Want to make something fun this summer? A nod to a tropical chicken Hawaiian feast, my Yummy Huli Huli Chicken recipe is sweet and spicy, colorful and a delicious way to serve up a BBQ. If you are wondering what to serve with huli huli chicken, add some rice, and/or grilled sweet potatoes and you have a feast.
Let’s get started with the sauce.
HOW TO MAKE HULI HULI SAUCE
Gather all your ingredients. I’ve used so many of my favorite ingredients in this sauce that it is no wonder so good. In a small pot over medium-high heat, add the ketchup, pineapple juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, grated ginger, onion and garlic and one teaspoon of Momofuku Chili Crunch. If you like heat, feel free to use more and up to 2 tablespoons if you want to feel the burn! I personally just want the flavor so use just a teaspoon. (Note: I didn’t want to add any additional sugar to the mix, there is plenty in the ketchup and pineapple juice, so I used Swerve brown sugar substitute. Lakanto Brown monk fruit sugar substitute is also a good choice. Feel free to use regular brown sugar if that is your preference.)
I bring everything to a boil, stirring to combine. Turn off the heat and let it cool.
This is such a flavorful sauce and one you can use not only on chicken but try it on pork and shrimp too. I use it in this recipe on my veggies and pineapple for even more flavor. So good.
To make the seasoning for the chicken, simply mix everything in a bowl and then sprinkle liberally over all the chicken on both sides. I’ll rub it in and then let it sit in a baking dish on the kitchen counter for 30 minutes. You can do this the night before and keep it in the fridge overnight. I’d just let it come to room temperature before cooking (about 1/2 hour on the counter) so you get even cooking.
Since I’m making this whole dish in the house on a grill pan, I use both my stove top and oven for cooking this and finish my chicken under the broiler. So, prep two baking sheets by covering them with foil. Spray with cooking spray and put them to the side. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Place your grill pan over a medium-high heat on the stove and get it really hot. Spray with cooking spray. Place your whole bell peppers right on the grill pan and let them get grill marks on all sides. You are going to flip them around every couple of minutes. I like to use a wide range of yellow, red and orange peppers both because of the colors and because they are sweeter than green peppers. While they are grilling, prep your pineapple.
HOW TO CORE A PINEAPPLE
For year’s I struggled cutting up a pineapple. Cutting off both ends and then cutting away the tough exterior skin was hard enough, but how do you get that core out of the middle and get those rings you always see pre-cut in the produce department, or heaven forbid, in a can? I could never figure that out so I could only cut the trimmed pineapple into spears and remove the core with a knife which works great in dishes like my Malibu-Pineapple with Coconut Sorbet & Macadamia Nuts but if you want those pineapple rings, I finally found the right tool and haven’t looked back. The pineapple corer and slicer changed a daunting task into something fun. Plus, I started buying fresh pineapples all the top and using them in so many recipes.
To core a pineapple today, I simply cut off the top of the pineapple and “screw in” my pineapple corer. It has this sharp blade that swivels into the pineapple creating a circular ring of pineapple and separating it from the core in less than 30 seconds. Then, I can slice into rings or chunks, depending on what I’m making. Trust me, invest in this gadget and you’ll be making everything from Pina Coladas to Pineapple and Mango Chicken Stir Fry all the time. I like it fresh in the morning…feels like I’m on vacation at a tropical resort.
For this recipe, I simply cut into rings.
When my bell peppers are nice and charred, I move them to a cutting board and then I grill my pineapple rings. It takes about two minutes per side to get nice grill marks. Move the grilled pineapple to one of the baking sheets. Slice the bell peppers in quarters and add them to the baking sheet with the pineapple. Brush all of it with the cooled huli huli sauce and place to the side.
Spray your grill pan again and grill the chicken for about five minutes per side until you have good grill marks. The chicken will be partially cooked. Place on the second baking sheet and brush with the huli huli sauce. Place the chicken in the oven for about 10 minutes. Flip the chicken and brush the second side with more sauce. Bake for another 10 minutes. Flip again and brush with more sauce but this time but the baking sheet under the broiler.
Place the tray with the pineapple and peppers in the oven to heat through while you finish the chicken under the broiler. Baste the chicken and flip the chicken several times in two minute intervals to finish cooking the chicken and to get the chicken nice and brown and well coated with the sauce.
After most or all of the sauce is gone, plate the pineapple and peppers on a large platter and top with the cooked chicken. Sprinkle with flaky salt, chopped green onions and the sesame seeds. Enjoy.
Did you enjoy this meal? If so, please leave a rating below along with your comments. I’d love to hear if you tried the recipe. If you liked this tropical twist, be sure to try some of my other favorites like:
Pork Kebabs and Pineapple Rice with Macadamia Nuts
Spicy Pineapple and Basil Coleslaw
Whipped Coconut Cream with Pineapple & Macadamia Nuts
Corn Cakes with Pineapple and Basil Salsa
Yummy Huli Huli Chicken
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
CHICKEN, FRUIT & VEGGIES
- 8 Chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
- 1 Tbsp. Kosher Salt
- 1 Tsp. Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tsp. Garlic powder
- 1 Tsp. Onion powder
- ½ Tsp. Dried Thyme
- 4 bell peppers, various colors
- 1 Pineapple, peeled and cored, and cut into rings
- Cooking spray
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Green onion, sliced for garnish
- 1 Tbsp. Sesame seeds, for garnish
- Flaky salt to finish (Maldon is a favorite)
- Cooking spray
HULI HULI SAUCE
- ½ Cup ketchup
- ½ Cup pineapple juice
- 1/3 Cup Swerve brown sugar
- ¼ Cup soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp. Rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. Fresh ginger, grated
- 1 Tbsp. Onion, grated
- 1 Tbsp. Garlic, grated
- 1 Tsp. Momofuku chili crunch
Instructions
- Mix the seasoning for the chicken in a small bowl. Season the chicken on all sides. Let sit for 20 –30 minutes at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.
- Make the Huli Huli sauce by mixing all the ingredients in a small pot. Heat over medium high heat until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined and bring to a simmer. Let cook for about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Spray a grill pan with cooking spray or use oil to wipe down the grates of an outdoor grill to help prevent the veggies, fruit and chicken from sticking. If cooking in the house, preheat your oven to 300-degrees F. Cover two baking sheets with foil for easy clean up. Spray with cooking spray and put to the side. Grill the chicken on the grill pan for about 5 minutes on each side until you have nice grill marks, flipping once. Please the semi-cooked chicken on one of the baking sheets and brush with the huli huli sauce. Place in the preheated oven.
- Now, grill the bell peppers (whole) flipping them every couple of minutes until you have nice char marks all over the peppers. Remove them to a cutting board. Remove the stem and seeds and discard. Slice the peppers into quarters and place on the second prepared baking sheet.
- Next, peel and core your pineapple using a pineapple corer. Place the slices of pineapple on the grill and cook on each side for about two minutes to get grill marks. Remove the pineapple from the grill pan and place on the baking sheet with the peppers. Brush the fruit and veggies with the huli huli sauce and place in the oven. Flip over the chicken and brush the second side. Let bake for about 5 more minutes.
- To finish cooking the chicken, turn the broiler on high. Flip your chicken again, brush with more sauce and place under the broiler for a couple of minutes. Flip the chicken a second time and brush again with the huli huli sauce. You can do this several times, flipping the chicken to make sure the thighs don't burn but the sauce darkens and gets sticky on the chicken. A total of 5-7 minutes.
- Remove the cut peppers and pineapple to a platter and top with the chicken thighs.
- Once everything is on the platter, sprinkle with flaky sauce, the green onions and the sesame seeds. Enjoy!
