Huli Huli Hawaii Chicken (2024)

Hawaiian Chicken (or Huli Huli Chicken) is BBQ chicken with delicious, sticky-sweet sauce. Make this grilled chicken recipe for cookouts or a weeknight dinner.

What is Huli Huli Chicken?

Huli Huli Chicken is one of the classic Hawaiian BBQ dishes.

The story goes that in 1955, Ernest Morgado of Pacific Poultry barbecued his version of chicken with teriyaki sauce for a gathering of farmers. The chicken ended up being such a hit, it became a favorite at Hawaiian fundraisers, raising perhaps millions of dollars over the years for local schools, softball teams and hula groups.

The chicken was cooked between two grills and the grills had to be flipped over. Because “huli” is the Hawaiian word for turn, the name Huli-Huli Chicken came about.

Flipping the marinated chicken then basting it with sauce adds layers of wonderful flavor.

One of the best parts of this grilled chicken dinner is the sauce. Hawaiian BBQ chicken has a sticky-sweet sauce that is simply irresistible!

The other thing that people who eat the dish rave about is how juicy the chicken is. That juiciness comes from an easy chicken marinade that I think you will love!

Video: Making Hawaiian Chicken

Scroll down to the recipe card and you can watch as I show you how to make this delicious, tropical bbq dinner!

Ingredients for Huli Huli Chicken

• Chicken – either boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts will work perfectly.
• Canned Pineapple juice – I use canned pineapple juice when marinating. Fresh Pineapple Juice contains an enzyme bromelain, which is a natural meat tenderizer, making the texture of the chicken mushy if marinated too long.That enzyme is destroyed in the canning process.

Hawaiian BBQ sauce

The huli marinade serves double duty because, as a marinade and a sauce. You baste the chicken with it as it cooks on the grill. As a result, it forms a sticky-sweet, lip-smacking sauce.

NOTE:This sauce is relatively high in sugar. While this makes for a delicious sauce, it is not healthy by any stretch.

So, feel free to substitute any of the ingredients with low-sugar substitutes, and artificial sweetener for the brown sugar.

This is what you’ll need:

• Pineapple juice, canned
• Soy sauce – If salt is an issue for you, use sodium free or light soy sauce
• Brown sugar
• Ketchup
• Sherry
• Honey
• Fresh ginger
• Garlic cloves (or minced garlic)
• Sesame oil
• Sriracha sauce – Often, I use sambal oelek chili paste as a Sriracha substitute, but any Asian chili paste will do.

Tips for the Best Grilled Chicken

• Clean and preheat the grill. Getting beautiful hatch marks from the grates of a grill is all about heat. If the grill isn’t hot enough, you won’t have the sear you want.

Also, unless you enjoy chicken that tastes like the grilled ribeye or salmon you made last week, clean the grates before grilling again!

• Oil the grates. Most importantly, after the grill is hot, use a basting brush to apply a high smoke point oil to the grates. Otherwise, you will have a really difficult time flipping the chicken over.

Alternative Cooking Methods

If you don’t own a grill, you can still enjoy this Hawaiian Huli Huli chicken!

• Smoker– Set the temperature of your smoker to 225°F. and smoke the chicken for about an hour. Then check the internal temperature of the chicken. It’s ready when the temp is 163°F.
• Oven– Cook in a preheated 350°F. oven for 35 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken pieces reaches 163°F.

Serving Suggestions for Hawaiian Chicken

I like to serve this dish alongside steamed rice, but it is also delicious on quinoa, brown rice, or rice pilaf.

Also, you can slice up and grill any pineapple you don’t need for the marinade. The pineapple caramelizes nicely, bringing out even more sweetness and a fantastic grill flavor. For another Hawaiian potluck dish containing pineapple, readers really like my Hawaiian Stuffed Peppers!

This recipe first appeared on Kevin Is Cooking September 2016 and was updated 7/22/20 with new photos and a video.