Hawaiian Grilled Chicken

Although this Hawaiian Grilled Chicken recipe has been floating all over the web, this is where it first originated! Similar to Huli-Huli Chicken but with it’s own distinct flavor.  You must serve this chicken over coconut rice and grilled pineapple.

HAWAIIAN GRILLED CHICKEN

Back in college our friend Jeff was famous for his Hawaiian grilled chicken that was inspired from some tips from his Hawaiian buddy.

One weekend Jeff threw a big Kirkland (Costco’s brand) BBQ serving only foods with the Kirkland brand. That’s when I tasted this chicken and fell in love.

It’s honestly one of my favorite grilled chicken dishes to serve a crowd. And grilling season is here!

Don’t be a chicken thigh hater. I used to be but really the chicken does not soak up the marinade unless you use thighs. I like to marinate this overnight if I have the time so the flavors really get absorbed.

OTHER HAWAIIAN RECIPES:

• Hawaiian Cheese Ball
• Banana Coconut Upside Down Cake
• Hawaiian Baked Beans
• Pina Colada Poke Cake 
• Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes
• Guava Cake

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4.5 from 24 votes

Yield: 12 servings

Hawaiian Grilled Chicken

Prep Time:

5 mins

Cook Time:

20 mins

Total Time:

25 mins

Although this Hawaiian Grilled Chicken recipe has been floating all over the web, this is where it first originated! Similar to Huli-Huli Chicken but with its own distinct flavor.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 cup low-sodium soy sauce (See Note; the soy sauce and water just needs to be a 1:1 ratio)
• 1 cup water
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 bunch of green onions , chopped (reserve the other half for garnish)
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon of sesame oil (not essential but add it if you have it)
• 1 (13.5 ounce) can of coconut milk

Instructions

1. Trim chicken thighs of any visible fat. Mix soy sauce, water, brown sugar, onions, garlic, sesame oil, and coconut milk in a large bowl. Marinade chicken for at least 8 hours or overnight to make sure the flavor gets infused.
2. Grill chicken at a low heat so that the marinade does not burn for 5-7 minutes per side or until done. If you do not have a grill you can use a indoor grill pan.
3. Serve over a platter of coconut rice and garnish with green onions and a drizzle of additional soy sauce.
4. *Coconut rice can be made by just replacing half of the water in your rice recipe with coconut milk. A trick my SIL told me! So good with just the right amount of coconut flavor.

Recipe Notes

Note: Jeff says the real key is the soy sauce. Kikomen's is way too salty. He prefers the Aloha Shoyu soy sauce. If you can only find Kikomen at least get the low sodium kind.

I often buy a bag of frozen thighs and thaw them, discard any liquid from thawing, then marinate them in the same bag I bought them in. So convenient!

Source: my friend Jeff Tibbitts

Author: Christy Denney

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Hawaiian grilled chicken, Hawaiian grilled chicken recipe