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Huli Huli Chicken

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Makes 4 servings 1x

Time 70 to 80 minutes, largely unattended

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Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 6 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • Salt and pepper (optional)
  • 1 whole chicken (3–4 pounds), cut into 8 pieces or spatchcocked
  • 2 tablespoons or more chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

  1. Whisk the soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, and oil together in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves. Taste and add salt and pepper if you like
  2. Trim excess fat and skin from the chicken without exposing the meat. Add the chicken to the marinade and turn the pieces to coat. Let sit at room temperature while you prepare the grill. Or cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours
  3. Start the coals or heat a gas grill for medium-high indirect cooking. Make sure the grates are clean. If using charcoal, put a drip pan under the indirect portion of the grill; for gas, empty, clean, and replace the fat trap.
  4. Put the chicken on the indirect side of the grill skin side up, so the dark meat is as close to the fire as possible without any danger of fat dripping onto the flames or pilot lights. Put the breasts farther from the fire. Close the lid and cook, turning the pieces and rotating them 180 degrees for even browning after 15 to 20 minutes for breasts, 20 to 30 minutes for dark meat. Cook until the meat is no longer pink at the bone; depending on the size of the pieces, this can take 25 to 40 minutes total for the breasts and  40 to 50 minutes for dark meat. (Nick with a small knife and peek inside.)
  5. Move the chicken directly over the fire, skin side down, to crisp up for 1 to 3 minutes; if using gas, first turn the heat down to medium. Transfer the chicken to a platter, sprinkle with the cilantro, and serve.

—Recipe from How to Grill Everything

Recipe variations

Huli Huli Chicken with Pineapple and Honey Sweeter and tangier, with a little heat: Omit the sugar and reduce the soy sauce to 1/4 cup. Add 1/4 cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons each pineapple juice and rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, and as much sriracha or other hot sauce to the marinade as you like.

Sesame Huli Huli Chicken For a richer, nuttier marinade: Whisk 3 tablespoons tahini into the marinade.

 Teriyaki Chicken Also delicious with beef and pork sirloin: Instead of making the huli huli marinade, put 1/4 cup each soy sauce and mirin (or 2 tablespoons each honey and  water) in a small saucepan over medium- low heat and warm until bubbling, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 2 scallions, chopped, and 2 teaspoons each minced garlic and ginger. Don’t marinate the chicken in the mixture; instead, in Step 4 brush the chicken with the sauce just before moving it over direct heat. Warm the remaining sauce to pass at the table.