Huli Huli Chicken: Delicious Hawaiian Grilled Chicken Recipe
Huli Huli Chicken is a famous Hawaiian dish known for its unique, sweet, and savory flavor profile. The word "Huli" translates to "turn" in Hawaiian, which refers to the traditional method of turning the chicken on a grill while basting it with a flavorful sauce. The chicken is marinated in a delicious sauce made of ingredients like pineapple juice, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic, which caramelize beautifully as the chicken cooks over the grill. Huli Huli Chicken is perfect for summer barbecues or any time you're craving a tropical-inspired dish with a touch of aloha!
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg / 3 lb chicken thighs or breast, Note 1
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- Marinade:
- 3/4 cup pineapple juice canned or bottled (NOT FRESH!) , unsweetened (Note 2)
- 1 1/2 tbsp ginger freshly grated (Note 3)
- 1 1/2 tbsp garlic freshly grated (Note 3)
- 1/2 cup tomato ketchup or Aussie tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup sherry or Chinese cooking wine Note 4
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp Sriracha
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar or cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil toasted
- Garnishes optional:
- Sliced green onion
- Pineapple slices grilled for 3 minutes on each side for lines
Instructions
- arinade:
- Mix marinade, set aside 3/4 cup (185 ml) for basting.
- Pour the rest over the chicken in a glass or ceramic container (not metal or plastic), coat chicken then marinade 24 - 48 hours.
- Cooking:
- Brush BBQ grills with oil then preheat to medium high, or heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
- Drain excess marinade from chicken, place on BBQ/skillet.
- Cook the first side for 2 - 3 minutes until golden (adjust heat if browning too fast), then flip and cook for 2 minutes.
- Baste (dab) generously with reserved marinade, then flip and cook for 1 minute.
- Repeat this every minute or so for a total cook time of 10 minutes, or until internal temp in the thickest part registers 75°C/167°F (for thigh) or 65°C / 150°F (for breast).
- Transfer chicken to a plate, loosely cover with foil and rest for 3 minutes before serving, garnished with green onion if desired.
Notes
1. Chicken - boneless thigh is best for lovely caramelisation when cooked, but breast is very good too.
2. Pineapple juice - must use canned or bottled/vac packed from aisle, not the fridge. DO NOT use real, fresh pineapple juice (ie fridge bottle, unsweetened) or puree fresh pineapple - pineapple contains a very strong tenderiser which will over tenderise the chicken (the tenderising agent gets killed when canned or bottled with long shelf life).
PRO TIP: Use a can of sliced pineapple in natural juice (unsweetened). 1 430g/14oz can has almost exactly 3/4 cup of juice, then I use the slices for garnish. (Golden Circle pineapple slices in natural juice - Australia).
If your can is slightly short on juice, that's ok - use whatever you can extract (as long as you have 1/2 cup or so, that's enough).
If you can only get sweetened juice, reduce sugar by half. If you can only get canned pineapple slices in syrup, skip the sugar completely.
Alternative: Use a can of pineapple PIECES and use the pieces to make pineapple fried rice, excellent side dish for this. Double duty!
3. Ginger/garlic grating tip - if you have a microplane, use that with unpeeled ginger and garlic. As you grate, the skin just kind of naturally peels to the side, leaving you with just the flesh grated.
Jar paste will work fine too but for this recipe, the fresh ginger flavour really does make it special.
4. Sherry or Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine) - the secret ingredient that makes this extra good. I've tried it with and without - and the difference is noticeable.
SUBSTITUTES: Mirin (reduce sugar by 1 tbsp), low sodium chicken stock (increase to 1/2 cup).
5. Nutrition per serving, assuming 6 servings. Assumed half the marinade ended up on or in the chicken - in reality it's probably less. Reduce sodium by using low salt soy and ketchup.