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Home » Main Course » Huli Huli Chicken

March 29, 2017 5 Comments

Huli Huli Chicken

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cut up piece of chicken on a white plate next to a small bowl of sauce

This sweet and sticky Huli Huli Chicken will have them coming back for more…and then back again! It’s not an exact copy-cat of traditional Huli Huli Chicken since I do not own a massive grill with rotisserie, but that won’t matter…it’s that delicious!

This sweet and sticky Huli Huli Chicken will have them coming back for more...and more! cookingwithcurls.com

Serve it with Hawaiian Potato Salad and/or Steamed Rice and you have yourself a trip down memory lane, on a plate.

Don’t let the charred appearance fool you, that is all caramelized goodness! These Huli Huli Chickens never touched the grill.

How to make Huli Huli Chicken:

Mix all of the marinade ingredients together, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.

Huli Huli Chicken marinade cookingwithcurls.com

I had 1 2/3 cups total to divide, so yours should be similar.

Place each chicken in a large zipper top bag or bowl. Divide the marinade and pour over each chicken. Marinate for at least one hour or over night.

Huli Huli Chicken bag cookingwithcurls.com

Heat grill. I fired up the two outer burners on my gas grill, and left the center burner OFF.

Place each chicken on a “beer can” chicken stand or slide onto a rotisserie. Reserve the marinade.

Huli Huli Chicken pan cookingwithcurls.com

I did not fill the cans with beer, I just wanted the chickens to stand up and do the hula. 😉

Place the chickens in the center of the grill, or cook over indirect heat if possible, basting with the reserved marinade* and turning the chickens every 15 to 20 minutes…..

Huli Huli Chicken grill cookingwithcurls.com

Chicken is done when an instant read thermometer reads 165 degrees. Mine took about one hour and fifteen minutes, so check for doneness after one hour. Remove chickens from grill and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

This sweet and salty Huli Huli Chicken will become your favorite meal to grill this summer! cookingwithcurls.com

Cut the chicken down the center with a sharp chef knife.

Huli Huli Chicken cut cookingwithcurls.com

On a cutting board, not a plate.

then cut in half again so you have 4 quarters.

Huli Huli Chicken half cookingwithcurls.com

Serve with Hawaiian Potato Salad and/or Steamed Rice.

You will be making this delicous Huli Huli Chicken and Hawaiian Potato Salad all summer long, and you won't mind one bit | cookingwithcurls.com

and a Hurricane Cocktail, Mai Tai, or Pina Colada.

Recipe Notes & Tips

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  • I did not want to spend $110 for a rotisserie kit and second hook, so I bought 2) Beer Can Chicken deely bops instead.
  • Three chickens would have fit across my burner if I was having a Luau and needed more.
  • I also bought some heavy duty, heat resistant oven mitts to move the chickens around…the metal gets HOT…so be careful!
  • Placing the chickens on a baking sheet makes them much easier to move outside and back again.
  • If you do not want to add the sherry, just leave it out.

*I put the reserved marinade in a saucepan and brought it to a simmer for 10 minutes to kill any raw chickeness. The heat of the grill will technically be enough to kill any germs/bacteria if you would like to skip this step, as long as you cook the chicken for at least 20 minutes after the last time that you baste.

What is Huli Huli Chicken?

The original Huli Huli Chicken recipe was created by Ernest Morgado of Pacific Poultry back in 1955. The official recipe has never been published, but the basic ingredients have leaked out over the years. “Huli” is the Hawaiian word for turn. Morgado’s chicken was cooked between two grills and flipped over midway through cooking, hence the name Huli Huli Chicken.

You can find Huli Huli Chicken all over the Hawaiian Islands. Just follow the billowing smoke clouds and delicious aromas and you are bound to come upon a giant grill along the side of the road.

More delicious variations of Huli Huli Chicken:

  • Instant Pot Huli Huli Chicken
  • Huli Huli Chicken Wings

Komo i ka!!

You will be making this delicous Huli Huli Chicken and Hawaiian Potato Salad all summer long, and you won't mind one bit | cookingwithcurls.com

Huli Huli Chicken

This sweet and sticky Huli Huli Chicken will have them coming back for more…and then back again. It’s not an exact copy-cat, but that won’t matter!
5 from 1 vote
Print
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Asian
Keyword: whole, chicken, grill, barbecue, sauce, turn, hawaiian
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Marinade: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 12 Servings
Calories: 78kcal
Author: Lisa Johnson

Ingredients

  • 2 whole chickens mine were almost 11 pounds total
  • 1/3 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup sherry
  • 1/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce I used low sodium
  • 2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 Tablespoons lemon juice 1 large lemon
  • 1 Tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger about a 1-inch piece
  • 3 large cloves garlic pressed or finely minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Mix all of the marinade ingredients together, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
  • Place each chicken in a large zipper top bag or bowl.
  • Divide the marinade and pour over each chicken.
  • Marinate for at least one hour or over night.
  • Heat grill. I fired up the two outer burners on my gas grill, and left the center burner OFF.
  • Place each chicken on a “beer can” chicken stand or slide onto a rotisserie. Reserve the marinade.
  • Place the chickens in the center of the grill, or cook over indirect heat if possible, basting and turning the chickens every 15 to 20 minutes.
  • Chicken is done when an instant read thermometer reads 165 degrees. Mine took about one hour and fifteen minutes, so check for doneness after one hour.
  • Remove chickens from grill and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Cut the chicken down the center with a sharp chef knife, then cut in half again so you have 4 quarters.
  • Serve with Hawaiian Potato Salad and/or rice.

Notes

  • I did not want to spend $110 for a rotisserie kit and second hook, so I bought 2) Beer Can Chickendeely bops instead.
  • Three chickens would have fit across my burner if I was having a Luau and needed more.
  • I also bought some heavy duty, heat resistant oven mitts to move the chickens around…the metal gets HOT…so be careful!
  • Placing the chickens on a baking sheet makes them much easier to move outside and back again.
  • If you do not want to add the sherry, just leave it out.

Nutrition

Calories: 78kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Fat: 2g | Sodium: 425mg | Potassium: 54mg | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 35IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 0.2mg
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. AnnMarie says

    April 01, 2017 at 9:32 am

    Oh boy, I can’t wait till grilling season starts! This sounds SO good! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  2. Donna Voets says

    April 06, 2017 at 6:08 am

    Do you think this would work fine with a spatchcocked chicken?

    Reply
    • Lisa Johnson says

      April 11, 2017 at 11:02 am

      I don’t see why not, Donna. Just be careful not to place it directly over the flame and you should be fine. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Karly says

    April 08, 2017 at 9:56 am

    This chicken looks amazing! Thanks for linkin’ up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!

    Reply
  4. Debra says

    April 14, 2017 at 4:46 am

    Sounds yummy! Thanks for sharing with us at Funtastic Friday 🙂

    Reply

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