Grilled Huli Huli Chicken

Grilled glazed chicken thighs served on top of pineapple slices, garnished with chopped herbs, on a white plate with rice and fresh cilantro nearby.

5 from 3 votes

Grilled Huli Huli Chicken

Hawaiian Huli Huli Grilled Chicken with Pineapple 🍗🌺🍍 is marinated in a sweet-and-savory sauce and then grilled to perfection! The grilled chicken thighs lightly caramelized on the exterior with a tender, juicy exterior and so much FLAVOR! Reminiscent of a fancy Hawaiian restaurant but very EASY to recreate at home - provided that you multitask and read ahead in the recipe so you start the pineapple in the final minutes of grilling the chicken, and reduce the serving sauce while the chicken rests.

You can halve the recipe if desired - but the leftovers are great to have on hand during the week and/or plan to freeze half the recipe for a later date.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Marinating Time1

Course: Chicken, Dinner, Grill

Cuisine: American, Chicken, Hawaiian

Keyword: grilled huli huli chicken, Hawaiian chicken with pineapple, huli huli chicken, Huli Huli grilled chicken

Servings:

Calories: 380cal

Equipment

Ingredients

Marinade + Sauce for Serving

¾ cup pineapple juice reserved from the canned pineapple below
⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce
¼ cup ketchup
¼ cup honey
¼ cup light brown sugar packed
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sriracha or to taste (reduce to 1-2 teaspoons, or omit, if sensitive to spicy food)
1 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
¾ teaspoon ground ginger or to taste (or about 1 heaping teaspoon fresh ginger)
¾ teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika if preferred
3 cloves garlic finely minced

Chicken + Pineapple

3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs boneless skinless chicken breasts may be used, making sure they've been pounded to even thickness; or bone-in chicken thighs
20 ounce can pineapple rings packed in juice
Fresh cilantro optional for garnishing (or other fresh herbs if desired)

Instructions

Marinade + Sauce - To a large bowl, add all the ingredients from pineapple juice through garlic, whisk to combine, and remove about HALF of the mixture and place it in a small saucepan. This is going to become the serving sauce for later. Set this aside and don't let it come into contact with the raw chicken.
To the mixture that remains in the bowl, add the chicken, toss and flip to coat evenly and submerge, cover, and place the bowl in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 1 hour, but not more than 3-4 hours. About 2 hours is ideal. Tip - The acid from the pineapple juice will degrade the protein structure and the chicken will be mushy if you allow it to go longer than 3-4 hours.
Grilling - Preheat your grill to medium-high on one side and keep the other side either on very low or off, which is called indirect heat. Lightly oil the grates. When ready to grill, place the chicken on the side where the burners are on to sear it on the first side for about 3-4 minutes, flip, baste with the marinade in the bowl, and sear the second side. Tip - Take the chicken out of the fridge while the grill is preheating. Proteins always turn out better when they're not fridge-cold.
After the chicken has been seared on both sides, move it to the side of the grill that's off (indirect heat) baste it again with the marinade (and now discard that marinade). Allow the chicken to cook over indirect heat for about 5-7 minutes, or until done which is 165F on a digital thermometer, and flipping the chicken frequently and managing the heat output of your grill properly. Also start the pineapple, step 4 below.
Tips - Huli Huli means "to flip" and so flip it plenty. The flipping will help to prevent over-charring or burning, which is more likely with this particular recipe due to the higher sugar content in the pineapple juice, ketchup, and honey. Keep flipping and moving it around, and keep control of the heat your grill is putting out, turning down the burners that are on, as much as necessary. Allow the chicken to rest for at least 5-10 minutes before slicing, while it rests, reduce the serving sauce, step 5 below.
Pineapple - During the last 5 minutes or so that the chicken is cooking, add the pineapple to the direct heat, and cook it until as charred as desired. Be careful, it will likely cook quite fast and you don't want it to burn.
Serving Sauce - Heat the sauce that's in the saucepan over medium-high heat until lightly bubbling, then reduce the heat to a simmer, and allow it to simmer for about 5 minutes and thickened and reduced to your liking.
Garnishing + Serving - Optionally, garnish the chicken with fresh cilantro or your favorite herbs, serve with the reduced serving sauce, and enjoy.

Notes

Grill Pan: Preheat your grill pan over medium-high to high heat over your stove burners. Make sure you open your windows or ventilate your area. Indoor grilling is smoky business! When the grill pan is preheated properly, grill the chicken for about 5 minutes on the first side, flip, and grill for about 5 minutes on the second side, basting with the marinade. Because your stovetop will never get as hot as an actual grill, indoor cooking time on a grill pan may likely be longer. Always cook chicken until it’s done, which means 160-162F; and then rest it for 5-10 minutes off the heat so the internal temp rises to 165F, which is the safe temperature to consume chicken. Grill the pineapple and reduce the sauce as indicated in the recipe above.

Oven Baking: Preheat your oven to 375F, place the marinated chicken pieces in a 9×13-inch baking dish or casserole dish, discard the marinade, and bake uncovered for about 17-20 minutes, or until chicken is done. Flip once midway through baking for more even cooking. Chicken is done when the internal temp has reached 165F. Baking time will vary based on how hot your oven runs, how thick the pieces of chicken are, etc. so make sure to cook it as long as necessary in your oven. I suggest not trying to bake the pineapple since it will just release a lot of juice and perhaps better to just eat it as-is from the can.

Storage: Chicken and serving sauce, stored separately, will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat in gently in microwave as desired, or eat chilled.

Nutrition