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When a Honolulu businessman shared his Huli Huli Chicken recipe with some farmers back in 1955, he had no idea what a huge hit his Hawaiian chicken dish would become. Ernest Morgado simply grilled some chicken that had been marinating in his mother’s sauce, and Viola!

Huli Huli chicken is one of those chicken recipes with a slightly sweet, slightly tangy disposition. The word ‘Huli’ simply means ‘turn’ in Hawaiian so it stands to reason that it’s paired with grilled chicken recipes and a totally satisfying marinade.

If you love this recipe, I have to recommend this fantastic Hawaiian recipe for easy shoyu chicken. I hope you’ll check out our instant pot lemon chicken, balsamic chicken, and our creamy Tuscan garlic chicken next!

Let’s tempt those taste buds!

Why You’l I Love Huli Huli Chicken

I love that this chicken recipe is so totally simple! It hardly requires any effort at all, and it’s just so darn knee-slappin’ good. Here are some other great reasons to love it!

Insanely delicious with a sweet & tangy disposition
Crazy simple from start to finish
Wholesome, easy-to-find ingredients
Fantastic for meal prep
A totally versatile recipe is easy to tweak

How To Make Huli Huli Chicken Recipe

You’re gonna’ fall in love with this recipe. It’s got a crave-worthy flavor and plenty of other delicious characteristics. Plus, it’s so simple. Just 3 easy steps – mix, marinade & grill. Pure sweet and savory love for your taste buds. Here’s how you do it.

Combine all the marinade ingredients.
Whisk and remove and reserve 1 cup of the marinade.
Place chicken in a resealable plastic bag.
Pour marinade into the bag.
Remove excess air, seal the bag, place on a rimmed baking sheet, and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade. Grill the chicken until cooked.
Serve.

***See the full instructions below.

Huli Huli Chicken Ingredients

Chicken – I like to use boneless breasts or thighs for this chicken. White meat or dark meat, it’s up to you. Just remember that exact cooking times will vary based on the temperature of your grill. You’ll want to ensure the internal temp of the chicken reaches 165ºF (74ºC).
Sherry – You can substitute the sherry with chicken broth or seasoned rice wine vinegar.
Swap the Ketchup – If you’re looking for a smokey variation of this recipe, consider swapping out the ketchup with some prepared BBQ sauce. It will also change the flavor profile slightly, adding a little smokey hickory flavor as well as a little more sweetness, and be a nice variation in your dinner rotation.
Soy Sauce – Incorporating some soy sauce into your chicken recipe injects a bit of umami flavor and helps the marinade bind to the meat. I like a Hawaiian style, sweet, low sodium style soy sauce for this recipe like I use in my Shoyu chicken.

Huli Huli Chicken Tips

Don’t Forget!: You’ll want to reserve a cup of the marinade to use for basting as you’re grilling up this little bit of tropical paradise. It really sets off the flavor bells and helps whisk you away to the land of tiki torches with every bite.
Timing: Now, let’s talk about the elephant in the room – the marinade time. I know that 24 hours seems like a long time, but your taste buds will appreciate your cooperation here. Besides the awesome flavor imparted by the pineapple, it also helps tenderize the meat into juicy succulent submission.
Cooking Times:
General– Whichever cut of meat you select, remember that your grilling time will vary based on the exact temperature your grill is cooking at, the distance your grates are from the heat, and the size and thickness of the pieces of meat you use.
- Chicken Thighs– Small chicken thighs generally grill up in 10 minutes overall, and larger thighs grill up in about 12 minutes overall or until an instant-read thermometer registers 165ºF (74ºC).
- Chicken Breasts: Boneless chicken breast is one of the easiest pieces of meat to overcook, so take care!
Thinner chicken breast generally grills up in 8 minutes overall,l and larger, thicker breasts grill up in about 12-14 minutes overall or until an instant-read thermometer registers 165ºF (74ºC).

Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead

How to Store: To keep it fresh and tasty. Personally, I like storing in a container with a secure lid as opposed to a resealable bag to protect the delicious coating.
- For this recipe, I like to lay a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the container before securing the top. I feel like it helps protect the integrity of the chicken by sealing the moisture in and protecting it from the air.
Can You Freeze This? Absolutely!! This chicken is great for meal prep. You can freeze the cooked, cooled chicken, or you can freeze the marinade – just don’t freeze the chicken in the marinade.
- An enzyme in the pineapple juice, called bromelain, helps tenderize the chicken because it digests protein. So, if you freeze the chicken in the marinade, it could turn mushy.
Make-Ahead Tips: This is definitely a make-ahead dish since it needs to marinate for 24 hours in the fridge. I like to whip up a couple of batches of Huli Huli chicken from start to finish and let it cool before preparing it for the freezer.
- When it’s time to serve, I just whip up another small batch of the marinade. The marinade does freeze well, too, but sometimes I just like to make it fresh.
How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Your chicken will stay succulent and amazingly delicious for up to 3-4 days in the fridge when stored properly. I’m telling ya’ though – it’s not gonna’ last in the fridge. This stuff makes awesome wraps and sandwiches. It always gets gobbled up crazy fast!
Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link.

Serving Recommendations

My family loves this with our totally loaded coconut rice or authentic Hawaiian macaroni salad. It’s also great with either our 7-layer salad, strawberry salad, or strawberry spinach salad (each with its own amazing easy dressing!), pineapple coleslaw, Asian coleslaw, or everyone’s fav, KFC coleslaw! Grape salad, broccoli salad, or my Grandma’s famous carrot salad!

Dessert anyone? You’ll love this with our pineapple delight, cherry pineapple dump cake, pineapple sunshine cake, or our pig pickin’ cake!

More Delicious Chicken Recipes

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Comments

DORINNE CROSS says

April 4, 2021 at 7:41 pm

Had Huli Huli chicken on Ouhu on the side of the road.. Deserved Michelin Star, glad to have this recipe to try it at home..It won’t have the same ambiance but I bet it will be delicious..Going to store fir chicken tomorrow !

- Kathleen says
  
  April 5, 2021 at 1:38 pm
  
  Yay! Enjoy, Dorinne! Thank you 🙂