has its own unique flavor.
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More Grilled Chicken Recipes
More Authentic Hawaiian Recipes
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Chicken Long Rice
Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken
Hawaiian Beef Teriyaki
Authentic Hawaiian Mac Salad
Haupia
Malasadas
Chocolate Haupia Pie
This recipe is delicious! I prepared with 2 lb. chicken thighs and baked in 350 oven for 28 minutes until tested with meat thermometer 165. It was raining so could not grill. My husband said this chicken and sauce were better than the chicken we had in Hawaii at a Luau and would like to have it once a month! Thank you SO much for such a GREAT recipe. I will serve to guests also.
Being a Hawaii ex-pat for a few years now I was craving this dish. Great recipe for a taste of home! I am not a big meat eater so I I tried this out marinating the chicken flats and drummettes for a day before throwing it on the grill, it came out delicious. I made Hawaiian mac salad, green salad and had some Portuguese sweet bread as my sides to go with it. Mahalo for sharing 🙂
I was looking to make some the traditional Hawaiian macaroni salad to go with Kalua pork and came across this recipe. I did this along with the pork and macaroni sald (and rice of course) and it was a huge hit. Everyone loved it. I would totally make this again, and again. I didn’t make any adjustments either, which to me is the sign of a great recipe!
I made this chicken last night. They loved it!! Delicious!! I didn’t have chicken thighs or a grill; so I used chicken legs and baked them in the oven on 425° but still turned and basted them while cooking. They turned out great and the sauce was phenomenal. I paired it with the macaroni salad, also delicious. I also had mashed potatoes as a side since I have some that don’t really care for macaroni salad. So simple to add to any chicken dinner night. Thanks for this recipe.
sounds great I have had this in Hawaii where our kids live. How would I cook it if I don’t have a grill
A cast iron grill pan works great on the stovetop!
I mix it and boil the sauce ingredients first. I pour in just enough to coat the chicken, rotate it several times while it marinates. I like to cook extra so we have leftovers mixed with pineapple, rice and snow peas, chop up the leftover chicken and mix in a bit of the sauce. My husband loves this. We also use the sauce for left over chicken on its own. It keeps for quite awhile in the fridge.
Looks delicious
Looks great! Can’t wait to try it. One question…..should you be using the marinade after it’s had raw chicken in it? Or is it safe after you’ve boiled it?
Thanks
The marinade is safe to use as long as you boil it!
Yum! This sauce is so delightfully tangy and the chicken turns out so delicious and moist!
My whole family loves this yummy chicken! It has quickly become a favorite when we grill!
I love grilled pineapple! It goes perfectly with this chicken! So tasty!