Hawaiian “Turn-Turn” Barbecue Chicken Thighs
Fight the summer doldrums by adding a Polynesian spin to classic barbecue sauce. Huli- huli (“turn-turn”) chicken is a popular street food that was introduced in 1950s O’ahu. It embodies the blending of Hawaiian and mainland culinary traditions in a crowd-pleasing flavor profile. I promise it will become a family grill favorite!
Huli-Huli Chicken
Hawaiian “Turn-Turn” Barbecue Chicken Thighs
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of brown sugar
- ⅔ cup of ketchup
- ⅔ cup of soy sauce (preferably low sodium)
- ⅓ cup of cooking sherry, dry white wine, or chicken broth
- ⅓ cup of pineapple juice
- 1 large clove of minced garlic
- ½ tbsp. of freshly grated ginger
- As much as 5 - 6 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs
Directions:
- Combine all of the ingredients in a blender, excluding the chicken thighs, and mix until creamy.
- After pounding the desired amount of thighs to roughly a half-inch thickness, marinate the chicken in a heavy sauce coating for anywhere from 30 minutes to 24 hours. Reserve some sauce for brushing during cooking. JUST A TIP: Pounding your chicken too thin or leaving it in the marinade too long could cause the thighs to fall apart and grill poorly. If you’d like to prep the chicken in advance, leave the thighs a little thicker. Keep this in mind when planning your meal.
- Prepare your grill by oiling your grates and allowing it to reach the medium heat range of 325F - 375F.
- Grill the chicken with the hood open while turning every 3 to 5 minutes and placing a fresh coat of sauce with every turn until it has reached an internal temperature of 170F. Don’t worry about grill marks. The best Huli Huli chicken has a slight char but is not burnt.
Serving:
- For a family-style plating, serve the chicken on a large platter flourished by halved, or mezzaluna, pineapple rings and a sprinkle of slithered spring onions. This goes well with a cold pasta salad, corn on the cob, roasted potatoes, or mixed greens.
- For a buffet that caters to a larger guest list, the chicken thighs can be roughly cut and served in a similar arrangement as the family-style plating with pineapple, but alongside cut sweet Hawaiian rolls that encourage the making of sliders. This could also be presented with a house coleslaw, swiss cheese, or carmelized onions that accentuate the flavors perfectly.
- Cook it up and put it in the fridge! I love good refrigerator nibbles and this is so delicious cold. Put it on salad, use it to make sandwiches, or just grab a piece. You might be surprised at how quickly the leftovers disappear.
- This recipe is made with the intention of cooking between 20 and 30 pieces of chicken, but don’t let that scare you off. Leftover sauce can easily be stored for up to 7 days in an air-tight container or frozen for 3-6 months. Excess sauce works perfectly on pork of all varieties and is amazing on grilled shrimp! It even tastes great on Spam, but that’s a Hawaiian conversation for another day.
Eat well, friends!
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