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BEER AND CROISSANTS

Home > Cook With Me > Making Mike’s Huli chicken -Hawaiian chicken from the O’ahu East Shore

Making Mike’s Huli chicken -Hawaiian chicken from the O’ahu East Shore

Published on June 24, 2015 Updated on July 18, 2020

huli-huli-chicken-final-dish

One of the best things to do on O’ahu in Hawaii is to visit the east coast.  We hired a car and drove from Honolulu right up to Turtle Bay and down through the Pali Lookout. 

Food trucks in O’ahu

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  • Food trucks in O’ahu
  • INGREDIENTS HULI HULI CHICKEN
    • BRINE
    • HULI HULI SAUCE
    • HULI HULI CHICKEN DRY RUB
  • Instructions for making Huli Huli Chicken
    • Brine the chicken
    • Make the Huli Huli rub
    • Make the Huli Huli sauce
    • Cook the chicken
  • Mike’s Huli Huli Chicken
  • Looking for more chicken recipes?

There are so many different food trucks along the main highway here but we had our focus on one in particular.  Mike’s Truck, the bright yellow truck is well known in these parts for his chicken, cooked over the coals.  When we arrived, there were trailers out the back, all loaded up with charcoal, slowly roasting the chickens over the top.  

READ ABOUT OUR ROAD TRIP TO THE EAST COAST OF O’AHU

There is a general eating area here, with chickens regularly running around under your feet.  Not the safest place for a chicken I would imagine!  It’s all very low key and casual.  If you’re lucky, you’ll see Mike in his truck serving customers just like us.  If you do, ask him for his photo.  He’ll gladly oblige.

Mike's Huli Chicken Truck

Having enjoyed such a wonderful lunch at Mike’s truck on the Kamehameha Highway, I took inspiration from Mike’s Huli Chicken and gave it a try myself. 

It is a very easy Hawaiian chicken recipe to make and is absolutely delicious, with moist chicken on the inside and a glazed, crispy outside.  You could serve this with vegetables or salad, and it’s great for leftovers the next day.

If you have left over sauce, you can also freeze this for another time.

INGREDIENTS HULI HULI CHICKEN

BRINE

  • Enough water to cover the chicken
  • 1/2 cup salt
  • 1/4 cup sugar (you can use white or raw sugar here)
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • Whole chicken – around 2 kg (4.4 pounds)

HULI HULI SAUCE

  • 1 cup pineapple juice
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce (ketchup)
  • 1/2 cup dark soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp malt vinegar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tsp ground ginger

HULI HULI CHICKEN DRY RUB

  • 2 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp salt (or less if preferred)
  • 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tbsp onion powder or onion flakes
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp black pepper

The rub and the sauce can be made a day ahead and any leftover sauce can also be frozen.  I tend to be heavy handed with the sauce when serving as the chicken really soaks it up.

Instructions for making Huli Huli Chicken

Brine the chicken

Pro tip: This is the biggest tip of all. The secret to this recipe is in the brining as this keeps the chicken moist throughout the whole cooking process.

To make sure we have enough water in the brine, we put the chicken into the pot we are going to make the brine in, cover it with water, then remove the chicken.

Cook the brine ingredients until the sugar is dissolved and leave to cool down.

When it is cool, place the chicken back into the pot with the brine and allow to sit until it is ready to be rubbed. The longer the brining, the more moist the chicken will be.

If possible do this at least a few hours before. We leave ours for a minimum of four hours.

Make the Huli Huli rub

Mix all of the dry ingredients for the rub together in a bowl.

Inspired by Mike's Huli Chicken
Spice rub

Remove the chicken from the brine and pat with paper towel until it is completely dry.

Before rubbing, the chicken needs to be butterflied.

Inspired by Mike's Huli Chicken

Cover the chicken with the rub mix, getting it covered inside and into the cavity.

Inspired by Mike's Huli Chicken
Coat the chicken with the spice rub

Make the Huli Huli sauce

Combine the pineapple juice, tomato sauce, soy sauce and vinegar in a pot and put on the stove over low heat.

Once simmering, add the sugar and ginger. Allow the sauce to thicken, ensuring it does not boil. Remove it from the heat and leave to cool.

Inspired by Mike's Huli Chicken
Huli Huli sauce

Cook the chicken

Cook over a hot BBQ. Cook on one side for around 10 minutes and then on the other for a similar time.

Inspired by Mike's Huli Chicken
Onto the bbq for a char

Squeeze some lemon juice over the chicken as you are cooking it. Glaze the chicken several times, including just before you are ready to take it off the heat. We love to give the chicken a good char.

Cook’s tip: Keep some of the sauce to serve with.
Huli Chicken Cooking On The Bbq

The chicken is cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of around 74°Celsius / 165° F.

Inspired by Mike's Huli Chicken
Continually glaze the chicken

Remove and allow it to rest. Serve with the remaining sauce.

Cook’s tip: This Hawaiian chicken recipe is also perfect for use in a smoker. The added depth of flavour that smoke can bring to the Huli Huli Chicken is worthwhile trying if you have access to a smoker.
This post may contain links to products and services we recommend and make a commission from. For further information please read our disclosure
huli-huli-chicken-final-dish

Mike's Huli Huli Chicken

Yield: 6
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Additional Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Having enjoyed such a wonderful lunch at Mike’s truck on the Kamehameha Highway, I took inspiration from Mike’s Huli Chicken and gave it a try myself. Mike's Huli Huli chicken is legendary in O'ahu and simple to make at home.

Ingredients

Brine

  • Enough water to cover the chicken
  • 1/2 cup salt
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • Whole chicken - around 2 kg (4.4 lb)

Huli Huli Sauce

  • 1 cup pineapple juice
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce (ketchup)
  • 1/2 cup dark soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp malt vinegar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tsp ground ginger

Huli Huli chicken dry rub

  • 2 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp salt (or less if preferred)
  • 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tbsp onion powder or onion flakes
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp black pepper

Instructions

Butterfly the chicken by opening up the breast bone and flattening it out.

Brine the chicken

To make sure we have enough water in the brine, we put the chicken into the pot we are going to make the brine in, cover it with water, then remove the chicken.

When it is cool, place the chicken back in the pot with the brine and allow to sit until ready to be rubbed. The longer the brining, the more moist the chicken will be.

If possible do this at least a few hours before. We try to brine ours for at least four hours.

Make the sauce

Combine the pineapple juice, tomato sauce, soy sauce and vinegar in a pot and put on the stove over low heat.

Once simmering, add the sugar and ginger. Allow the sauce to thicken, ensuring it does not boil. Remove it from the heat and leave to cool.

Rub the chicken

Mix all of the dry ingredients for the rub together in a bowl.

Remove the chicken from the brine and pat with paper towel until it is completely dry.

Butterfly the chicken by opening up the breast bone and flattening it out.

Cover the chicken with the rub mix, getting it covered inside and into the cavity.

Cook the chicken

Cook over a hot BBQ. Cook on one side for around 10 minutes and then on the other for a similar time.

Squeeze some lemon juice over the chicken as you are cooking it.

Squeeze some lemon juice over the chicken as you are cooking it. Glaze the chicken several times, including just before you are ready to take it off the heat.

Keep some of the sauce to serve with.

The chicken is cooked with an internal temperature of around 74 Celsius/165 F.

Remove and allow it to rest.

Serve with some of the remaining sauce.

Notes

The Huli Huli sauce may be made a day ahead.

The Huli Huli sauce may be frozen.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 200g
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 584Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 176mgSodium: 7304mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 1gSugar: 19gProtein: 57g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Facebook

© Kerri McConnel
Cuisine: Hawaiian / Category: Cook With Me

Looking for more chicken recipes?

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Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken

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Kerri_McConnel Beer and Croissants

About the author

Kerri McConnel

Kerri left her corporate career to pursue a different lifestyle, establishing the successful travel website, Beer and Croissants.

Kerri and her husband Stirling now regularly travel the world, where eating great food, sampling local beverages and cooking international foods are integral to their adventures.

You also won’t find them too far away from an epic road trip either, with motorhomes their speciality.

    how-to-make-huli-huli-chicken

    Recipe inspiration from Guy Fieri.

    Filed Under: Cook With Me

    Previous Post: « Touring O’ahu North Shore
    Next Post: Great places to eat in Honolulu and Oahu »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Bridget

      April 22, 2020 at 10:06 am

      How much water do you use to make the brine? Also do you let the chicken marinate with the dry rub? thank you.

    2. Kerri McConnel

      April 22, 2020 at 3:43 pm

      Hi Just enough water to cover the chicken. Yes, as per the recipe instructions, the rub needs to stay on the chicken for at least a few hours. It can stay on as long as you like but definitely needs a few hours.

    3. Iain

      May 28, 2020 at 12:24 pm

      This is awesome. Had Mike’s Huli Huli chicken and it was amazing. Can’t wait to try this. However you didn’t have the amount of water needed to make the brine?

    4. Kerri McConnel

      May 28, 2020 at 2:15 pm

      Sorry Iain, yes I need to add that in. It’s just enough to cover the chicken.

    5. Iain

      June 8, 2020 at 10:06 pm

      Thanks for the reply Kerri. Should have read your reply to Bridget’s question before asking. I made it and OH MY GOD … it’s amazing. I don’t know how you managed to work out Mike’s Huli Huli recipe but i’m glad you did. Made it according to your recipe in my smoker and my wife requested for it again. Simple the most amazing chicken ever.

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