Huli Huli Chicken
(hoo-lee hoo-lee)
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If you grew up anywhere near a Hawaiian community, your weekends were scented with the intoxicating, sweet smoke of Huli Huli chicken. Born in the fifties as a fundraising staple, locals would set up massive grills in school parking lots, flipping giant grates of chicken over glowing kiawe wood coals. You'd hand over a ticket and walk away with a greasy, smoky half-chicken that tasted like absolute heaven. You don't need a parking lot or exotic island wood to make this at home; the magic lies in a classic local fusion of Japanese shoyu, fresh ginger, mainland ketchup, and the technique of relentless turning. Just heed Grandma's golden rule: use pasteurized canned pineapple juice, or the fresh enzymes will turn your bird into unpalatable mush.
Before you start
Whisk together the master marinade.
In a large bowl, combine the canned pineapple juice, soy sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, rice vinegar, grated ginger, minced garlic, and sesame oil. Whisk vigorously until the brown sugar is completely dissolved.
Reserve the clean basting glaze.
Before the raw chicken comes anywhere near the bowl, measure out exactly 1 cup of the marinade and store it in the refrigerator. This is your clean baste for the grill; you cannot baste with the contaminated liquid the raw chicken soaked in.
Marinate the chicken thighs.
Submerge the chicken in the remaining marinade, toss to coat, and seal in a heavy-duty bag. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 8 hours. Do not exceed 24 hours, or the heavy sodium in the soy sauce will begin to cure the meat.
Ingredients
- bone-in skin-on chicken thighs4 lb
- canned pineapple juice1 cup
- low-sodium soy sauce3/4 cup
- ketchup3/4 cup
- light brown sugar1/2 cup
- unseasoned rice vinegar1/4 cup
- fresh ginger2 tbsp
- garlic4 med cloves
- toasted sesame oil1 tsp
- mesquite wood chips1 cup
- applewood chips1 cup
Method
- 01
Set up your grill for two-zone cooking.
You need a medium-high direct heat side and a cooler indirect side. If using charcoal, bank all the lit coals to one side. Scatter the soaked mesquite and applewood chips directly over the heat source to generate that crucial sweet smoke.
- 02
Sear the chicken over direct heat.
Remove the chicken from the marinade, let the excess drip off, and completely discard the used marinade. Place the thighs skin-side down directly over the flames for 3 to 5 minutes to render the fat and establish strong grill marks. Keep an eye out for flare-ups from the rendered fat.
- 03
Move to indirect heat and begin the huli.
Transfer the chicken to the cooler, indirect side of the grill, turning them skin-side up. Brush the meat generously with the clean, reserved cup of marinade and close the lid to capture the smoke.
- 04
Turn and baste every five minutes.
Every five minutes, you must huli (turn) the chicken. Flip the pieces, paint the newly exposed side with the reserved glaze, and close the lid. Repeat this relentless process for 20 to 25 minutes to build up a thick, sticky, caramelized lacquer without scorching the sugar.
- 05
Test for doneness and rest.
The chicken is ready when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F to 175°F. Pull the chicken, tent it loosely with foil, and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving alongside two scoops of sticky white rice and a generous mound of creamy macaroni salad.
Notes
The Pineapple Imperative.
Never use fresh pineapple juice for this marinade. Fresh pineapple contains bromelain, an active enzyme that will rapidly digest the meat proteins and turn your chicken into a chalky, unpalatable mush. Pasteurized canned juice tenderizes the meat perfectly without destroying its structural integrity.
The Winter Oven Hack.
When a Midwestern winter prevents outdoor grilling, bake the chicken at 400°F. Place the thighs on an oiled wire rack set inside a foil-lined baking sheet for 35 to 40 minutes, turning and basting every 10 minutes. Finish them under the broiler for 2 minutes to simulate the grill char, adding a half teaspoon of liquid smoke to your reserved baste if desired.
From Cook Hawaiian in America.