Transport you and your loved ones to Hawaii with Grilled or Baked Huli Huli Chicken! Its bursting with sweet and savory Hawaiian teriyaki deliciousness from a dynamite pineapple, soy, brown sugar marinade that doubles as your sweet and sticky glaze (no double work!) and a spice rub that elevates this chicken to a whole new level of jaw dropping delicious. With the marinade, spice rub and glaze, this might just be the best Huli Huli Chicken ever. But I’ll let you decide.
Recipe Video
Baked or Grilled Huli Huli Chicken
What does Huli Huli mean in Hawaiian?
Have you heard of Huli Huli Chicken? It has been on my To Make “Bucket List” for ages, and I am thrilled I finally get to cross it off that list, because that means I finally got to devour my version of the best Huli Huli Chicken!
Huli Huli Chicken gets its name from the Hawaiian word, “huli” which means to turn or reverse. This is appropriate because the Hawaiian favorite chicken, gets turned over on a grate, to rotate which part of the chicken is closest to the flame, similar to a rotisserie.
What Is Huli Huli Chicken?
Huli Huli Chicken originated from Hawaii around 1955 when Ernest Morgado of Pacific Poultry barbecued his version of teriyaki chicken in a very unique way.
Rather than flipping scores of chicken pieces by piece when catering an event, Morgado, “sandwiched the meat between two mesh grates, and, with the help of an assistant, flipped the whole contraption. Sort of Hawaiian rotisserie. When it was time to turn, he would shout “huli” which is Hawaiian for “turn” to his assistant who would shout “huli” back, grab the handles on the other side of the grates, and turn the chicken over, lickety split. Huli-Huli Chicken was born.” (AmazingRibs.com)
Everyone went crazy for this Huli Huli Chicken and it became a favorite Hawaiian staple, served everywhere from roadside stands and parking lots, to restaurants and fundraisers.
What is Huli Huli Chicken made of?
Huli Huli Sauce itself was originally a teriyaki sauce, but has morphed into a Hawiian Teriyaki sauce often with a base of pineapple juice. For my Huli Huli chicken, I kept the pineapple, soy, brown sugar base but wanted the chicken to taste more mulit-dimensional and not just like a big bite of Huli Huli Sauce, so I whipped up a Spice Mix of paprika, ground ginger, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper.
You whisk this together then add 1 tablespoon Spice Mix to your marinade of pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, Dijon and Sriracha. Now we’re talking savory, sweet, tangy with just the right kick. We reserve some of the marinade to later thicken into our out of this world glaze.
Should I use Chicken Breasts or Thighs?
For the chicken itself, I love the moistness of bone-in chicken thighs, and they are wonderfully economical, but feel free to use any cut of chicken you prefer and adjust cooking time accordingly. Just be aware that the leaner the meat, the less juicy.
After the chicken has marinated, it gets smothered in our Spice mix and then either grilled or seared and baked indoors and finally bathed in our beautiful, intensely flavored glaze to create juicy bite after bite of uniquely sweet and savory, pineapple Huli Huli Chicken. Because you deserve to transport yourself to Hawaii year round.
Want to try this Baked or Grilled Huli Huli Chicken?
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©Carlsbad Cravings by CarlsbadCravings.com
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Servings | -10 |
- 4-5 pounds bone-in skinless chicken thighs
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 tsp EACH ground ginger, onion pwdr, garlic pwdr, chili pwdr
- 1/2 tsp EACH ground cumin, salt
- 1/4 tsp EACH EACH pepper, cayenne pepper
- 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
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha Sauce
Ingredients
Spice Mix
Huli Huli Sauce
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- Mix the Spice Mix seasonings together in a medium bowl. Remove one tablespoon Spice Mix and add to a large bowl. Reserve remaining spices for your Spice Rub later.
- Add all Huli Huli Sauce ingredients to the 1 tablespoon spice mix. Whisk to combine. Remove 1/2 cup of this Sauce and add to a large freezer bag along with 1/3 cup olive oil.
- Add chicken to freezer bag, remove excess air, seal and turn to coat. Marinate 4 hours up to overnight. Refrigerate remaining sauce separately and reserved spices in an airtight container.
- When ready to grill, remove chicken and 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 chicken. Let sit 15-20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, remove 1/4 cup Huli Huli Sauce to baste chicken while grilling. Simmer the remaining sauce for approximately 10 minutes or until reduced and slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. It will thicken more upon standing.
- Grease and heat grill to medium heat. Add chicken, cover, and cook 6-8 minutes per side, or until no longer pink and an inside thermometer registers 165 degrees F. Baste chicken with reserved 1/4 cup Sauce the last 5 minutes.
- Slather cooked chicken with Huli Huli Glaze and garnish with green onions if desired. Serve with remaining sauce.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat one tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat. Add chicken (you will need to work in batches), and sear 2-3 minutes per side.
- Add chicken to a foil lined, greased 9x13 pan (for easy cleanup), COVER with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil cover, baste with 1/4 cup reserved marinade and continue to cook, uncovered an additional 15-20 minutes OR until an inside thermometer registers 165 degrees F at the thickest part of the chicken.
- Slather cooked chicken with Huli Huli Glaze and garnish with green onions if desired. Serve with remaining sauce.
***DO NOT USE fresh pineapple juice as it contains the enzyme bromelain which will leave your chicken mushy. In CANNED pineapple, however, the bromelain is extracted so the juice will infuse your chicken with flavor without becoming mushy.
©Carlsbad Cravings Original
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Teriyaki Chicken Taco with Grilled Pineapple Pear Salsa
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Cat says
Hey Jen! This sounds amazing and delicious, but what should I serve it with?
Sorry if that is a silly question.
Cat
Jen says
Thanks Cat, and not a sill question! I would serve it with rice, fresh or grilled pineapple and either and either some sort of salad or simple stir fried veggies. Hope that helps!
Laurie Giovanetto says
Found you through article in Country Living about pumpkin recipes along with others. This is a really lovely site with great recipe ideas and great photos! Didn’the think much left to impress at 67yrs but you succeeded! We only eat fish, poultry, tofu, veggies at home as my daughter has ethical objections to mammals and I am battling bad blood sugars. Already excited by Cajun Honey Mustard and Hulu Hulu chicken! Haven’the even looked at pumpkin recipes. Thanks!
Jen says
Hi Laurie, welcome to my site, I’m so happy you stumbled upon it! Thank you so much for your kind words! I absolutely love cooking and sharing and love an appreciative audience 🙂 I hope you love the Cajun Honey Mustard Chicken and Huli Huli Chicken – you have great taste 🙂
Britt | Sweet Tea & Thyme says
Love it! Perfect for our 4th of July BBQ menu.
Jen says
Yes, absolutely perfect, everyone will love it! thank you!
Barb says
Cant wait to impress my company on our vacation, where we all take turns cooking for a large group !!!
Thanks for all the different ideas !!!
Jen says
You are so welcome, I can’t wait to hear how much everyone loves it! Have fun!
Therese says
Hi Jen, Made this a couple weeks ago and my family LOVED LOVED it!!!! They talked about it for days after. 🙂 You know it’s good when all they think about is when are we having it again!!
Jen says
Thank you so so much Therese! You comment is some of the first feedback I’ve received on my actual site (other than IG/FB), so I SO appreciate hearing how much your family loved it, that is awesome!
Susan says
Thank you once again for an awesome recipe. My family absolutely loved it! Loved the glaze on the chicken, made it oh so tasty.
Jen says
You are so welcome Susan, I’m so happy it was a hit with the whole family! Thank you!
Nicole says
Thank you for this amazing recipe! I have had it not once, not twice but 3 times this week! I love it! One of those time was for a crowd of 20 and everyone loves it ams asked for the recipe 🙂 I served mine with coconut rice and steamed broccoli amd it went really well! 🙂 This will definely be making my favorites list!
Jen says
That combination sounds delicious Nicole! I am so glad all of you guys enjoyed it, I hope you can find more tasty sides to pair with the chicken 🙂
Jessi says
Amazing!! One of my favorites to cook for large crowds at our BBQs!!! Also great with tenderloins broiled!
Jen says
Awesome Jessi, I’m so happy its a favorite and delicious with tenderloins too!
Bobby DeCuir says
I must admit your recipe of Huli Huli Chicken is the fifth version I’ve looked over and the only one which wasn’t a copy cat of all four previous ones! Your version has caught my eye and I look forward to making this. Thank you for posting an original version.
Jen says
Wow, that’s amazing there are so many similar versions! Never any copycat recipes here – I just love to create! I hope you absolutely love this recipe!
Famous Adriane says
This came out PERFECTLY! It tasted delicious and recipe was easy to follow. I made it for a Luau I had with Kate Hudson. You can see pictures of everything here:
https://www.famousadriane.com/blog/kate-hudson-s-huli-huli-chicken
Jen says
Thanks so much Adriane, I’m so pleased it was such a hit!
Kimo says
Hi Jen,
I grew up in Hawaii so I know first hand about Huli-Huli Chicken but I’ve never prepared it on my own and your recipe just looks amazing so I can’t wait to try it.
What method of cooking would you recommend for my first go-around, Grilling or Oven?
If grilling is your recommendation, we would use Kiawe Wood from the trees on the island for authentic Hawaiian smoke flavor but unfortunetly I live on the mainland now and there’s none to be found. Any suggestions?
Jen says
Hi Kimo, my apologies for this late response as I’m just catching up on comments but I hope you loved this Huli Huli Chicken! I would recommend grilling for smoky flavor and you can certainly use a gas grill instead of wood and it will still be delicious!
Katherine Dietz says
What can i use instead of the Sriracha sauce?
Thanks
Katherine
Jen says
I like sambal oelek (chili sauce with the green lid) or you can use another favorite chili hot sauce to taste.
Layne says
Chicken and rice is probably my fav dinner ever and this one didn’t disappoint! Loved that glaze and juicy flavor in the chicken!
Jen says
You speak my love language- they are my fav too! I’m so happy this Huli Huli Chicken was a winner! Thanks Layne! xxo
Lindsey says
This was delicious! Even our children liked it. (Pleasing everyone is no easy feat.) I had to chuckle while we were eating because I kept hearing quiet mmmmm’s coming from my husband. He didn’t even realize he was doing it. It was just that good. Thanks for a great recipe!
Jen says
Thanks for your awesome comment Lindsey, I’m so pleased it was a hit with everyone! I love visualizing your husband “mmms” -it reminds me of What about Bob ;).