Huli Huli Chicken
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Last Updated on November 17, 2020 by Lisa Johnson
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!
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.
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.
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.
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…..
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.
On a cutting board, not a plate.
then cut in half again so you have 4 quarters.
Serve with Hawaiian Potato Salad and/or Steamed Rice.
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:
Komo i ka!!
Huli Huli Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 whole chickens mine were almost 11 pounds total
- ⅓ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup sherry
- ¼ cup lightly packed brown sugar
- ⅓ cup soy sauce I used low sodium
- 2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- ½ 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
- ¼ 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.
Oh boy, I can’t wait till grilling season starts! This sounds SO good! Thanks for sharing.
Do you think this would work fine with a spatchcocked chicken?
I don’t see why not, Donna. Just be careful not to place it directly over the flame and you should be fine. 🙂
Yes I do Donna, just remember that it will cook more quickly than a whole chicken.
This chicken looks amazing! Thanks for linkin’ up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!
Sounds yummy! Thanks for sharing with us at Funtastic Friday 🙂