Huli Huli Chicken – you can’t miss the tropical flavours in this Hawaiian chicken dish! A pineapple marinade with plenty of fresh ginger and garlic injects sweet-savoury flavour and makes for an excellent glaze. Brilliant BBQ grilled or pan seared.
Serve it up with a side of pineapple rice or macaroni salad as you hula dance your way to the table (you won’t be able to help it! 🤷🏻♀️)
Huli Huli Chicken – tropical food!
There’s just no chance that you cook this without doing a little hula dance.
It’s the vibe. It’s the smell. It’s the satisfying dripping, shiny glaze, the caramelised edges, the anticipation of the smiles and sheer happiness on the faces of those fortunate enough to eat this.
This is just the sort of food that just makes everyone happy! Tropical food has that way about it, don’t you think??
So just give in to the temptation – and swish those hips!!
“Huli” means “turn” in Hawaiian, and refers to the traditional method of cooking this with a grilling basket, turning it over hot coals.
Hawaiian Huli Huli chicken marinade
This tropical recipe is all about the marinade – and there’s two key secret ingredients here:
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pineapple juice – for tropical flavour and sweet. Tip: use the juice from canned pineapple slices, and use the pineapple for garnish, as pictured! Must use long shelf life pineapple juice, not fresh – see note below; and
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sherry – or Chinese cooking wine or Mirin. I’ve made it with and without – with knocks it out of the park. Don’t skip it! (Non alcoholic sub – chicken stock. Yup, really.)
IMPORTANT NOTE about pineapple juice: do not use fresh pineapple juice sold in the fridge, or puree your own using fresh pineapple. Fresh pineapple contains a strong natural tenderiser that will make your chicken way too soft. That natural chemical (called bromelain) is killed in the process of preparing pineapple juice for long shelf life, so use any form of pineapple juice sold in aisles (ie not in fridge) – juice of canned, vac packed juice (poppers or similar) or bottles.
How long to marinade chicken
3 hours is the bare minimum, but you’ll be most rewarded with 24 hours – even up to 48 hours – so the marinade really gets into the chicken flesh.
However, if you don’t have the time, 3 hours is enough to get the flavour infusion started, then just do extra generous basting.
How to make Huli Huli Chicken
Nothing groundbreaking here – marinade the chicken, reserve some for basting, cook the chicken on the BBQ or stove, basting frequently so you get a lovely glaze.
Why reserve for basting? For hygiene reasons – because the marinade gets tainted with raw chicken. You can baste using the used marinade, but you have to cook the basted side for 1 1/2 – 2 minutes after each baste. Which, for this particular recipe, doesn’t work because we want to baste-flip-baste-flip frequently. (Same for any other chicken marinade you want to baste frequently, like the Honey Soy Chicken I shared last week).
Tropical sides for Huli Huli Chicken!
Here’s a few suggestions for on-theme dishes to serve on the side. Think – fresh, juicy, lime, coconut, mango, colourful! (Tip: Thai and Vietnamese flavours are very suited to Tropical theme menus)
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Pineapple fried rice from last week – which I actually shared in anticipation of this recipe. Not only is it tropical, you can use the juice from a can of pineapple pieces to make this recipe, and the pineapple to make the rice. Though in this case, I use a can of pineapple slices – juice for the marinade, grilled the slices for garnish, as pictured.
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More starchy sides – Coconut lime rice, Prawn mango summer salad (skip the prawns if you want),
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Corn avocado salad, grilled corn, Cowboy bean salad, vermicelli noodle salad, cucumber salad
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Warm weather favourites – potato salad, coleslaw, macaroni
And lastly, just in case you’re eyeing off this Huli Huli chicken in anticipation of a big tropical feast, here are a few desserts and drink suggestions!
Dessert ideas
Cocktails for Tropical Parties!
Enjoy! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Huli Huli Chicken (Tropical Hawaiian chicken)
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg / 3 lb chicken thighs (or breast, Note 1)
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Marinade:
- 3/4 cup pineapple juice, canned or bottled (NOT FRESH!) , unsweetened (Note 2)
- 1 1/2 tbsp ginger , freshly grated (Note 3)
- 1 1/2 tbsp garlic , freshly grated (Note 3)
- 1/2 cup tomato ketchup (or Aussie tomato sauce)
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup sherry or Chinese cooking wine (Note 4)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp Sriracha
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar (or cider vinegar)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil , toasted
Garnishes, optional:
- Sliced green onion
- Pineapple slices , grilled for 3 minutes on each side for lines
Instructions
Marinade:
- Mix marinade, set aside 3/4 cup (185 ml) for basting.
- Pour the rest over the chicken in a glass or ceramic container (not metal or plastic), coat chicken then marinade 24 - 48 hours.
Cooking:
- Brush BBQ grills with oil then preheat to medium high, or heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
- Drain excess marinade from chicken, place on BBQ/skillet.
- Cook the first side for 2 - 3 minutes until golden (adjust heat if browning too fast), then flip and cook for 2 minutes.
- Baste (dab) generously with reserved marinade, then flip and cook for 1 minute.
- Repeat this every minute or so for a total cook time of 10 minutes, or until internal temp in the thickest part registers 75°C/167°F (for thigh) or 65°C / 150°F (for breast).
- Transfer chicken to a plate, loosely cover with foil and rest for 3 minutes before serving, garnished with green onion if desired.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
There was just never going to be any other photo for today’s recipe. 😂
Brian says
I paired this with your macaroni salad recipe and it was amazing
wendy richards says
hi can i use a subsutite for the sriracha as i want to make this for the grand children who love pinapple but not chilli
many thank and loving the recipes
Nagi says
Hi Wendy, just leave it out if making for children 🙂 N x
wendy richards says
Thank you for the reply, they are going to help me with the preparation today and I know they will just love the aroma of the ingredients which go in this and even more so love it once it’s cooked and ready to be eaten 😀 love the recipes
Ainslie Smith says
Excellent! The whole family loves it.
Nicole says
Does the sriracha make it spicy? would it be ok for kids to eat ?
Nagi says
It has a bit of kick, leave it out if serving to kids though 🙂 N x
Suzie says
Hi Nagi,
Would this work in an oven? We’re in the process of getting a new bbq and today is cleaner day so prefer not to stove cook haha! Maybe would affect the caramelising?
Thanks!
Nagi says
Sure can Suzie – same cooking method as this recipe here: https://www.recipetineats.com/sticky-baked-chicken-thighs/
Jo says
Mouth-watering
Jo says
Mouth-wateringly delicious
Caroline Bell says
Awesome chicken. Made exactly like recipe except broiled. Very flavorful and the chicken was tender. Marinated overnight. Served with rice.
Jan says
I made this last weekend, prepared on Sunday, ate on Monday and made a stir fry ish thing on Tuesday with the last bit of marinade as sauce. It was absolutely delicious both times. As someone else has said it does make a mess of your stove top but it’s so worth it! Pairing with the pineapple rice was great too. I love so many of your recipes, thank you so much for your hard work 😊
Fiona says
Oh my, this was amaaaaaaazing! The marinade is so simple, but the flavours were delicious! Cooked your pineapple fried rice as well. I only had time to marinate it for half an hour but it was still amazing. My one and only complaint is how messy it left my stove top and my tiled kitchen floor. Can’t wait to do this in the warmer months on the bbq!!
Betsy G. says
Everybody loved it!! This was my 50th-ish Nagi recipe, and it did not disappoint! I used tenders & marinated at 9am for 6pm pan grilling. Since I had 2 batches, i should have wiped out my pan a tad as 2nd batch was way more carmelized, but everyone still loved it! No leftovers! Had all the ingredients (even the wine from other recipes!) left out sugar since I used heavy syrup pineapple. Will add to our rotation! Hubby even announced “next time I’ll grill it, I bet that’s taste great!” 😉
Shahleena says
I plan to try this marinade with tofu; I’m sure it will be delicious!
Nagi says
Love to know how it goes Shahleena! N x
Lori says
Is there a substitute for ketchup? My son is allergic to tomatoes. Thank you!
Cheryl Eaton says
My husband LOVED this! He had me make another batch of marinade to reduce down and make a sauce that he ate over rice. Another homerun, thank you!
Nagi says
YES! Great idea Cheryl! N x
May says
Used coconut aminos rather than soy sauce (GF). I had something already going in the oven, so baked the thighs at 400* for 35 mins (turning & basting once). Can’t wait to grill it next time!
Liz says
This was a hit! I made dinner for friends which included 3 teenaged kids. I also made the pineapple fried rice. It was delicious and teen-aged kid approved.
miranda says
Hi Nagi, I just put the ingredients onto my shopping list. Can not wait to cook it! I have never used sriracha before. Will this make the dish too spicy hot for my 5 year old? Or does it just add flavour?
Nagi says
Hi Miranda, you can omit it all together and then add it to your dish after if you prefer – it’s probably safer that way 🙂 N x
Lara says
This was a huge hit at our house. I also grilled pineapple slices and that really added something.
Nagi says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Lara! N x
Marianne G says
Forgot the rating – 5 star for sure!
Nagi says
Thanks so much Marianne! N x
Marianne G says
Hola Nagi
What a tasty dish – marinating for 30 hours was so very worth it. You have managed to create yet another winner and staple dinner, so easy to make too, and rice complimented it perfectly. Yum!