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Grilled Huli Huli Chicken

Grilled Huli Huli Chicken with a sweet-savory Hawaiian glaze that caramelizes as it chars and gets sticky on the grill. Teriyaki-style marinade plus frequent “huli” flipping creates that signature lacquered, caramelized finish.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
marinating 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Hawaiian
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken thighs or legs
  • 3 lb chicken thighs or legs
Huli huli marinade and glaze
  • 0.5 cup soy sauce
  • 0.5 cup brown sugar
  • 0.25 cup ketchup
  • 0.25 cup pineapple juice
  • 3 tbsp sherry or chicken broth
  • 2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp sesame oil

Equipment

  • 1 grill

Method
 

Make the marinade
  1. Whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, pineapple juice, sherry, ginger, garlic, and sesame oil until the sugar dissolves and the mixture looks smooth.
  2. Reserve 1/2 cup marinade for basting so you can brush it on during grilling.
Marinate
  1. Marinate the chicken for 2-8 hours, covered, so the meat absorbs the sweet-savory flavors.
Grill and caramelize
  1. Preheat the grill to medium heat, then place chicken on the grates and grill, turning (huli) frequently to build char and glaze.
  2. Baste the chicken with the reserved marinade as you cook so the surface becomes sticky and caramelized.
  3. Continue grilling for 25-30 minutes total until the internal temperature reaches 165°F and the chicken is caramelized with charred edges.

Notes

For the stickiest caramelized coating, baste during cooking (not before grilling) and keep turning (huli) frequently so the sugars don’t burn. Refrigerate marinated chicken up to 2 days; cook from chilled. Freeze raw marinated chicken up to 3 months (baste after thawing). If you want a lower-sugar option, reduce brown sugar slightly and increase pineapple juice by 1-2 tbsp for balance.