Huli Huli Chicken

Last Updated April 19th, 2022 at 02:10 pm by Lisa

Grill Hawaiian Huli Huli Chicken, pineapple, and add some coconut lime rice into pineapple bowls. A gorgeous way to entertain for luaus, graduation celebrations, pool parties, or summer cookouts.

On the islands of Hawaii, people line up at roadside stands, to order "plates" as whole chickens are slowly turning over hot mesquite wood coals and mopped with huli sauce. You will find families grilling this dish for gatherings, and it is served at fundraisers and community events like hulas.

This sweet sticky chicken recipe is truly part of Hawaiian cuisine and culture and oh so ono. In the Hawaiian language, ono translates to delicious...

Hawaiian Huli Huli Chicken Recipe

Huli Sauce Marinade

Sweet juicy pineapple...brown sugar...and honey that is balanced by the tart lemon, sharp ginger, and garlic. The ginger bite and slight heat from some crushed red pepper create a marinade sauce that is AMAZING!

These ingredients make the marinade, grill mopping sauce, and a dipping sauce all in one!

PRO TIP: I recommend you use fresh pineapple so you have extra to grill and the bowls for presentation. Canned pineapple and juice works too but it's not the same fresh flavor, and the pineapple pieces are smaller.

• 1 cup fresh pineapple juice (grill large pieces)
• ¼ cup ketchup
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup honey
• 2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon red crushed chili pepper 
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger (or ginger paste)
• 3 cloves garlic crushed
• ½ teaspoon Hawaiian sea salt
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• juice of one small lemon

1. In a small bowl, mix the pineapple juice (you can add some pineapple pieces too), ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, Hawaiian sea salt, honey, sesame oil, red crushed chili pepper, fresh ginger, garlic, Worcestershires sauce, and lemon juice ingredients and whisk to combine.
2. Reserve 1 cup for basting while grilling. And ½ cup to use as a dippping sauce.
3. Place 4 skinless chicken breasts and 2 cups marinade in a sealed container or a zip top bag in the fridge in a large bowl to prevent leaks. Marinate for at least a half-hour up to 4 hours.

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Grill Chicken And Pineapple

1. Preheat the grill to medium high heat, brush the chicken with 1 cup of remaining marinade. Flip the pieces 3 or 4 times, brush with marinade each time your turn over. This gets the color dark and builds flavor. The grilling cook time will vary based on the heat of your grill and thickness of meat.
2. Use a good thermometer and it is cooked when the meat registers 165 degrees internal temperature.
3. Grill the large pineapple chunks on grill grates or on a piece of heavy foil. Move over indirect heat if they start to char or burn.
4. Slice or cut the chicken into smaller pieces making it easier to eat. Move all to a platter or serve in pineapple bowls with a scoop of rice.

PRO TIP: Keep the marinade sauce hot on the grill as you brush it on your chicken. Use a BBQ saucepot or small saucepan on the grill. You can use reuse the marinade, but you must make it food safe and heat it over 165 degrees. You MUST COOK the marinade that had raw chicken in it!

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Ways To Make It Authentic

• Baste the chicken over and over, keep turning it with tongs every few minutes.
• This famous Hawaiian chicken recipe can be cooked on a home gas grill or but a rotisserie style grill will get more even basting and is more authentic.
• Mesquite wood or Hawaiian kiawe wood are traditionally used for the unique smoke flavor of this dish.
• Set up a smoker box with wood chips, preferably mesquite chips, or if can find the Hawaiian kiawe wood chips online.
• Serve some reserved sauce on the side. Do not use any of the leftover marinade that has not been heated to 165 degrees, as it is not food safe after marinating the chicken.
• Heating the huli sauce helps to thicken it as you are basting and makes it so finger-licking good!
• Just pour it into the small sauce pan or sauce-pot and keep stirring it. Keep an eye on it, as the sugars can make it burn if it gets too hot. Pull it to a cooler side of the grill or off the grill if it's too hot. Use a basting brushe to mop on the sauce.

What To Serve With It?

My favorite sides to get are the macaroni salad, pineapple, rice, and extra dipping sauce.

• Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
• Big Scoop White Rice
• Iceberg Green Salad
• Grilled Pineapple
• Grilled Shrimp
• Kahlua Pork
• Extra Huli Dipping Sauce

PRO TIP: use a large scoop to serve the rice into a pretty round presentation in your pineapple bowl. Tuck in some grilled pieces of pineapple and chicken.

What Is Huli Huli Chicken?

Huli is a Hawaiian word that means turn.  In Hawaii, the whole chicken is traditionally cooked over an open fire on a rotisserie. The chicken self bastes and gets a dark deep color and rich flavor.

It has become a staple at school fundraisers for sports like football, soccer, and softball teams. And locals commonly grill it at hula groups, and at home on weekends with friends and family.

There are huli chicken stands all over Hawaii. As the story goes, Mike Fuse grew up on the North Shore in Haleiwa, Hawaii. The coastline was overgrown with Kiawe trees. Mike’s Huli Chicken is grilled over Kiawe wood which gives it that authentic smoked flavor.

A chicken plate from Mike's will be packed with side dish items like a big scoop of white rice, green salad/dressing, pineapple, and extra dipping sauce. Some of the other items on his menu include a Half or Whole Chicken To Go. Other popular items are Kalua Pork, Chinese BBQ Pork, Steak Teriyaki, Garlic Shrimp, and Ahi. It usually comes in a white styrofoam box, and people eat on picnic tables right there by the road. He has even been featured on the Food Network.

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Recipe Variations

Some recipes call for a glaze or sauce with a variation of other ingredients:  lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Sriracha, red pepper flakes, teriyaki sauce, pineapple juice, ketchup, onion powder, soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, ginger, rice wine, rice vinegar, sherry vinegar, chicken broth, white wine, or mustard.

You will also see versions that call for brine chicken made in a solution with kosher salt, sugar, bay leaves, dry rub, garlic, sesame oil, or thyme, before marinating it in the sauce.

Again, no one has the true original recipe, this one is based on the food stands all over the islands.

Coconut Lime Rice

• 2 cups uncooked jasmine rice
• 3 cups coconut water
• 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon ginger paste
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

1. Rinse jasmine rice until water runs clear in a large fine-mesh strainer. Place in large heavy pot.
2. Add coconut water, Thai red curry paste, garlic powder, ginger paste, lime juice, sea salt, and pepper.
3. Stir well, bring to a boil, cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes until rice is cooked and all the liquid is absorbed. Let stand for 10 minutes covered.
4. Garnish the rice with shredded coconut, roasted salted cashews, and green onions right before serving.
5. In each pineapple bowl, load your grilled huli chicken pieces, scoop in your tropical coconut lime rice, and grilled pineapple.

Pineapple Bowls

You can take a look at my entire post on how to make pineapple bowls, I summarized the steps below to help you make these, so easy when you know the tips and tricks...

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1. Using a large knife cut the pineapple lengthwise and through the leaves into 2 halves.
2. Use a small serrated paring knife, cut around the edge of the pineapple leaving about ¾” of pineapple.
3. Next, remove the center core by cutting down both sides of the core at a slight angle.
4. Remove core.
5. Discard core.
6. Cut across the pineapple into a grid pattern.
7. Scoop out pieces with a large spoon.
8. Place back into the pineapple.

Huli Huli Chicken FAQ

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Sheet Pan Chicken with croutons and small potatoes takes 20 minutes to prep and this entire sheet pan dinner bakes in 50 minutes. Gorgonzola Leek Stuffed Chicken is one of my go-to dinner party ideas for entertaining.