Huli Huli Chicken Recipe
Huli Huli Chicken is a classic Hawaiian grilled chicken dish featuring a sweet and savory marinade made with brown sugar, soy sauce, sherry, ginger, and garlic. This recipe includes marinating the chicken overnight to enhance flavor and tenderness, then grilling it to juicy perfection with a delicious basting sauce. Perfect served with grilled pineapple and green onions for an authentic island-inspired meal.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 8 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: Hawaiian
Ingredients
Chicken
- 3 lbs chicken breasts or thighs, boneless and skinless
Marinade
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup ketchup
- ½ cup soy sauce (regular strength)
- ¼ cup sherry (or rice cooking wine; or unsalted chicken stock with ¼ cup pineapple juice for non-alcoholic option)
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Optional Garnishes
- Thinly sliced green onions
- Grilled pineapple rings
Instructions
- Prepare the Chicken: Use paper towels to thoroughly dry the chicken pieces. Pierce the chicken evenly all over with a fork to allow marinade to penetrate. Place the chicken in a large bowl and set aside.
- Make the Marinade: In a separate bowl, mix the brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, sherry, minced ginger, minced garlic, and freshly ground black pepper until combined. Reserve 2/3 cup of this marinade for basting later.
- Marinate the Chicken: Pour the remaining marinade over the chicken pieces and turn to coat well. Cover the bowl and refrigerate to marinate for at least 8 hours or preferably overnight, turning the chicken once halfway through to ensure even flavor absorption.
- Prepare the Grill: Preheat and grease your grill to medium-high heat, ensuring it is hot before placing the chicken on it.
- Grill the Chicken: Drain and discard the marinade that was used to marinate the chicken. Grill the chicken pieces approximately 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until the internal center no longer appears pink. Begin basting the chicken with the reserved marinade only in the last few minutes of grilling to avoid burning the sugars.
- Serve: Remove chicken from the grill and serve hot, optionally garnished with grilled pineapple rings and freshly sliced green onions for an authentic Hawaiian touch.
Notes
- Chicken thighs are recommended for their extra tenderness and forgiving nature if slightly overcooked. If using breasts, take care not to overcook to maintain juiciness.
- Sherry adds complex flavor and tenderizes the meat; if unavailable, rice cooking wine is a good substitute.
- For a non-alcoholic marinade substitute, use unsalted chicken stock plus ¼ cup pineapple juice to provide acidity and flavor.
- Prep time does not include the marinade resting time, which should be at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Check original recipes for creative serving suggestions to pair with this dish.
Find it online: https://flavorspath.com/huli-huli-chicken-recipe/
