Hawaiian

Huli Huli Chicken

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I’ve seen recipes floating around for Huli Huli chicken. I was intrigued by the name as much as anything else. Huli Huli Chicken is a traditional Hawaiian dish, generally grilled over mesquite wood or charcoal, basted with a slightly sweet sauce. The whole chicken is cooked on a spit over the grill.  Huli means turn, so the rotating spit is where the dish got its name.

Instead of a whole chicken (who has time to cook one of those!?) I used thighs, but boneless, skinless chicken breasts (pounded out to an even thickness) would be a great substitution.

Marinating, then basting while grilling the chicken and pineapple, provides great flavor that can’t be found elsewhere!  Now obviously I’m no Hawaiian food expert, but this recipe seems to have come straight from the islands!    ~Kathy

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Ingredients:
  • 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, fat trimmed
  • ¼ c. chicken broth
  • I c. pineapple juice
  • ½ c. soy sauce
  • 3 T. brown sugar
  • ½ tsp ginger paste (or ¼ tsp ground ginger)
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 1 slice yellow onion, cut ½” thick
  • ¼ c. Heinz chili sauce*
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper
  • Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
  • 1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and sliced into 6 to 8 wedges

Instructions: 

  1. In a large freezer ziptop bag, mix marinade (everything except chicken and pineapple); mix well.
  2. Reserve a ½ cup of marinade for basting; set aside.
  3. Place chicken thighs in bag and place in refrigerator for 3 hours.
  4. Grill chicken over medium heat, until internal temperature is 165˚F and no longer pink; baste both sides with reserved marinade while grilling. (Be sure not to contaminate marinade with raw chicken.)
  5. Cut pineapple in strips for grilling.
  6. Brush with marinade and grill over medium high heat for a few minutes per side.
  7. Can also be cooked in oven at 375˚F.
  8. Serve chicken with pineapple.

*Chili sauce is found in the condiment isle, near the ketchup.

WW Freestyle Info.: This recipe makes 4 generous servings of marinated chicken thighs. Each serving is 6 points.  If use boneless, skinless chicken breast in place of thighs, each serving is only 1 point (for the marinade).

Hawaiian Ham Kabobs

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Mom gets all the credit for this recipe.  These Hawaiian Ham Kabobs are a great quick, weeknight meal.  With a little rough chopping, you can have these all skewered and thrown on the grill in no time.  The glaze is the same glaze Mom has put on our holiday ham for as long as I can remember.  It’s the perfect sweet & tangy addition to the ham, onions, peppers, and pineapple combo.  Mmmm, grilled pineapple…need I say more?!

~Erin

Ingredients/Supplies:

  • 1 lb. fully cooked ham (ham steak or a half ham works – not the spiral sliced kind)
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 orange bell pepper
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 1 med. white onion
  • 2 c. fresh pineapple
  • 3 T. packed brown sugar
  • 3 T. yellow mustard
  • 1 T. water
  • 8 grill-safe skewers
  • One basting brush

Instructions:

Spray your outdoor grill with cooking spray and bring to medium heat.

Cut the ham into 1 inch cubes; set aside.

Cube pineapple into approximately one-inch pieces.  Peppers and onions should be cut into about one-inch squares as well.  Grilling tip: Avoid making onion chunks too thin – no thinner than a half inch or so, as they’ll cook too fast.

Build your kabobs by layering the veggies, pineapple, and 2 oz. of ham on each skewer.

Place the kabobs on the preheated grill and close the lid.  Cook for about 5 minutes or until veggies start to get brown marks, flip and grill the other side about 5 more minutes.  Meanwhile, make the glaze.

To make the glaze, stir together brown sugar, mustard, and water until well combined.

Brush all sides of the kabobs and cook for a few more minutes on each side to caramelize the glaze.

Serve immediately.

WW Freestyle Info: This recipe makes 8 kabobs.  Each kabob is 4 points.