Huli Huli Chicken Skewers

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Holy Moly, let’s fire up the grill! This is a recipe you are going to want to save and make again and again. These Huli Huli Chicken Skewers are sticky, sweet, and a little smokey. Aside from being packed with flavor, they are also fun to eat! Hawaiian chicken at its finest.

So, what exactly is Huli Huli Chicken?

Huli Huli Chicken Skewers are Hawaiian chicken. The word “Huli” in Hawaiian means “turn.” Huli Huli Chicken is turned while cooking, similar to a rotisserie. In this version, we cook the skewers on the grill and turn and baste them often in the amazing marinade.

Grab these ingredients and let’s get grilling:

• 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces for kabobs
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup tomato ketchup
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp ginger, grated
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
• 2 tsp sriracha, (more to taste)
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt

You will also need 6-8 bamboo or metal skewers. This is the sesame oil and dijon mustard I used. Does anyone else think to themselves, “Pardon me, do you have any Grey Poupon?” every time they see this mustard? Ha!

Fresh ginger and garlic really are the way to go if you have them on hand. I usually keep some ginger in the freezer. That way it lasts longer and is easy to grate. BUT, I will say that this time I used the bottled stuff you keep in the refrigerator. It still does the job and is super convenient.

I know, it looks like a lot of ingredients but it comes together quickly and is so worth it. Let’s make the marinade, shall we? Combine all ingredients, except for the chicken, in a bowl and whisk together.

Reserve marinade for later:

Now that you have that beautiful marinade all whipped up it’s time to save some for basting and some to make into a deliciously sticky sauce to serve with our Huli Huli Chicken Skewers. I used a couple of small glass measuring cups with lids to set mine aside. You’ll want about a half cup to baste and a half cup for the sauce.

Time to marinate that chicken:

Pro tip: The easiest way I’ve found to cut chicken is with sharp kitchen shears. I love my Pampered Chef shears so much that I have two pairs.

Combine the chicken pieces and the marinade in a container or large Ziploc bag. If using a bag, make sure to place it on a plate before putting it in the fridge in case of leaks. Allow the chicken to marinate for up to an hour.

In the meantime:

While your chicken is having a bath and soaking up all that delicious flavor, let’s prep the grill and skewers. You will need between 6 and 8 skewers for this recipe depending on how small you cut your chicken. To prevent wooden skewers from burning up you will want to soak them. We just use a shallow pan that is long enough for the skewers. You can also use metal skewers, just be careful when serving as they obviously get very hot. If you are about ready to start cooking, you can go ahead and light the grill and clean it up if needed.

Huli Huli Chicken Skewers:

Remove the chicken from the fridge and thread the chicken onto the skewers. Discard the marinade used for the chicken as it now has raw chicken juices in it.

TIME TO GRILL OUR HULI HULI CHICKEN SKEWERS:

Grab a basting brush and a half cup of your reserved marinade and head to the grill. You will want to grill these Huli Huli Chicken Skewers on medium/high heat. Place them on the hot grill and allow them to cook for a couple of minutes, then turn “HULI” them and baste with some of that delicious marinade. Doesn’t that look incredible?

As you turn them and baste them the marinade will carmelize and create such a rich and delicious flavor. Continue to cook, turn, and baste until the chicken is no longer pink and a thermometer reads 165 Fahrenheit. When chicken is all done, remove to a plate and cover with foil and allow to rest for about 10 minutes.

SPECIAL SAUCE:

Let’s create just a little more magic. With the remaining 1/2 cup of reserved marinade add 1 tsp. corn starch and whisk until there are no lumps. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan and cook over high heat until it thickens while stirring constantly. This only takes a minute. Drizzle the sauce over your Huli Huli Chicken Skewers or use it as a dip. Go ahead, lick your fingers, we don’t blame you one bit!

LET’S EAT OUR HULI HULI CHICKEN SKEWERS!

We like our Huli Huli Chicken Skewers served on a bed of our Coconut Rice and grilled pineapple. Get ready for ALL the praise! This is a meal your family and friends will rave about.

We hope you LOVE these Huli Huli Chicken Skewers as much as we do! Who needs to go to Hawaii for Hawaiian Chicken when they can have this at home?

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Huli Huli Chicken Skewers

Marinated Hawaiian chicken grilled skewers packed with sweet, sticky, smokey flavor.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Marinating Time 1 hour hr

Course Dinner

Cuisine Hawaiian

Servings 8 people

Equipment

• Indoor or Outdoor BBQ Grill
• 6-8 bamboo skewers

Ingredients

  

• 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs Cut into 2 inch cubes
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup tomato ketchup
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp ginger grated
• 2 tsp garlic minced
• 2 tsp sriracha add another tsp for more of a kick
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

 

• Cut chicken into 2 inch pieces.
• Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
• Reserve 1 cup of the marinade. 1/2 cup for basting and 1/2 cup for special sauce.
• Pour the remaining marinade over the chicken in a dish with a lid or in a bag.
• Refrigerate and allow chicken to marinate for up to an hour.
• Soak the skewers in water to prevent them burning during grilling.
• Heat the Grill to 350 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Thread chicken onto the skewers.
• Place chicken skewers on the hot grill and allow to cook for a couple minutes.
• Turn the chicken and baste with 1/2 cup of the reserved marinade.
• Cook for a couple minutes on each side, while turning and basting in between.
• Grill until chicken is no longer pink and meat thermometer reads 165 degrees Fahenheit.
• Remove the chicken skewers from the grill on to a plate and cover with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Special Sauce

• Take the remaining 1/2 cup of reserved marinade and add 1 tsp corn starch and whisk until smooth.
• Pour into a small sauce pan and cook over high heat, stirring continually, until thickened.

Serve

• Drizzle the special sauce over the chicken or serve it on the side as a dip.
• Serve Huli Huli Chicken Skewers with Coconut Rice or anything you like.

Keyword Chicken, Grilled