Huli-huli chicken is Hawaiian grilled chicken with pineapple and soy flavors. I love to cook with pineapple to remember the taste of the islands. Cook this chicken on the grill or in the oven. The BBQ sauce is sweet, spicy, and tangy. I use coconut aminos, coconut sugar, and arrowroot to make it a little healthier!
You will need a knife, large reclosable plastic bags, a saucepan, and tongs.
First make four cups of marinade. You will use two cups of this to make the glaze. Mix together pineapple juice, coconut aminos, garlic, and ginger. Pour two cups into a saucepan.
Into two large reclosable plastic bags, pour one cup of marinade and half the chicken. Place in the refrigerator. Marinate for 1 to 24 hours. If cooking in the oven, cover a half sheet baking pan with aluminum foil, shiny side down. Spray with coconut oil or other cooking spray.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 
Add garlic, hot sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, arrowroot, and apple cider vinegar to the Hawaiian grilled chicken marinade in the saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. When you see the bubbles forming around the edges, lower the heat to medium high. Stir and boil for about 3 minutes. The sauce should stick to the spoon and be thick. You may need to boil it a minute or two longer.
Place chicken pieces on the baking pan. If cooking drummettes and thighs, you may want to lay the thigh pieces out flat to make cooking times similar. Put in the oven for 10 minutes.
Take the pan out and use tongs to turn the chicken. Put in the oven another 10 minutes. Take the pan out and check meat temperature with a thermometer. Chicken should be 175 degrees. Continue to cook if not done.
Waiting for chicken to reach 175 degrees!
Use a spoon to coat the Hawaiian grilled chicken pieces with glaze. Place in the oven for 2 minutes. Take the pan out and use tongs to turn chicken. Use spoon to coat the chicken pieces with glaze. Place in oven for two minutes.
Makes about 10 servings. Serve with the remaining glaze. I serve Hawaiian grilled chicken with brown rice and a vegetable mix or avocado.
Huli-huli chicken is Hawaiian grilled chicken with pineapple and soy flavors. Cook on the grill or the oven. The BBQ sauce is sweet, spicy, and tangy.
Ingredients
- 1.3 lb. chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
- 2.4 lb. chicken drummettes
- 2 ¾ cups pineapple juice
- 1 ½ cups coconut aminos
- 8 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- cayenne hot sauce, 2 tsp., or to taste
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 5 tsp. arrowroot
Instructions
- First make four cups of marinade. You will use two cups of this to make the glaze. Mix together pineapple juice, coconut aminos, garlic, and ginger. Pour two cups into a saucepan.
- Into two large reclosable plastic bags, pour one cup of marinade and half the chicken. Place in the refrigerator. Marinate for 1 to 24 hours.
- If cooking in the oven, cover a half sheet baking pan with aluminum foil, shiny side down. Spray with coconut oil or other cooking spray.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Add garlic, hot sauce, brown sugar, ketchup , arrowroot, and apple cider vinegar to the marinade in the saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. When you see the bubbles forming around the edges, lower the heat to medium high. Stir and boil for about 3 minutes. The sauce should stick to the spoon and be thick. You may need to boil it a minute or two longer.
- Place chicken pieces on the baking pan. If cooking drummettes and thighs, you may want to lay the thigh pieces out flat to make cooking times similar. Put in the oven for 10 minutes.
- Take the pan out and use tongs to turn the chicken. Put in the oven another 10 minutes.
- Take the pan out and check meat temperature with a thermometer. Chicken should be 175 degrees. Continue to cook if not done.
- Use a spoon to coat the chicken pieces with glaze. Place in the oven for 2 minutes.
- Take the pan out and use tongs to turn chicken. Use spoon to coat the chicken pieces with glaze. Place in oven for two minutes.
- Makes about 10 servings. Serve with the remaining glaze. I serve this with brown rice and a vegetable mix or avocado.
Notes
Tips: 1) for approximate chicken amounts, 1 lb. with bones feeds 2 people, 1 lb. of boneless, skinless feeds 4 people; 2) freeze leftover pineapple juice in an ice cube tray and store in a freezer bag in the freezer for future use; 3) you may use low sodium soy sauce, brown sugar, and cornstarch if desired; 4) don't adjust the hot sauce in the glaze until after you cook it. It will get hotter than you want if you adjust before cooking; 5) I use my homemade ketchup (no corn syrup); 6) Cook the chicken on the grill if you can! Just be sure to add the glaze at the very end, after the chicken is cooked through.
Nutrition facts for Hawaiian grilled chicken
The whole recipe is approximately 3406 calories. Makes about 10 servings of grilled chicken for about 341 calories each.
Resource links for Hawaiian grilled chicken
- http://www.hawaiimagazine.com/blogs/hawaii_today/2009/6/5/make_huli_huli_chicken
- Turn! Turn! Turn! Huli huli chicken from Hawaii Magazine
- http://www.hawaiimagazine.com/content/20-hawaii-dishes-you-must-try-when-traveling-islands
- 20 Hawaii dishes from Hawaii Magazine
- http://www.cookinghawaiianstyle.com/
- Cooking Hawaiian Style
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This is my kind of meal Lisa and I look forward to trying it!
Hey Sandra, Thanks for coming by! I hope you enjoy this huli huli chicken. I’ve had good success cutting this recipe by 1/4 to just make dinner for me and my husband!