Huli Huli Chicken

Hawaiian Huli Huli chicken comes together with just a few simple ingredients and a few hours to marinate, but it is well worth the wait!

Huli Huli, which means ‘turn turn,’ is traditionally made on a spit or rotisserie over a fire. If you have either available, cook the chicken slowly over hot charcoal – we highly recommend it! We’ve also made this chicken on the grill and in the oven with great results – directions, below! The most important part is to continually baste and turn the chicken and, if using an oven, simply broil for the final 3 minutes to give it some extra color and flavor.

Our recipe includes some of our favorite ingredients, like lots of ginger, garlic and tamari, instead of soy sauce, for a mellower saltiness. Feel free to adjust the mix a bit to suit your taste. Huli Huli chicken is normally both sweet and salty, similar to teriyaki, but a splash of hot sauce surely wouldn’t hurt if you don’t mind a little heat (we would recommend Sriracha).

You can make the marinade a few days in advance, then simply plop the chicken into it when ready. Make sure to have the marinade on hand as it cooks, so you can baste it repeatedly, at least 4-5 times, before it is all said and done. This marinade is also fantastic on pork ribs, so don’t be shy about giving that a try! We’ve used bone-in, skin-on whole chicken, cut into eight pieces (two of each: thighs, breasts, legs and wings), but this would be enough marinade to do about 16 or so drumsticks or even more wings, if that’s preferred. The smaller pieces don’t need as long in the marinade to soak up all of the flavors, so you could be eating in few hours after getting started if you go that route.

We highly recommend trying our Hawaiian Mac Salad alongside this chicken and some fresh white rice. Take it to the beach and enjoy these island-style gindz around a campfire after a day of playing in the water.