Huli Huli Chicken (Baked or Grilled) (+ Video!)

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.

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©Carlsbad Cravings by CarlsbadCravings.com

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Huli Huli Chicken (Grilled or Baked) (+VIDEO!)

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Prep Time

20 minutes

Servings

-10

Ingredients

• 4-5 pounds bone-in skinless chicken thighs
• 1/3 cup olive oil

Spice Mix

• 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

Huli Huli Sauce

• 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

Prep Time 20 minutes Servings -10 Ingredients 4-5 pounds bone-in skinless chicken thighs 1/3 cup olive oil Spice Mix 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 Huli Huli Sauce 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

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Instructions

Marinate

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.

Spice Rub

1. 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.

Glaze

1. 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.

GRILL

1. 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.
2. Slather cooked chicken with Huli Huli Glaze and garnish with green onions if desired. Serve with remaining sauce.

STOVETOP/OVEN

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Slather cooked chicken with Huli Huli Glaze and garnish with green onions if desired. Serve with remaining sauce.

Recipe Notes

***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.

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