Huli Huli Chicken- Grilled or Baked Hawaiian Chicken Drumsticks marinated in a sweet pineapple, ginger, garlic sauce . Sweet Sticky and Sweet. You know what protein I love to cook with the most? You guessed right- Chicken. Just a quick around here would suffice.
It’s essentially a tender and juicy blank slate capable of taking on a plethora of flavors whether bold or understated. A prime example of this is Huli Huli chicken.
The dish would be nothing without the chicken but this recipe is all about the sauce and ensuring that the sauce infuses every inch of the protein.
For this recipe, dark meat best -succulent part of the bird. The meat is moist and very affordable – hey am cheap.
You put the chicken on a hot grill which helps develops smoky char and then towards the end you baste on it to create layers upon layers of mouthwatering flavor. The direct translation is turn-turn chicken, which explains the turning, and basting required during cook time. If you are not use to basting on the grill. Simple grill or bake and drench the chicken in the sauce. How is easy is that?
All this talk about flavor probably has you wondering what is in the sauce. There is ginger for kick, garlic, soy sauce, lemon juice for acidity, pineapple juice, brown sugar and a few other additions to add complexity. Because of the sugar content, the sauce thickens as it cooks to create this beautiful glaze and the flavors intensify.
Take a bite of Huli Huli chicken and your taste buds will first be greeted with fruity sweetness from the pineapple along with the deep, almost caramel like flavor of brown sugar. The garlic and spice from the ginger come soon after as well as the savory elements of the sauce to create a well-balanced bite.
Oh, you can do the Hula dance too! After you are done making it . Am not watching … Enjoy!!!
title: “Huli Huli Chicken” ShowToc: true date: “2024-11-08” author: “James Hall”
Why We Love This Huli Huli Recipe
Get ready to meet your new favorite summertime dinner! Huli Huli Chicken is a fabulous traditional Hawaiian chicken recipe that is marinated in a sweet and savory sauce, then grilled. Although you will find huli chicken recipes online with dozens of ingredients, we have honed in our recipe to include only the most important ingredients to get the biggest bang for the buck. The combo of simple ingredients like pineapple juice, ketchup, soy sauce, and ginger creates a zippy marinade with irresistible flavor… Plus, the sugars in the sauce make the outside of the chicken beautifully caramelized and finger-licking-good! The yummy huli huli marinade is quick to put together, and we recommend letting the chicken thighs marinate for 12+ hours, or even up to 36 hours. Then grill chicken for only 10 minutes! It really is the perfect dish to prep ahead and then easily grill for an effortless meal on a busy weeknight, relaxing weekend, or at your next summer barbecue.
Ingredients You Need
Chicken thighs – boneless skinless chicken thighs, or breasts if you prefer Pineapple juice – use just from the can, not fresh bottled Ketchup – the tomato tanginess makes the sauce taste similar to bbq sauce Soy sauce – I suggest low-sodium soy sauce Cooking sherry – or mirin AKA rice wine Sriracha sauce – use more or less of the spicy sauce to taste Light brown sugar – packed Ginger – freshly grated Garlic – minced Sesame oil – or olive oil Garnishes – like grilled canned pineapple slices and/or sliced green scallions
How to Make Huli Huli Chicken
To Start: It’s important to note, that fresh pineapple and fresh ginger both have enzymes that break down and tenderize meat. This sounds like a good thing, but they can actually break the meat down too much so that it has a strange mushy texture. To get the flavor of the pineapple and ginger without creating unwanted side effects, use canned pineapple juice, not fresh. Then sauté the ginger and garlic first before adding them to the marinade. That way, you get all the robust Hawaiian BBQ flavor without changing the meaty texture of the chicken. Place a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add the oil, grated ginger, and garlic to the skillet. Stir and sauté the ginger and garlic for 2 to 3 minutes, making sure not to burn it. (This is an important step to ensure the ginger enzymes don’t make the chicken mushy as it marinates.) Place the sautéed ginger and garlic in a large measuring pitcher. Add the canned pineapple juice, ketchup, soy sauce, cooking sherry, Sriracha, and brown sugar. Stir well. Measure out 1 cup of marinade. Then cover and refrigerate it for later use. Pour the remaining marinade into a large zip bag. Add the chicken thighs to the bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible. Then zip the bag tightly and shake the chicken around to cover it in marinade. Place the marinade bag in a baking dish, just in case, and place it in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours, but up to 36 hours. When ready to grill, pull the chicken out of the refrigerator and drain off the marinade. (It’s ok to leave some marinade on the chicken; you do not need to pat the chicken dry.) Preheat the grill to medium heat, about 350 to 400°F. Once hot, place the chicken pieces on the grill, top side down. Grill for 5 minutes. Then flip the chicken over, and brush extra marinade over the top of each piece. Continue to grill the chicken for another 4-5 minutes until fully cooked. If serving with pineapple slices, fresh or canned, place the pineapple slices on the grill after you flip the chicken over. Grill the pineapple slices for 2-3 minutes per side. Pull the chicken and the pineapple slices off the grill and arrange on a serving platter. Brush the reserved marinade over the top of the chicken if desired. Sprinkle green onions over the top!
Serving Suggestions
Sprinkle the huli huli chicken with scallions and serve warm. This sweet and delicious dish is great for a quick dinner, at summer parties, potlucks, and barbecues! Pair the chicken with traditional Hawaiian sides like crunchy slaw, a scoop of white rice or coconut rice, Hawaiian potato salad and macaroni salad, and kimchi fried rice with spam. Or use the boneless chicken thighs to make huli huli chicken sandwiches! They are scrumptious on sweet Hawaiian rolls and loaded with slaw. And don’t forget the Mai Tais!
Looking for More Easy Grilling Recipes? Be Sure to Try:
Grilled Blackened Chicken Habanero Peach Chicken Wings How to BBQ Chicken Chipotle Chicken BBQ Skewers Miso Honey Chicken
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