Huli Huli Chicken Holds a Special Place in my Heart 🌺
I love sharing my family’s Hawaiian recipes here on PWWB. Local-style dishes bring up memories of my family in Hawaii – love, togetherness, & the generous spirit of aloha. I was so excited publish our Best-Ever Kalua Pig, Baked Manapua, & Spam Musubi, & the same goes for this Huli Huli Chicken recipe. Huli huli is a style of BBQ chicken that’s totally unique to the islands, & my mom’s version is absolutely delicious.
I first encountered this iconic local Hawaiian-style rotisserie chicken on one of my first trips to Hawaii with Chris. We were cruising along the Windward side of Oahu (one of my favorite spots on the island!) & stumbled upon a roadside huli huli chicken stand. A man was flipping racks of chicken over a live fire on the side of the highway, selling the fresh roasted chicken out of his car. The beautiful flames, incredible smoky aromas, & mouth-watering charred-crisp chickens completely drew me in. It was an “oh I NEED that & I need it NOW!!” moment – & it did not disappoint. I’ve been obsessed ever since.
Since huli huli chicken cravings always follow me back to the mainland, I turned to my mom for help developing a homemade recipe. She has many memories of huli huli chicken growing up on Oahu & makes seriously the best huli huli chicken sauce. This recipe is a delicious reflection of both our experiences & we’re excited to share it with you!
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Huli Huli Chicken Recipe Highlights
This easy grilled huli huli chicken is my absolute favorite because it’s…
- TANGY & SWEET. Halved chicken soaks up a simple brine of pineapple, dark brown sugar, & shoyu for a perfect balance of sweet & tangy flavor. Brining chicken provides a delicious boost in flavor & guarantees juicy results every time!
- JUICY & CHARRED. You don’t necessarily need a fancy rotisserie setup to make homemade huli huli chicken – keep it simple! Cook the chicken with indirect heat on any backyard grill & it’ll be super tender & juicy with crispy, charred skin – just like the real-deal!
- A LOCAL-STYLE HAWAIIAN CLASSIC. Easy & delicious local-style comfort food, grilled huli huli chicken is a taste of Hawaii at home.
Almost as good as Hawaii…almost! 😉🌺🤙🏼 ♡ Read on to learn more about how to make Grilled Huli Huli Chicken, or jump straight to the recipe & get grilling!
What is Huli Huli Chicken? Mom’s Memories from Growing Up in Hawaii 🌺
Huli huli chicken is Hawaii’s version of wood-fired rotisserie chicken. Traditionally, the chicken is cooked in wire grill racks over a fire of kiawe wood, which adds a smoky-sweet flavor to the meat. “Huli” means “turn” – making the rotisserie-style cooking method a key element of the dish. Authentic huli huli chicken is frequently turned over the fire until perfectly juicy & charred.
Today it’s common to find huli huli chicken sold in Hawaii by entrepreneurs in restaurants, lunch wagons, & on pop-ups on the side of the road just like the one Chris & I stumbled upon! The manual huli process is now often replaced by motorized rotisseries, but the iconic flavor is as good as ever. Despite evolutions over time, huli huli chicken is a very simple dish at its roots. To date, Mike’s Huli Chicken on the North Shore of Oahu is my personal favorite – you can’t beat authentic Hawaiian chicken! – but my mom’s homemade version is a very close second.
This particular huli huli chicken recipe is one that my mom, who was born & raised on Oahu, created with her childhood memories in mind. When she shared it with me, she told me that she primarily remembers huli huli chicken as a very popular meal for school & organization fundraisers. It was a simple, efficient, & low-cost dish to prepare that everyone loved.
“The fundraisers set up metal tray tables filled with kiawe wood & placed the chicken halves over the heat in framed wire fencing with handles. When it was time to huli (or turn) the chicken, they would lay another fencing frame on top of the chicken to help flip it over.” The chicken was finished with a spray of salt water & grilled until the skin was rendered & charred. As she recalls, “nothing smelled better.” 🤤
Despite its simple origins, these days you’ll find lots of different seasoning rubs, sauces, & marinades used to make huli huli chicken. While seasonings vary across recipes, pineapple is typically a key ingredient for the dish. My mom’s huli huli chicken recipe uses a simple blend of sweet pineapple & dark brown sugar, savory shoyu, & aromatic spices for maximum flavor.
Key Ingredients for Grilled Huli Huli Chicken
Note: Full ingredients list & measurements provided in the Recipe Card, below.
Like many local-style Hawaiian dishes, this huli huli chicken recipe is really simple. You only need 3 key ingredients to make grilled huli huli chicken at home…
- Spatchcocked chicken – A spatchcocked or butterflied chicken has its backbone removed so it can lay nice & flat as it cooks. This is ideal for the grill because it ensures the chicken cooks evenly & gets beautifully charred. While the butchery may sound complicated, it’s actually super easy to do at home – refer to our How to Spatchcock a Chicken guide for a step-by-step walkthrough of the entire process.
- Pineapple juice – While I typically preach ‘fresh is best,’ that’s not the case here. The enzymes in fresh pineapple juice really impact the texture of chicken, so you want to avoid using it for longer marinades or brines. Stick with canned or jarred pineapple juice for this huli huli chicken recipe!
- Dark brown sugar – One of our favorite pantry staples, dark brown sugar fortifies the sweetness of the huli huli chicken brine with extra richness. Feel free to sub regular brown sugar if that’s what you already have on hand!
Pineapple’s History in Hawaii
While it’s not a native crop, pineapple has become somewhat of a symbol of Hawaii because of the islands’ long history of pineapple production. The fruit was likely introduced to the islands by the Spanish & it ended up growing well in Hawaii’s tropical climate. By the early 1900s, pineapple plantations were common on the islands. Local plantation workers helped turn pineapple growers like Del Monte & Dole into global pineapple producers, exporting all around the world. While pineapple is used in many Hawaii-style dishes, other fruits like mango & lilikoi are actually more popular amongst locals (at least in my experience!).
Pineapple is likely found in many huli huli chicken recipes because it’s such an easily accessible ingredient in Hawaii. Its sweetness offers a great balance to the barbecued chicken’s smoky & savory flavors, plus its sugars caramelize over a hot grill for perfect golden-brown color & extra depth of flavor.
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This huli huli chicken recipe is seriously EASY – one reason I love it so much! It all comes down to 2 key steps: soaking chicken in a sweet-savory pineapple brine & grilling it with indirect heat.
Full Recipe Directions, including step-by-step photos, are included in the Recipe Card, below.
#1: Brine the Huli Huli Chicken
Why brine chicken? ⇢ Brining is an easy way to add tons of flavor & moisture to chicken, which is especially helpful for grilling. Think of it as a marinade that really sinks into the flesh of the meat.
Pineapple Brine. ⇢ Simply whisk together pineapple juice, dark brown sugar, & a few tablespoons of kosher salt. A little bit of ketchup is an optional add-in; it gives the chicken a nice golden-orange color. Important! ⇢ Be sure to set 1 cup of brining liquid aside for basting the chicken as it cooks on the grill!
Place the halved spatchcock chicken in a bowl, resealable bag, or airtight container, then pour the remaining pineapple brine over top. Let the chicken soak up its flavor & moisture for at least 12 hours or up to 2 days. Brining requires some advanced planning, but it’s absolutely worth it. Think of it as easy meal prep!
Full Recipe Directions, including step-by-step photos, are included in the Recipe Card, below.
#2: Cooking Huli Huli Chicken on the Grill
Once the chicken is brined, the grill does the rest of the work! There’s no need to gather kiawe wood or set up a fancy rotisserie – a standard backyard grill works perfectly.
Grilling Huli Huli Chicken with the 2-Zone Method. ⇢ Prepare your grill for indirect heat cooking, also known as 2-zone grilling. If you’ve never grilled with 2 zones of heat before, this might sound intimidating, but it’s honestly the simplest thing – just light half of the grill, leaving the other half of the grill unlit. Lighting one half of the grill makes it nice & hot but gives you a more gentle, low heat zone on the other half – this indirect heat zone is where the magic happens for this recipe! If you’d like to learn more, check out our 2-Zone Grilling Guide.
A Few More Tips for Grilling the Huli Huli Chicken…
- Remove excess moisture. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel before you put it on the grill to remove any extra moisture. This helps it get nice & charred & prevents flare-ups.
- Rotate frequently. It’s huli huli chicken after all – turning is essential! Place the chicken on the indirect heat zone & rotate it about every 15 minutes until juicy & charred. This could take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on your grill & the size of your chicken. An instant-read thermometer will let you know when the chicken is cooked through.
- Baste as you go. Baste the surface of the chicken with the reserved pineapple brine after each rotation. Doing so gives the huli huli chicken a beautiful, slightly caramelized finish & an extra layer of delicious flavor.
Huli Huli Chicken Recipe Variations & Alternate Cooking Methods
Other Cuts of Chicken
While cooking a whole huli huli chicken is traditional in Hawaii, you can make this recipe using any cut of chicken. The brining process is works well for grilled huli huli chicken thighs, breasts, or even wings! This is especially handy if you’re cooking for one or two & don’t need large portions. Depending on the cut you choose, adjust cook times accordingly.
Oven Roasted Huli Huli Chicken
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F with a rack positioned in the center. Place the brined chicken in an oven-safe skillet or braiser. Transfer the skillet or braiser to the oven & roast 1 hour – 1 hour 10 minutes, rotating the chicken every 20 minutes & basting it with reserved brine with each rotation to promote even roasting & browning, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast registers an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. Finish the roasted huli huli chicken according to Recipe Directions, starting with step 4, below.
Smoked Huli Huli Chicken
Preheat your smoker or pellet grill to 350 degrees F. Place the brined chicken on the grates & cook 35-40 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast registers an internal temperature of 160 degrees F, basting the chicken every 15 minutes. Finish the smoked huli huli chicken according to Recipe Directions, starting with step 4, below.
Mom’s Huli Huli Chicken Sauce
Full Recipe Directions, including step-by-step photos, are included in the Recipe Card, below.
While the grilled chicken is fantastic on its own, drenching it in huli huli chicken sauce really takes everything to the next level. My mom makes hers using a similar line-up of ingredients from the chicken brine, along with a few other flavor-boosting pantry staples. It’s tangy, sweet, a little spicy, & SO delicious – kind of like a really simple homemade pineapple BBQ sauce – & whipping it up as the chicken grills couldn’t be easier!
Mom’s Huli Huli Chicken Sauce. ⇢ Combine pineapple juice, dark brown sugar, shoyu (or soy sauce), ketchup, cornstarch, garlic powder, & cayenne pepper in a small saucepan. Simmer for 20 minutes on the stovetop, or until the sauce is reduced & thickened.
Serving Local-Style Grilled Huli Huli Chicken
Once the chicken is grilled & the huli huli sauce is simmered, all that’s left to do is serve! A few serving ideas to get you started…
- Make a classic plate lunch! The most traditional way to serve grilled huli huli chicken is Hawaiian plate lunch-style, alongside big scoops of white rice & Hawaiian Mac Salad. Creamy mac salad offers a little palette cleanser to the tangy-sweet chicken, while sticky white rice soaks up all of its juices.
- More plate lunch inspiration. A simple green salad or classic potato salad are also common plate lunch sides. Stir-fried noodles are great too!
- Other summery sides. Feel free to serve grilled huli huli chicken with any other sides that you love most during grilling season – any pasta salads, simple grilled veggies, etc. While they’re a little less traditional, they’re always delicious options!
Huli Huli Chicken FAQs
What does huli mean in Hawaiian?
“Huli” translates to “turn” in the Native Hawaiian language – an appropriate name for rotisserie-style chicken!
Why is it called huli huli chicken?
Huli huli chicken is traditionally made by flipping racks of chicken over a fire (like a rotisserie). Since huli means turn, the name huli huli chicken comes from this need to turn or flip chicken as it cooks.
What to serve with huli huli chicken?
Serve grilled huli huli chicken plate-lunch style with white rice & Hawaiian Mac Salad for the most traditional local meal!
Where to try huli huli chicken in Hawaii?
My favorite huli huli chicken experience to date (aside from Mom’s, of course! 😊) is at Mike’s Huli Chicken on the North Shore of Oahu. My favorite part about it is their tangy-sweet huli huli sauce – it’s SO good!
I can’t wait for you to try our Grilled Huli Huli Chicken! It’s so much easier to make at home than you’d ever imagine & Mom’s recipe tastes just like it does on the North Shore of Oahu. I know you’ll love it as much as we do.
If you do give it a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. I LOVE hearing about & seeing your PWWB creations! ♡ Happy cooking!
Craving More Hawaiian Flavors? 🤙🏼🌺
Try These Local Favorites:
- Best-Ever Kālua Pig (Hawaiian-Style Pulled Pork!)
- Mom’s Chow Fun (Hawaiian-Style Pork Chow Fun)
- Hawaii-Style Kalbi (Grilled Korean Beef Short Ribs)
- Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken
- Grandpa Clarence’s Hawaiian Beef Stew
- Best-Ever Spam Musubi
- Mom’s Hawaiian Mac Salad (25-Minute Macaroni Salad)
- Furikake Salmon
- Light & Crispy Mochiko Chicken (Hawaii-Style Fried Chicken Thighs)
Grilled Huli Huli Chicken with Mom’s Huli Huli Sauce
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Overnight Brine: 12 hours
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 4-6 1x
- Category: Main Dishes, Chicken Recipes
- Method: Grilling & Smoking
- Cuisine: Hawaiian, American
Description
My first encounter with real-deal, authentic huli huli chicken happened on one of my first trips back to Hawaii with Chris. As we cruised along the Windward side of Oahu – one of my favorite spots on the island! – we stumbled upon a roadside huli huli chicken stand. A man was flipping racks of chicken over a live fire on the side of the highway, selling the fresh roasted chicken out of his car. The beautiful flames, incredible smoky aromas, & mouth-watering charred-crisp chickens completely drew me in & I’ve been obsessed with huli huli chicken ever since.
Since huli huli chicken cravings always follow me back to the mainland, I turned to my mom, who was born & raised on Oahu, for a homemade version. She has many memories of huli huli chicken from her childhood & she taught me that modern day huli huli chicken you find in restaurants in Hawaii today has evolved quite a bit from its pretty humble origins. Check out the blog post, above, to learn more!
This particular recipe is a marriage of both of our experiences with huli huli chicken – the preparation & line-up of ingredients is relatively simple, but it really packs a big punch of flavor. Simply soak the chicken in a pineapple brine to ensure juicy & flavorful results, then grill slow & steady with indirect heat to mimic a traditional kiawe wood-fired rotisserie at home.
As far as serving goes, we swear by a traditional Hawaiian plate lunch, complete with rice, mac salad, & a generous drizzling of Mom’s huli huli sauce (below). We hope you love this recipe just as much as we do – it’s really a taste of Hawaii at home! 🌺
Ingredients
- 1 (one) 4-5 pound whole chicken, spatchcocked & halved
- 3 cups pineapple juice, canned or jarred (NOT fresh)
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar (can sub regular brown sugar)
- optional, for color: 1 tablespoon ketchup
- kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season
- for serving, as desired: Mom’s huli huli sauce (below), rice, Hawaiian mac salad, etc.
Mom’s Huli Huli Sauce:
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar (can sub regular brown sugar)
- 2 teaspoons shoyu or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- healthy pinch cayenne pepper
- kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season
Instructions
Huli Huli Chicken Prep: Spatchcocking is a poultry butchering technique in which the poultry’s spine is removed so the poultry lays completely flat during the cooking process, which facilitates faster & more even cooking. While you can ask your butcher to spatchcock the chicken for you, it’s also very simple to do at home with a pair of sharp kitchen shears. I like to spatchcock chicken a day before I plan on grilling it, leaving the chicken to soak a pineapple brine, which results in seriously juicy & flavorful grilled huli huli chicken. Here’s what you’ll do:
- Spatchcock & halve the chicken: Use paper towel to pat chicken very dry. Place breast-side down on a large plastic cutting board. Using very sharp kitchen shears, carefully snip along each side of the backbone, until completely detached. With breast side of the chicken still facing down, use your hands to gently stretch open the rib cavity of the chicken. Place the heel of your knife at the center of the wishbone. Forcefully press down until the wishbone snaps and the breastplate cracks. Flip the chicken so it lays flat, breast side facing up – you just spatchcocked a chicken! For grilled huli huli chicken, take it one step further, slicing between the breasts to create two halves. Be sure to tuck the wing tips behind the breasts, as pictured, to ensure they don’t burn as the chicken cooks. For step-by-step photos & more tips & tricks, be sure to check out PWWB’s How to Spatchcock a Chicken tutorial post.
- Brine the chicken: In a large bowl, whisk together the pineapple juice, brown sugar, ketchup (if using), & 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Transfer 1 cup of the brine to a small airtight container & reserve for basting. Place the halved chicken in a large bowl, airtight container, or resealable bag. Pour the remaining pineapple brine over top, submerging the chicken as much as possible. Cover or seal, then transfer to the refrigerator to brine for at least 12 hours & up to 48 hours.
Grilled Huli Huli Chicken:
- Grill prep: At least 60 minutes before grilling, take the brined chicken out of the refrigerator to allow it to come to room temperature before grilling. Remove the chicken from the brine, discarding any excess brine, then use a paper towel to pat the chicken as dry as possible. Set aside. This is a great time to preheat the grill & prep the huli huli sauce (Step 2, below). Prepare your grill for indirect cooking, creating a zone of direct high heat & a second zone of indirect heat. If using a gas grill, begin preheating at least 15 minutes before grilling. If using charcoal, light the charcoal at least 30 minutes prior to grilling. (To learn more about zone grilling, be sure to check out this post.)
- Prepare the huli huli sauce: Add all listed ingredients to a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt & whisk to combine well. Once the huli huli sauce comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring the sauce occasionally, for 20 minutes to reduce & thicken. Remove from the heat & set aside for serving.
- Grill the huli huli chicken: Place the chicken on the indirect heat side of the grill, breast side up, as close to the fire as possible without being over the direct heat. Close the grill lid. Cook the chicken, stopping to rotate it 180 degrees every 15 minutes. With each rotation, use a pastry brush to generously baste the surface of the chicken with the reserved pineapple brine from Step 2. The huli huli chicken is ready once an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast (without hitting the bone) registers a temperature of 160 degrees F. Depending on the size of your chicken & the temperature of your grill, this could take as little as 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
- Rest the grilled huli huli chicken: Remove the huli huli chicken from the grill. Transfer to a large plate & set aside to rest for 5-10 minutes. Carryover heat will cause the internal temperature to continue to rise as it rests. The chicken is ready to serve once an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the chicken (without hitting the bone) registers a temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Serve: Carve the huli huli chicken as desired & serve immediately, drenched in huli huli sauce & paired with whatever sides you like. We like serving our huli huli chicken plate lunch-style, with white rice and Mom’s Hawaiian mac salad. Enjoy!
Notes
- Storage & Reheating: Leftover grilled huli huli chicken will keep, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave until warmed through. Once you’ve enjoyed all of the chicken, sure to hang on to the grilled chicken carcass to make homemade chicken stock or broth!
- Recipe Variations & Alternate Cooking Methods:
- Other cuts of chicken: While whole chicken is the most common way you’ll find huli huli chicken in Hawaii, this recipe also works well using any cut of chicken you love most. Refer to the following recipes for guidance on grill temperatures & cook times:
- Bone-in, skin on chicken parts (e.g. huli huli chicken breasts/thighs, huli huli chicken drumsticks)
- Bonless, skinless chicken (e.g. huli huli chicken breasts/thighs)
- Huli huli chicken wings
- Alternate cooking methods: If you don’t have access to an outdoor grill, you can prepare this huli huli chicken recipe a few other ways – refer to the blog post, above, for a quick how-to on oven-roasted huli huli chicken & smoked huli huli chicken (cooked on a pellet grill like the Traeger).
- Other cuts of chicken: While whole chicken is the most common way you’ll find huli huli chicken in Hawaii, this recipe also works well using any cut of chicken you love most. Refer to the following recipes for guidance on grill temperatures & cook times:
- 25-Minute Meal Prep: While grilled huli huli chicken is a great weekend cooking project, there are a couple of things you can prep ahead of time to eliminate almost all active prep at dinnertime:
- Prep the huli huli sauce according to Step 4 of Recipe Directions, above. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. (10 minutes active prep)
- Spatchcock the chicken & brine in buttermilk according to Chicken Prep Steps 1-2, above, up to 2 days ahead of time. Store, covered in a large airtight container, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. (15 minutes active prep)
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Made this with chicken breasts for an easier weeknight meal. Was easy and delicious flavors! I can’t wait to eat leftovers for lunch all week
Leftovers are the BEST! Thanks for the review, Steph!
Why have I never heard of this?! We’ve been to Hawaii at least 50 times, but never to Oahu. Maybe that’s it. Anyway, it seems perfect for a summer barbecue!
Thank you! Hope you give it a try soon! 🙂