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Grilled Huli Huli Chicken

Grilled Huli Huli chicken with a deep caramelized pineapple-teriyaki glaze and charred, juicy bone-in pieces. The pineapple juice–soy–ketchup marinade reduces into a glossy basting sauce for classic Hawaiian-style flavor.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Marinating 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 55 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Hawaiian
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken marinade
  • 4 bone-in chicken pieces thighs or leg quarters
  • 0.5 cup soy sauce
  • 0.5 cup pineapple juice
  • 0.25 cup ketchup
  • 0.25 cup brown sugar
  • 3 tbsp mirin or dry sherry
  • 4 garlic, minced cloves
  • 1 tbsp ginger, grated
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
Grilling and serving
  • 4 pineapple rings for grilling
  • 1 green onions for garnish
  • 1 sesame seeds for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 grill
  • 1 small saucepan

Method
 

Mix and marinate
  1. Whisk soy sauce, pineapple juice, ketchup, brown sugar, mirin, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil, then reserve 1/3 for basting.
  2. Place chicken in a dish and pour in the remaining 2/3 of the marinade; marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
Make reduced basting glaze
  1. Simmer the reserved marinade in a small saucepan over medium heat for 5 minutes until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.
Grill chicken and pineapple
  1. Preheat the grill to medium heat, then grill chicken bone-side down first.
  2. Turn chicken every 8-10 minutes and baste generously with the reduced glaze as it grills.
  3. Continue grilling until deeply caramelized and the internal temperature reaches 165F, about 30-35 minutes total.
  4. Grill pineapple rings 2-3 minutes per side until marked and lightly caramelized.
  5. Serve huli huli chicken with pineapple rings, topped with green onions and sesame seeds.

Notes

For the cleanest caramelization, keep basting during the last 10 minutes only—so the glaze doesn’t burn early. Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container for up to 3 days; freeze cooked chicken (without garnish) up to 2 months. To make it gluten-free, use tamari in place of soy sauce and confirm mirin/sherry labels are gluten-free.