This grilled huli huli chicken is perfect for summer! Chicken thighs are marinated in a sweet & savory “teriyaki-like” sauce then grilled until slightly charred & brushed with even more glaze! It’s a quick & easy dish that’s best served with grilled pineapple!

A close up photo of a grilled huli huli chicken thigh topped with sliced green onion sitting next to grilled pineapple rings

Grilled Huli Huli Chicken – sticky sweet, tangy and perfect for summer! It’s offically grilling season over here and I couldn’t be more excited! I personally think grilling brings out the best in most foods and have a list a mile long of things to try this summer.😊

First up – huli huli chicken! (I originally made this for a brand collaboration and it was so good I had to put it on the blog!) The marinade is so easy and full of rich teriyaki-like flavors that are brought out even more after being slightly charred on the grill. It’s a quick and easy grilled chicken recipe that’s delicious and packed with flavor! This would be such a great Memorial Day recipe too!

Ingredients used to make grilled huli huli chicken

Ingredients For Huli Huli Chicken

Chicken thighs: Use boneless skinless chicken thighs for the best results. (They’ll cook faster than bone-in thighs.)

Soy sauce: Use a ½ cup of soy sauce for your marinade. (We use reduced sodium soy sauce.)

Brown sugar: You’ll need a ½ cup of brown sugar for your marinade! (This can also be replaced with coconut sugar.)

Ketchup: Any type of ketchup works for this recipe! You’ll need a ½ cup of ketchup!

Rice vinegar: A ¼ cup of rice vinegar is needed for your marinade. (We use natural rice vinegar for ours!)

Garlic: You’ll need to mince at least 4 garlic cloves!

Fresh ginger: An optional ingredient! If using, you’ll need at least 1 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger.

Spices: Smoked paprika and black pepper go into your marinade!

Pineapple slices: Fresh pineapple or canned pineapple rings can both be used for this recipe!

What Is Huli Huli Chicken?

Huli huli chicken is a Hawaiian grilled chicken dish. It’s traditionally made using a whole chicken or larger portions of chicken cooked over a grill and basted with a sweet huli huli sauce. The term “huli” translates to “turn” which also refers to it’s cooking method; where the chicken is turned/rotated several times on the grill while it cooks being basted with the sauce. It’s a very popular dish in Hawaiian cuisine!

A clear mixing bowl filled with freshly made huli huli sauce sitting next to a plate of pineapple slices

A lrage clear mixing bowl filled with boneless skinless chicken thighs marinating in huli huli sauce

How To Make Grilled Huli Huli Chicken

1. Make your marinade: Whisk your soy sauce, brown sugar (or coconut sugar), ketchup, rice vinegar, garlic, grated ginger (if using), smoked paprika and black pepper together in a bowl. Then set aside a ¾ cup of marinade for basting later.

2. Marinate your chicken. Next add your chicken thighs to a glass or ceramic bowl and pour your remaining marinade over the top. Give the chicken a good stir then cover and let them marinate for 3 hours – overnight.

3. Grill your chicken. When you’re ready to cook, brush your grill grates with oil then heat the grill to medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, remove your chicken thighs from the mariande and place them on the grill. Discard the marinade in the bowl. Cook your chicken for 5-6 minutes per side (or until a meat themometer reads 165 degrees when inserted in to the thighs). Baste the thighs (on both sides) with your reserved marinade during the last 2-3 minutes then transfer them to a plate once done.

4. Grill your pineapple: Next place your pineapple rings on the grill and cook until you see grill marks on each side (about 1-2 minutes).

5. Serve! Serve your huli huli chicken immediately with your grilled pineapple, any extra sauce and green onion sprinkled over the top!

Grilled huli huli chicken thighs sitting on a large metal tray with grilled pineapple rings

Bake It!

Turn this recipe into a baked chicken dish instead! Grilling your huli huli chicken does add great flavor but baking it is just as delicious! Follow the directions below for baking:

Marinate your chicken thighs as directed.
Then place them in a prepared baking dish and bake at 400 degrees for 20-22 minutes (or until the chicken has an internal temperature of 165 degrees).
Serve immediately with your reserved sauce on the side!

Want crispier chicken? Broil the thighs for a few minutes after they’re done baking until they’re slightly charred!

Grilled huli huli chicken thighs sprinkled with sliced green onion and drizzled with extra huli huli sauce sitting next to grilled pineapple rings

Serving Suggestions

Simple side dishes (or more traditional Hawaiian side dishes) tend to pair better with your huli huli chicken. (It’s a very robustly flavored dish with strong sweet and savory notes.) Here are a few ideas to help get you started:

White rice or fried rice
Hawaiian macaroni salad
Simple roasted veggies like broccoli, asapragus, sweet potatoes or baby potatoes
A refreshing fresh fruit salad (Try my Fresh Fruit Salad with Honey-Lime Poppy Seed Dressing!)

Why you’ll love this huli huli chicken recipe!

Rich authentic taste! It’s sweet, tangy, garlicky & full of savory umami flavors!
An easy recipe for grilling season! Your marinade takes minutes to make & the chicken cooks quickly too!

More chicken recipes you might like:

[Made one of my recipes? Tag my Instagram @kalefornia_kravings & leave a review in the comments – I love seeing what you create!]

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