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Huli Huli chicken is a sweet and savory chicken dish that is traditionally a Hawaiian Barbeque recipe. No matter how it is prepared though, it’s an easy dish and I still like to serve year round over rice or quinoa, with a side of a green vegetable like steamed broccoli.

Prepare According To Season

In the summer months, I will make this dish in a more traditional way. I marinate the chicken in the sauce over night, and then the next day I will put it on the smoker grill. This is definitely the yummiest way to prepare. But I think this is one of the more versatile dishes that I can prepare according to season.

In the colder winter months, I don’t want to stand in feet of snow to grill. I don’t live in Hawaii and it gets cold here. We also use a Traeger, and we don’t have a blanket for it, so it makes it difficult to use it all winter in single digit temps. So I bake it, and it still turns out delicious. I’ve baked both by marinading, as well as just pouring the sauce over the top of the chicken to bake. It’s always delicious.

Full Of Flavor

This recipe is full of flavor, and is the perfect combination of sweet and tangy. There are some similarities to a teriyaki chicken, but with the deep flavors of garlic and ginger, and the sweetness of pineapple, this is so much better!

Ingredient Notes:

Chicken. This recipe usually calls for 4 pounds chicken thighs. However my family prefers boneless skinless chicken breast, so I use roughly 3.5 +/- pounds of chicken breast.
Coconut sugar. Like most of my recipes I strive to use unrefined sugars and less of it. So instead of where most recipes call for brown sugar, I use a lesser amount of organic coconut sugar as well as crushed pineapple in 100% juice for sweetness.
Organic Ketchup. Ketchup also tend to be full of sugar, another reason why I cut back on the added coconut sugar. I am a ketchup snob and I definitely prefer this ketchup when not in a recipe. But I try to use unsweetened ketchup, especially being mixed in a recipe like this.
Coconut aminos. If you haven’t noticed by now from my other recipes, I try to avoid soy as much as possible. I use coconut aminos in the place of soy sauce. Coconut aminos has a much lower glycemic index than soy sauce, amongst other reasons.
Crushed Pineapple. A lot of recipes call for pineapple juice. I like to use crushed pineapple that is in 100% juice. I love that this adds a little bit of sweet texture to the chicken, especially when baked.
Minced Garlic. Of course fresh is always more flavorful. But garlic is something that I love more of, rather than less. If you are not a garlic lover like I am, reduce the garlic to 2 Tablespoon instead of 3 Tablespoons.
Ginger Paste. This adds a real punch of flavor. And ginger is also packed with health benefits. You can mince fresh ginger or use a ginger paste.
Apple Cider Vinegar. Acv, as many call it adds the tanginess to the recipe. You don’t want to skip it. Apple Cider Vinegar can lose a lot of its health benefits when its heated, however, it’s always a good practice to use an organic Apple Cider Vinegar with the mother for any remaining health benefits.
Paprika. You can use either a smoked paprika or a sweet paprika depending on the flavor profile you enjoy. I like to use the smoked paprika if I bake it, but I like to use the sweet paprika if I’m going to smoke the marinated chicken on the smoker grill.
Cumin and Black Pepper. These both add extra oomph to your flavor profile. Don’t skimp on the cumin, and the pepper is really to add as desired.
Sliced Pineapple Rings. Gotta save the best for last, right?! These sliced pineapple rings can be added to the grill just before the chicken is done. Or if baking, go ahead and add it to your baking dish before placing in the oven like I did below.

Preparing The Huli Huli Chicken

To prepare the huli huli chicken, you’ll need to gather all of the ingredients. Including a mixing bowl and a cookie sheet.

The mixing bowl will be to mix the sauce together in. And the cookie sheet will be to place your chicken on when its fresh off the grill, OR if you decide to bake it, you’ll want to add it underneath your baking dish to prevent any bubbling over. Trust me, you do not want this cause to spill in your oven. It’ll be difficult to clean up.

You’ll be able to make it easy, knowing that you can mix all of the sauce ingredients in one bowl. This also makes for easy cleanup!
If you are marinating, you’ll use a gallon size (or two) zipper bags, or a few very large glass dishes with lids to marinate and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours. The best flavor will be if you can marinate over night.
If you are grilling, make sure that you set some of the sauce aside to baste onto your chicken as it is grilling.
If you are baking, make sure to cut the chicken into smaller pieces. This will help the chicken to absorb more of the sauce flavoring and it will also help it to cook faster. Also, if you are still able to marinate, this would be the best. But if you are out of time, you can pour the sauce over the chicken to bake and it will still turn out delicious. I’ve made this in all of these ways and the kids have loved it each and every time. That’s saying something. Kid approved!

Storage

I love making enough for leftovers. This makes it easy for a quick lunch the next day. Especially with being on a gluten free and dairy free diet, it can be difficult to find something quick when our daytime hours are limited. With that said, this recipe will be good for about 3-4 days in the refrigerator as long as it is stored in an airtight container.

If the chicken has not been previously frozen, it can be frozen for about a month. This makes this recipe a good option for meal prepping or planning ahead. If the chicken was frozen, do not refreeze.

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