Hawaiʻi-Style Huli Huli Chicken

When I was growing up in Hawaiʻi, we’d drive around Oʻahu and look for smoke billowing from large rotisserie grills. That meant someone was cooking huli huli chicken, a teriyaki-flavored chicken that was cooked between two grills and huli-ed, or flipped, over an open fire. (“Huli” in the Hawaiian language means “to turn.”) It’s one of those only-in-Hawaiʻi foods, concocted by Ernest Morgado of Pacific Poultry in 1955. The chicken was a huge hit and sold at fundraisers in the islands for decades. (Morgado trademarked the name “huli huli” in 1965.)

You can still find roadside grills in Hawaiʻi selling the popular style of chicken, but it’s easy to make at home wherever you are — and it’s perfect for summer barbecues. The key is the sauce, as my late mentor and longtime dining editor in Honolulu, John Heckathorn, once explained to me. All you need is ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, Sriracha (if you’re on the hunt for a favorite, we’ve got you covered), a lemon, and some kind of sherry or wine. This is his recipe.

• It tastes like Hawaiʻi without having to fly there. The Asian flavors — soy sauce, ginger, garlic, Sriracha — are ubiquitous in island cuisine, and whenever I smell huli huli chicken cooking on the grill, it takes me back to summers on Oʻahu. 
• This is a seriously quick dinner. There’s no deep-frying or breading involved, and it’s fast. What takes the longest is letting the chicken thighs marinate at least for an hour. Once the chicken is on the grill, it cooks quickly.
• The recipe can easily be modified to your tastes or whatever ingredients you have. Don’t have Sriracha? Use a substitute from this list. Out of sherry? I used red wine once and it came out perfectly. And you can adjust ingredients — ginger, Sriracha, honey — to your taste.

• Chicken thighs: Thighs are best — juicier, more flavorful, and budget-friendly — but I’ve made this with breast pieces, too.
• Soy sauce: There’s really no substitute for the umami from this Asian sauce. If you need a gluten-free alternative, try tamari, which is richer in flavor and less salty.

1. Make the marinade. Reserve about 1/4 cup of it for basting on the grill. Let the chicken marinate for at least an hour before grilling.
2. Clean and oil the grill. You should always start with a clean grill. Use a grill brush and clean the grates, or wipe them with a bunched-up paper towel with olive oil.
3. Cook the chicken. Add the chicken to the grill, then cover it. This seals in the heat and, in addition to speeding up the cook time, it ensures you’re cooking the chicken through on all sides.
4. Flip the chicken. That’s the “huli” part!
5. Baste toward the end. Because there’s both brown sugar and honey in the marinade, it can burn. About five minutes before the chicken is done, baste on both sides. Remove when the chicken temperature reaches 165 degrees. Be sure to let the chicken rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.

• The original recipe calls for sherry, but you can use dry vermouth or marsala wines as a 1:1 substitute. (I used a red wine blend once — because that’s all I had — and it turned out fine.)
• Brown sugar gives a deeper, more caramelized flavor, but white sugar in the same amount works, too.
• If you don’t have Sriracha, you can use 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes or Asian chile paste like sambal oelek in an equal amount.
• For a gluten-free alternative, use tamari instead of soy sauce.
• If you don’t have freshly squeezed lemon juice, skip it.

• The marinade can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge.
• Leftover cooked chicken can be kept in the fridge for up to four days, according to the USDA. Store in an airtight container.

In Hawaiʻi this entrée would most likely be paired with white rice and a side of macaroni salad (the mayo-laden version). Toss salad is OK, too. This is the perfect dish for a backyard or beach barbecue-style shoot.