This huli huli chicken recipe is sweet, tangy, smokey, and full of flavor. It’s a nice spin on plain grilled chicken, is great for cookouts, and can be used with any cut of chicken!
If you love teriyaki sauce, this chicken dish will become your new favorite! The savory sauce tastes very similar to teriyaki but much more tropical from the pineapple juice. We’ve made Instant Pot teriyaki chicken and teriyaki steak bites, but the first time we made huli chicken, we fell in love.
We love serving this Hawaiian chicken recipe with Amish macaroni salad, Amish potato salad, and instant pot corn on the cob. Since this is a favorite during warmer weather and it gets hot grilling, we like to keep a peach white wine slushie or strawberry mojito nearby to cool down with. If you need to keep it simple on a weeknight, serve with white rice and fresh vegetables.
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🍗 Ingredients:
- boneless skinless chicken thighs – if using bone-in, increase the grilling time. Chicken thighs are my favorite poultry to put on the grill. They stay tender, moist, and juicy because of their slightly higher fat content. You can use any cut of chicken, though. A whole chicken, spatchcocked, could even be used.
- light brown sugar – pack when measuring
- ketchup
- light soy sauce – regular soy sauce has more sodium.
- canned pineapple juice – do not use fresh pineapple juice, it will break down the chicken and make it mushy.
- ginger paste – can also use minced fresh ginger, I love using the paste because it incorporates easily and there’s no prep involved.
- garlic paste – or use store bought minced garlic or fresh cloves. Again, I love using the paste for easy incorporation and no prep.
- apple cider vinegar – some like to use rice vinegar instead. This really gives a kick of tang to the sauce, don’t skip.
- Spices: cumin, coarse black pepper, paprika (smoked or sweet)
- Pineapple rings – you’ll need one can of slices, or a whole fresh pineapple.
- green onions for garnish
For a full list of ingredients and their measurements, 📋 please view my printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Optional Garnish:
Garnish Hawaiian chicken thighs with diced green onions and extra sauce.
Substitutions and Variations
- Cut of chicken – you can use chicken breasts for this recipe (or any other cut), but dark meat does have more flavor. If you go with bone-in pieces or larger pieces you may need to increase the cooking time.
- Oven baked – preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Add the marinaded chicken to a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Brush with reserved marinade and broil for a couple minutes to thicken the sauce.
- Spicy – add red pepper flakes and/or cayenne pepper to the marinade.
- Skewers – use diced chicken breast and skewer on onions, pineapple, and peppers.
- Shrimp – use this sauce on grilled shrimp skewers.
🔪 Instructions:
PREP: Rinse and dry the chicken thighs.
Step 1: Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a gallon Ziploc bag or place in a bowl. Mix well.
Step 2: Reserve ½ cup of huli huli sauce and set aside, this will be for serving. Add the chicken to marinade so it’s covered and submerged.
Step 3: Marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight in a covered bowl or sealed bag. Heat the grill to 400 degrees F (medium-high heat). Brush the grates with vegetable oil.
Step 4: Place the chicken pieces on the grill. Cook for 10 minutes without moving or flipping the chicken. Then flip and cook until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Toss the chicken marinade that is remaining.
Pro Tip: Don’t skip the marinating time! It makes the chicken tender and really locks in the flavor.
Step 5: Once the chicken is halfway through cooking, grill the pineapple slices until golden.
Step 6: Remove the chicken and pineapple from the hot grill.
Step 7: Brush the rest of the marinade on the chicken. If desired, place the chicken under the broiler so the huli-huli sauce can thicken or heat the reserved sauce in a large saucepan on the stovetop until reduced, and brush or pour over the chicken.
SERVE: Garish with green onions and serve.
- You can use a gas grill or charcoal for this recipe.
- Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature.
- Before pouring the remaining marinade over the chicken, taste and adjust the seasonings if desired. Sometimes I add more brown sugar for a sweeter Hawaiian bbq sauce.
- Clean under the grill grates before cooking. Also let some of the excess marinade drip off before placing the chicken on grill. The extra juices can cause the grill to flame up and potentially burn the chicken.
Fun Fact
The Hawaiian huli huli chicken recipe started in 1955 by Ernest Morgado. It was a family recipe that he decided to feed to a big group of locals, and boy was it a huge hit! –Hawaiian Food Online
Recipe FAQs
Keep leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days. If you used fresh chicken, it can be frozen for 1 month. If the chicken was frozen previously, do not refreeze.
It is very similar. However, the term “huli” means turn, so it’s really referring to the cooking method versus the sauce that is used.
Huli is the Hawaiian word for turn. Traditionally authentic huli huli chicken is turned constantly while cooking. In Hawaii, you may even see it on a rotisserie.
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Huli Huli Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 4-5 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup ketchup
- ½ cup light soy sauce
- ½ cup pineapple juice canned
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste or minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste or minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika smoked or sweet
- Pineapple rings – 1 pineapple or 1 can of slices drained
- ½ cup sliced green onions for garnish
Instructions
- Rinse chicken leg quarters and pat dry.
- In a large bowl or gallon size ziploc bag, combine all ingredients except for the chicken. Mix well.
- Remove ½ cup of the sauce mixture and set aside for serving the chicken.
- To the remaining sauce, add the chicken thighs, mixing well so that all of the chicken is submerged in the marinade.
- Cover or seal and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
- Heat grill to medium high heat (400°F).
- Lightly brush the grates with oil.
- Place the chicken on the heated grill. Cook about about 10 minutes without turning or moving. Flip and continue cooking until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F (about 10 minutes more). Discard the marinade that the chicken was in.
- When the chicken is about halfway done cooking, add the pineapple rings to the grill and cook until golden on each side.
- Remove everything from the grill.
- Brush the reserved marinade over the chicken. You can place the chicken under the broiler for just a few minutes to thicken the sauce or you can heat the reserved sauce in a small saucepan on the stovetop to thicken it slightly and then brush that over the chicken.
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Comments & Reviews
deLaney says
Could you do this with chicken wings instead of thighs or legs?
Stefanie says
Sure! Cook time will be quicker though.
Kimberly R Roberts says
I give is 5 stars. It’s full of flavor!