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

• 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.