Huli Huli Chicken is one of my favorite Hawaiian recipes. Tender chicken is marinated in a homemade huli huli sauce and then grilled to perfection for a delicious chicken dinner that only needs a scoop of rice and mac salad to go with.
Disclosure: OXO provided the above referenced grill tools for me to play with. Opinions are 100% my own – and you know I would never recommend something I didn’t love. There are also affiliate links contained within this post.
What a grill wants
What a grill needs
Whatever makes me happy sets you free
And I’m thanking you for knowing exactly
What a grill wants…
C’mon – you know you were singing right along with me to that 90s track, right?
Whenever I think of the perfect grilled chicken – it’s marinated, basted, tender and juicy -full of fresh flavors with a bit of heat and that, my friends, is what I’m here to share with you today. It’s what my grill wanted and needed to welcome itself to its new home – my balcony.
My apartment complex has a strict no gas grill, no charcoal grill policy so, it’s either an electric grill outdoors or or I’m stove-top grilling it on a gas stove. I had one of those outdoor Foreman type grills that worked well for a few years but as I really started to get into grilling, I knew I had to upgrade to something that would put a bit of char on. After doing some research and “grilling” of friends (ha!) I found a lovely Char-Broil electric grill that “made me happy” so I set the Foreman grill free. (I know – I’ll cut it with the song references)
Anywhoo – long and short of it is that about the time I was in grill research mode, OXO wanted to gather some bloggers together to spotlight #WhatAGrillWants. They sent us a lovely box full of their top-notch grilling tools knowing that when you grill with great tools, you get a great end result.
Look at what they surprised us with:
16″ Grilling Tongs, Silicone Basting Brush, Corn Stripper, Marinade/Dressing Shaker and a coveted Meat Tenderizer
Seriously – these tools are amazing – the brush – I can see me using it for grilling and baking uses – it holds the sauce so it doesn’t get super drippy and cleans up beautifully. The tongs are big girl tongs – no burning myself when I’m charring peppers on the stovetop over the gas burners or trying to get the meat off of the back of the grill. I LOVE the corn stripper – no muss, no fuss. The Marinade/Dressing shaker has this great flip pour spout so you can mix and then pour – sooo handy when I’m trying to pour a marinade in a plastic bag for chill duty. Finally – the meat tenderizer – this bad boy is a MUST – a few pokes with the tenderizer’s sharp edges and the marinade sinks in deeper, the meat gets tender and it actually helps cut down a bit on the marinade time. These are tools that will have you grilling like a rockstar!
When I decided to break in my grill with the new OXO grill tools, I decided to make one of my favorites – Huli Huli Chicken. Huli Huli Chicken has some teriyaki-esque flavors but what it really reminded me of is my friends’ mom’s chicken that I still can’t seem to get the recipe for. It’s got soy, brown sugar, a bit of ketchup, some ginger, some garlic and a bit of cayenne for heat. A bit of banging with the tenderizer cuts down on the marinade time and, once the chicken has soaked in the delicious flavor, it’s off to a grill. A bit of a sear, some basting with sauce, over, and over again forms this sweetly salty crust that covers a juicy chicken. You might want to make a double batch for salad or sandwiches the next day.
This Huli Huli Chicken recipe is what any grill would want – and it’s what you need to make this weekend!
On to the recipe:
Gather your ingredients
Let’s brush with a bit of the marinade [My deck lighting is horrid – I need to follow my neighbor’s cue and decorate a bit]
Look at that grilled loveliness
Served with a bit of mac salad and you have a seriously delicious meal
Now – who’s grilling with me?
Recipe adapted from Taste of Home
Yields 4-6
This Huli Huli Chicken is one of my favorite Polynesian dishes - similar to teriyaki chicken and all the charbroiled flavor of the grill. One bite will have you thinking of taking a trip to the Big Island.
5 hrPrep Time
20 minCook Time
5 hr, 20 Total Time
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup of soy sauce
- 1 cup of ketchup
- 1 cup of brown sugar
- 1/2 cup of chicken broth
- 2 1/2 teaspoons of freshly minced ginger
- 2 - 3 cloves of garlic, minced or grated
- 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (or a bit less or more - depending on how you like it)
- 8 - 10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 pounds or so)
- Canola or olive oil (for the grill)
- Sliced green onions for garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, chicken broth, ginger, garlic, and cayenne pepper until everything comes together into a a rich deep amber sauce.
- Reserve 1 1/2 - 2 cups of sauce for basting the chicken in a separate container and put it in the fridge.
- I lightly tenderized the chicken thighs but if you don't have a tenderizer, don't sweat it. It does help the meat get more juicy tho.
- Add the chicken thighs to a large plastic bag and pour over the remaining Huli Huli marinade. Seal the bag.
- Squish the bag, making sure that all the chicken is covered with the sauce.
- Put in the fridge and let marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- When you are getting ready to grill, remove the chicken 30 minutes prior and let come to room temperature.
- Lightly oil the grates with a bit of oil on a paper towel, using some long tongs
- Preheat the grill to medium - medium high heat.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and place on the grill.
- Grill the chicken thighs on one side for about 7 minutes or so until it releases easily.
- Flip and baste the chicken with the reserved marinade/sauce.
- Let cook for about 6 minutes, flip and baste again - cooking for a couple minutes.
- Do one more round of basting/flipping - so that the sauce forms a bit of a crust.
- Garnish with the sliced green onions and enjoy!
Calories
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Carbs
Protein
Disclosure: OXO provided the above referenced grill tools for me to play with. Opinions are 100% my own – and you know I would never recommend something I didn’t love. There are also affiliate links contained within this post.
