how to make Huli Huli Chicken

how to make Huli Huli Chicken.

What Is Huli Huli Chicken?
If you’ve traveled in Hawaii at all, perhaps you’ve smelled it—that enticing smoky, distinctive huli chicken smell billowing from roadside stands, food carts and restaurants all over the islands. Hawaiian huli huli chicken originated in 1955 when Honolulu-based businessman Ernest Morgado whipped up a teriyaki-inspired sauce based on a recipe handed down from his mother. He slathered it all over some grilled chicken, and served it to a large group of local farmers. A bit sticky, sweet and smoky, it was an instant hit. It’s called “huli huli” because huli is the Hawaiian word for “turn” and huli huli chicken is turned constantly as it is cooked. Traditionally, chicken pieces were placed between two grill racks and flipped part-way through the grilling process, but you’ll also often find huli huli chicken in Hawaii cooked on a rotisserie. Our recipe just calls for frequently turning the huli huli chicken pieces as you grill them.

Here is the list of ingredients:
1 cup brown sugar
¾ cup ketchup
¾ cup soy sauce
1/3 cup chicken broth
2 ½ teaspoons fresh grated ginger
1 ½ teaspoons fresh grated garlic
1 pound chicken breast, tenderloin or thigh meat

How to Cook Huli Huli Chicken
Our version of huli huli chicken keeps things simple as can be—if you’ve ever made any marinated, grilled chicken, this recipe will feel very familiar. You can mix up the marinade up to a day beforehand if you’d like to work ahead. The chicken can marinate in the huli huli sauce for up to four hours, so it’s a great recipe to cook for friends—by the time everyone comes over, dinner will have been prepped for hours and all you’ll have left to do is spend about 15 minutes at the grill. Here’s how to make huli huli chicken:

Make the huli huli chicken marinade! Sauté ginger and garlic in sesame oil, then add soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, ketchup and smoked paprika. Whisk in a simple cornstarch-water slurry. To thicken the sauce, bring it to a boil and simmer on low until the sauce can coat the back of a wooden spoon. Set aside the huli huli sauce to cool.

Marinate the chicken in the huli huli sauce! Keep 1/2 cup of the homemade huli huli sauce for basting, and toss the rest of the sauce in a big bowl with the chicken thighs to marinate for up to four hours.

Grill the huli huli chicken. In other words, time to huli that chicken! Grill it for about 5 minutes. Turn the chicken thighs, and grill for another five minutes. Baste the chicken thighs with the huli huli sauce, flip and grill it for another two minutes. Baste the chicken thigh pieces again, flip them and grill until the chicken is cooked through. It’s done when you see an internal temperature of 165°F on an instant read thermometer.