Grilled Huli Huli Chicken is a Hawaiian favorite. A simple teriyaki-style marinade gives this chicken so much flavor. Next time you have a BBQ, this Hawaiian-flavored chicken will be a great addition. It’s perfect with a side of Hawaiian Macaroni Salad.
What is Huli Huli Chicken?
Huli Huli Chicken dates back to 1954 when Ernest Mogado and Mike Asagi began grilling chicken in a teriyaki-style sauce in Hawaii. They had a special way of grilling it with a make-shift spit. They would yell “huli” which means “turn” when it was time to flip the chicken and baste it.
For my chicken I use a marinade of brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, pineapple juice, dry sherry, garlic powder, and ground ginger.
The sugar in the marinade makes the chicken get wonderfully golden and charred as it grills.
Tips for making this recipe:
- I like to use boneless chicken thighs for this recipe because the extra fat that thighs have keeps them moist and flavorful. You can use chicken breasts instead if you wish.
- The dry sherry adds extra flavor but can be omitted. Do not use sweet sherry.
- Marinate the chicken for a good 6 to 8 hours for the best flavor. In a time crunch you can shorten the marinating time to 90 minutes.
- This Hawaiian Chicken is great served with sticky rice or Hawaiian Macaroni Salad.
- Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 days.
More Grilled Chicken Recipes:
- Sweet Tea Grilled Chicken
- Healthy Grilled Greek Chicken
- BBQ Grilled Chicken
- Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
Grilled Huli Huli Chicken
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup Pineapple juice
- 1/4 cup dry sherry, optional
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 8-12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- sliced green onions, optional
Instructions
- Stir together brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, pineapple juice, sherry, garlic powder, and ginger in a medium bowl. Place 1/2 a cup of mixture in a bowl to reserve to baste the chicken with.
- Place remaining marinade in a large plastic ziptop bag. Add chicken. Seal bag and refrigerate for 8 hours.
- Remove chicken from marinade. Grill chicken over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes per side. Baste several times during the last 5 minutes with reserved marinade.
- Garnish with chopped green onions if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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My family loved this. Absolutely wonderful!