Transport you and your loved ones to Hawaii with this sensational grilled or baked Huli Huli Chicken that readers call “the best chicken I’ve ever made,” “Amazing!!” and “Everyone loves it and asks for the recipe 🙂!” As a trusted recipe creator known for delivering bold, unforgettable dishes, this Hawaiian classic is no exception, bursting with sweet, tangy, and smoky flavors from a spice-infused pineapple, soy, and brown sugar marinade that doubles as your glaze (no double work!). With expert tips, this Huli Huli Chicken will be the star of your next barbecue or family dinner!
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This Huli Huli Chicken Recipe will have you drooling
What is Huli Huli Chicken?
Huli Huli Chicken is a Hawaiian dish known for its sweet, savory, and smoky flavors. The chicken is marinated in a sauce typically made with ingredients like soy sauce, pineapple juice, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic, then grilled over an open flame. The name “Huli Huli” comes from the Hawaiian word “huli,” meaning “turn,” as the chicken is traditionally turned multiple times on the grill to achieve even cooking and a caramelized glaze. It’s a popular dish often served at Hawaiian gatherings and barbecues. Its popularity has made it a symbol of Hawaiian cuisine, connecting people through their shared love for this unique dish.
Where does Huli Huli Chicken Come From?
Since its creation, Huli Huli Chicken has captured the hearts and taste buds of everyone. It has become a beloved Hawaiian staple, served everywhere from roadside stands and parking lots, to restaurants and fundraisers. The widespread availability of this delectable dish is a testament to its deliciousness!
Ingredients for Hawaiian Huli Huli Chicken
Let’s take a closer look at what you’ll need to make this Huli Huli Chicken recipe (measurements in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post):
HOW TO MAKE HULI HULI CHICKEN
Let’s take a closer look at how to make Huli Huli Chicken with step-by-step photos (full recipe in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post):
How to Cook Huli Huli Chicken
As the chicken cooks, the sugar caramelizes and creates incredible layers of sweet-smoky, tangy flavor! You can cook the chicken on the grill, stovetop, or oven, although we love the added smoky char and easy cleanup of the grill!
how to Grill
1. Preheat, clean and grease the grill to medium high heat, 375ยฐF.
2. Grill chicken, covered, for 5-7 minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked through to an internal temperature of 170 degrees F.
3. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
how to PAN SEAR
1. Grease an indoor grill pan or heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. An indoor grill pan works much better because the sugar likes to char in a skillet.
2. Working in batches, remove the chicken from the marinade and let the excess drip off. Add chicken to the hot pan and cook, undisturbed for 3-4 minutes, or until nicely browned on one side.
3. Flip the chicken over, cover the pan, and reduce the heat to medium.
Cook for approximately 5 more minutes (depending on the thickness of the chicken).
4. Transfer chicken to a plate/cutting board. Bush the chicken with the reserved glaze and rest for 5 minutes before serving.
how to bake
1. Heat one tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken (you must work in batches), and sear for 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer thicken to a foil-lined baking sheet.
3. Bake at at 425 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through.
4. Bush the chicken with the glaze and rest for 5 minutes before serving.
what temperature should Chicken thighs be cooked to?
Chicken thighs are done when they register 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Note this is higher than the 165 degrees required for chicken breasts because dark chicken meat contains higher amounts of connective tissue. Cooking dark meat to only 165 F will yield chewy, rubbery meat, but cooking it to 170 F will yield tender, juicy meat as the collagen melts and turns to gelatin.
I recommend investing in a meat thermometer; otherwise, there is no accurate way to know when your chicken is cooked without slicing it open and losing valuable juices.
The Best Huli Huli Chicken Recipe Tips
Huli Huli CHicken Recipe Variations
How to Prep Huli Huli Chicken in Advance
You can either cook the chicken ahead of time for meal prep, or prepare individual components of the recipe:
-Marinade: Whisk the marinade together and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator WITHOUT the chicken for up to 2 days.
-Marinated Chicken: The chicken marinate overnight and cooked 24 hours later.
-Chicken: Cooked chicken thighs makes fantastic meal prep (they remain juicier than breasts when reheated).
What to pair with the Best Huli Huli Chicken Recipe
My favorite accompaniment with Hawaiian Huli Huli Chicken is steamed rice. The chicken is so flavorful that the rice offers a neutral, textural counterpart that sops up the delicious teriyaki-like sauce. Here are a few options to make a complete feast:
How to store Huli Chicken
Store the cooked chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or freeze for up to three months.
Freezing Huli Huli
You can freeze either the Huli Huli Glaze or the cooked huli huli chicken.
-Glaze/Marinade: Whisk together, add to a freezer bag, label and freeze for up to 3 months.
-Marinating Chicken: Transfer part of the Glaze to a separate freezer bag with the chicken per recipe instructions. Freeze the Glaze and the marinating chicken separately. Thaw the chicken overnight then cook the next day.
-Cooked Chicken: Let the chicken cool completely then transfer it to an airtight container or plastic freezer bag and squeeze out any excess air. Freeze for 2 to 3 months.
How to reheat Huli Chicken
-Microwave: Chop or slice the chicken so it reheats more evenly; heat for 30 seconds, then at 10-second intervals as needed.
-Oven: Transfer the chicken to an oven-proof dish. Cover with foil and reheat at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or just until warmed through.
Looking for More Grilled Chicken Recipes?
- Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs
- Teriyaki Chicken
- BBQ Chicken Kebabs
- Greek Chicken
- Chicken Gyros
- Peanut Pineapple Thai Chicken Satay
- Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
- Honey Sriracha Orange Chicken
- All of my grilling recipes!
Looking for more Grilled Chicken Recipes?
Hawaiian Chicken
Thai Chicken
Chicken Teriyaki
Peanut Satay Chicken
Lemongrass Chicken
Honey Soy Chicken
Pineapple Chicken
Grilled Chicken Thighs with Honey Sesame Sauce
Honey Sriracha Chicken
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ยฉCarlsbad Cravings by CarlsbadCravings.com
Hawaiian Huli Huli Chicken
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Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless chicken thighs or 4-5 lbs bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
- ⅓ cup olive oil
Marinade/Glaze
- 1 cup canned pineapple juice***
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seed oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha Sauce (optional for spicy)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 tsp EACH ground ginger, onion powder, garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp EACH chili powder, ground cumin, salt
- 1/4 tsp EACH EACH pepper, cayenne pepper
Instructions
Marinate Chicken
- Whisk the Marinade/Glaze ingredients together in a large bowl. It will seem like a lot but some will be reduced and used as the Glaze.
- Remove ¾ cup Marinade/Glaze to a large freezer bag along with ⅓ cup olive oil. Add the chicken to the freezer bag, remove excess air, seal it, and turn it to coat. Marinate for 4-24 hours for chicken thighs and up to 12 hours if using chicken breasts (the longer, the better). Refrigerate the remaining Glaze separately.
- When ready to cook, remove the chicken from the fridge and rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.
Glaze
- Meanwhile, remove ¼ cup Glaze to baste the chicken while grilling. Simmer the remaining sauce for approximately 5-7 minutes or until reduced and slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. It will thicken more upon standing.
GRILL Directions
- Preheat the grill to 375 degrees F with the lid closed. Clean and generously grease the grill with vegetable oil. Grill the covered chicken for 5-7 minutes per side or until cooked through. (An inserted thermometer should read 170 degrees F for thighs and 160 degrees F for breasts.) Baste the chicken with the reserved ¼ cup Glaze the last 5 minutes.
- Slather the cooked chicken with the thickened Glaze and garnish it with green onions, if desired. Serve with the remaining Glaze.
Skillet Directions
- The sugar will cause the chicken to char more, so I recommend using an indoor grill pan.ย Grease the pan and heat to medium-high heat. If using a nonstick skillet, heat one tablespoon of neutral oil over medium heat.
- Working in batches, remove the chicken from the marinade and let the excess drip off. Add the chicken and cook, undisturbed, for 3-4 minutes or until nicely browned on one side. Flip the chicken over, baste with the reserved Glaze, cover, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for approximately 5 more minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees F for thighs and 160 degrees F for breasts.
- Slather the cooked chicken with the thickened Glaze and garnish it with green onions, if desired. Serve with the remaining Glaze.
STOVETOP/OVEN
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat one tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken (you must work in batches), and sear for 2-3 minutes per side.
- TO BAKE BONELESS CHICKEN THIGHS/BREASTS: Transfer the chicken to a foil-lined, lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-30 minutes (depending on size) until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees F for thighs and 160 degrees F for breasts. Transfer the chicken to a plate or cutting board. Slather the cooked chicken with the thickened Glaze and garnish it with green onions, if desired. Serve with the remaining Glaze.
- TO BAKE BONE-IN CHICKEN THIGHS: Add chicken to a foil-lined, greased 9×13 pan (for easy cleanup), COVER with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the foil, baste the chicken with ¼ cup of the reserved Glaze, and continue to cook, uncovered for 15-20 minutes OR until an instant-read thermometer registers 170 degrees F at the thickest part of the chicken. Slather the cooked chicken with the thickened Glaze and garnish it with green onions, if desired. Serve with the remaining Glaze.
Video
Notes
ORIGINAL RECIPE
I have streamlined this recipe by adding the spices directly to the marinade and not creating a separate spice rub. If you wish to follow the original recipe:-
Mix the Spice Mix seasonings in a medium bowl. Remove one tablespoon of Spice Mix and add it to a large bowl. Reserve the remaining spices for your Spice Rub later.
-
Add all the Glaze ingredients to the 1 tablespoon spice mix. Whisk to combine. Remove ¾ cup of this Glaze and add it to a large freezer bag with ⅓ cup olive oil.
-
Add the chicken to a freezer bag, remove excess air, seal, and turn to coat. Marinate for 4-24 hours. Refrigerate the remaining Glaze separately and reserved spices in an airtight container.
-
When ready to grill, remove the chicken, dab off excess marinade, and place on a baking sheet. Discard marinade. Mix reserved spices with 2 tablespoons olive oil and rub evenly over both sides of the chicken. Let sit for 15-20 minutes.
- Follow the cooking instructions per recipe above.ย
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Carlsbad Cravingsยฉ Original
Sarah says
Everyone agreed itโs a keeper. Amazing flavor.
Jen says
Hi Sarah! I’m so thrilled you loved it!