Hawaiian Huli Huli Chicken is absolutely delicious and SO EASY to make! Chicken is marinated in a simple Polynesian inspired sauce, then grilled on a BBQ. 
The last thing I wanted to do, or had time for this week, was blogging, OR cooking anything that required using my brain and a lot of energy! BUT… I tried this EASY recipe for Hawaiian “Huli Huli” Chicken (a Pinterest find) for dinner, and I’m sure glad I did! It was FANTASTIC!
Man oh man, it’s been crazy! My husband is working LONG hours and is also recovering from a back injury, so I spent a good part of the week tackling BIG home projects. My first project was pressure washing our brick patio and wood deck. UGH. Then I worked my tail off rolling 2 coats of paint onto our back (big) deck! DOUBLE UGH.
I needed something EASY to make at night for our dinner that didn’t require a lot of WORK. That’s where this delicious Hawaiian Huli Huli Chicken came in to the picture.
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What Does “Huli Huli” Mean?
Huli Huli is a very popular marinade or sauce in Hawaii. It is both slightly sweet and slightly savory! The words “huli huli” mean “to turn” in Hawaiian, referring to the turning of pork or chicken on the BBQ grill as it cooks.
It’s SO EASY To Make Hawaiian Huli Huli Chicken
The marinade for the Hawaiian Huli Huli chicken only takes 5-10 minutes to make! Whisk the ingredients together, and it’s DONE! The only other prep step needed is to pour half of the marinade over some boneless, skinless chicken breasts and thighs. Once the chicken is covered with the marinade, it sits and bathes in it overnight (minimum of 4 hours for best flavor) in the fridge.
The other half of the marinade is refrigerated to baste the chicken with, as it grills. If you marinade the chicken ahead of time, this Hawaiian Huli Huli Chicken really is one quick dinner to make on a crazy, busy day!
Time To Cook The Hawaiian Huli Huli Chicken
When you’re ready to cook the chicken, remove the chicken from the refrigerator. I try to take it out of the fridge about half an hour before we cook it, to take the chill off. The marinade that the raw chicken has soaked in can be discarded so there is no cross contamination (nobody wants that bacteria in their meal).
My husband grilled the Hawaiian Huli Huli Chicken on our trusty Weber grill. He made sure to occasionally baste the chicken with the reserved “fresh” marinade and turn it, while it cooked. When the chicken was finished cooking, he brought it into the house so we could gobble it up!
That’s it! See how incredibly EASY Hawaiian Huli Huli Chicken is to make? When the chicken is done, garnish the pieces with sliced green onions before serving. I served the chicken with a side of steamed white rice, and a crisp green salad, and it was delicious!!!
My husband and I both think it tastes fantastic! The Hawaiian Huli Huli chicken has a great Polynesian/teriyaki flavor going on, with just a teensy bit of heat from the cayenne pepper!
Next time I make this dish, I will also grill some pineapple to serve alongside it. Don’t you think think grilled pineapple would be a perfect side dish for the chicken? YUM.
We absolutely loved this easy to prepare dish! Hawaiian Huli Huli Chicken was a perfect main course to serve on a very hot night. All you have to do is plan a little bit ahead to marinate the chicken. Make the marinade for the chicken at the beginning of the day (or before you leave for work). Then when you’re ready for dinner, throw the marinated chicken on the ol’ BBQ grill and keep your kitchen cool!
Sure hope you will try this recipe for Hawaiian Huli Huli Chicken. The original recipe calls for using all boneless chicken thighs, but I preferred the combo of chicken thighs and breasts! Have a great day!
Looking For More GRILLED CHICKEN Recipes?
You can find all my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have quite a few delicious grilled chicken recipes, including:
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Recipe Adapted From: http://cookinginstilettos.com/huli-huli-chicken/
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 1/4 teaspoons fresh minced ginger
- 1 1/4 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 4-5 boneless skinless chicken thighs and/or breasts
- Olive oil (use to oil the grill before adding chicken)
- 1 stalk green onion , chopped (use the green part), for garnish
Whisk the marinade ingredients together in a large covered container, until fully combined. Set aside about half of the marinade in a separate container (cover and refrigerate the reserved marinade until ready to grill).
- Add the thawed chicken pieces to the large container; turn to coat in the sauce. Make sure container is covered. Refrigerate chicken overnight, or at least 4-6 hours.
Prepare BBQ. Lightly oil the grill with the olive oil. When coals are hot and ready to go, add the chicken pieces. Discard the marinade that the raw chicken was in.
Grill the chicken until done (larger pieces of chicken will require longer cooking time). Use the reserved marinade (from step #1) to baste the chicken continually while it cooks. When chicken is fully cooked (approx. 20-25 minutes or so, depending on size), remove chicken from grill to a serving platter. Garnish chicken with sliced green onions. Serve and enjoy!
REMEMBER!!!! The PREP time as indicated, does NOT include the time to marinade the chicken! Prepare ahead, and this will go quick!
Caloric calculation was determined using boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!
Can I possibly cook this in the oven?? Don’t have access to a grill
I’m sure you could… however I have never tried baking it. My best GUESS would be to bake it at 350 degrees. Make sure the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, to ensure the chicken is fully cooked through.
Tried this Huli Huli Chicken…..It was a “HOMERUN!” It will definitely be added to my grilling rotation….Thanks!
Hi, Mike…thanks for writing. Glad you enjoyed the chicken… we sure enjoy it, too! Have a great day.