Grilled Huli Huli Chicken with pineapple and rice makes a delicious and simple summer meal. The easy marinade has sweet and savory flavors thanks to brown sugar, pineapple juice, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic, and using chicken thighs means the meat is extra flavorful and moist!.
When summer hits it gets way too hot in our house for much indoor cooking. That being said, we’re not upset because it means it’s grilling season! Whether we use our gas grill or our charcoal grill (which gives the best flavor), it’s so easy to marinate some meat early in the day and then just grill it up and serve it with some of our favorite sides of the day.
To go with our huli-huli chicken, we like to grill up some sliced pineapple. It makes a great tropical side dish for our Hawaiian chicken dinner.
Hawaiian-style grilled chicken called huli huli is often served. It is made with a sweet and savory marinade. The name of the juicy, tender chicken comes from the Hawaiian word “huli,” which means “turn.” This is because the chicken is moved around over hot coals while it’s cooking. In the end, the chicken is caramelized and full of flavor. It’s easy to make huli huli chicken, but what should you serve with it to make the meal complete? Here are 12 tasty dessert ideas to go with huli huli chicken.
A Brief Overview of Huli Huli Chicken
Huli huli chicken consists of chicken thighs, drumsticks, or breasts that are coated in a marinade made with ingredients like brown sugar, soy sauce, ketchup, pineapple juice, ginger, and garlic. The chicken marinates for several hours to allow the flavors to penetrate the meat. Then it is grilled over medium-high heat, rotating frequently, until cooked through and nicely charred on the outside. A portion of the marinade is reserved to brush over the chicken during the last few minutes of grilling to form an appetizing glaze. The end result is chicken that is sweet, salty, gingery, and garlicky with a slight charred flavor from the grill.
What Makes a Good Side Dish for Huli Huli Chicken?
When choosing side dishes to accompany huli huli chicken you’ll want options that complement the flavors of the chicken or provide contrast. Here are some things to consider
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A starch: The chicken is the main dish, so make sure the side dish is starchy to balance it out. Rice, potatoes, pasta, or bread are good choices.
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As a side dish, serve a fresh salad or a vegetable. This will add fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Grilled veggies are a nice option.
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Hawaiian inspiration: Dishes with tropical flavors like pineapple, mango, coconut, or macadamia nuts make great pairings.
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Cooling contrast The sweet and spicy chicken calls for something cooling and creamy like a pasta salad coleslaw or fruit salad.
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Easy preparation: Quick cooking and make-ahead sides are convenient since the chicken requires some marinating time.
12 Delicious Side Dishes to Serve with Huli Huli Chicken
Taking flavor profiles, textures, colors, and ease of preparation into account, here are 12 fantastic side dish ideas to complement huli huli chicken perfectly:
1. Coconut Rice
Fluffy coconut rice is a simple starchy side that suits the Hawaiian vibe. Toast rice in coconut oil then cook it in a mixture of coconut milk and chicken broth for full coconut flavor. Diced pineapple or mango on top provides a pop of color and extra fruitiness.
2. Macaroni Salad
Macaroni salad is a classic pairing for huli huli chicken. The creamy pasta salad cools things down after the hot chicken. To make it more Hawaiian, add some coconut shreds and diced pineapple.
3. Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Baked sweet potato wedges seasoned with a blend of brown sugar, cumin, garlic, and cayenne pepper complement the sweet and spicy chicken wonderfully. Plus they’re easy to throw in the oven while the chicken marinates and grills.
4. Grilled Pineapple Salsa
Grilling pineapple brings out its natural sweetness and pairs perfectly with the chicken. Dice grilled pineapple and combine it with red onion, bell pepper, cilantro, lime juice, and jalapeño for a fresh salsa.
5. Hawaiian Rolls
Soft Hawaiian rolls can be split and grilled alongside the chicken to soak up the tasty marinade drippings. Their sweetness matches the huli huli sauce. Butter them for extra indulgence.
6. Tropical Fruit Salad
A fruit salad with mango, pineapple, banana, and kiwi provides vitamin C and cooling creaminess. The tropical fruits echo the Hawaiian vibe of the chicken. Drizzle the salad with a spiked honey-lime dressing.
7. Cilantro-Lime Rice
Rice cooked with cilantro, lime, and a bit of jalapeño or serrano pepper stands up to the big flavors of huli huli chicken. The cilantro cuts through the sweetness while the lime provides tang.
8. Grilled Vegetables
Grill seasonal vegetables like zucchini, bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms while you grill the chicken. The charred veggies pair wonderfully with the marinated chicken for an easy one-grill meal.
9. Hawaiian Slaw
Crunchy coleslaw with pineapple, macadamia nuts, green onions, and a mayo dressing makes the perfect pairing with the grilled chicken. The pineapple and nuts give it tropical flair.
10. Baked Beans
Sweet and smoky baked beans complement both the sweet and savory flavors of huli huli chicken. Pineapple baked beans are especially fitting. Serve them alongside huli huli chicken for a satisfying meal.
11. Pasta Salad
For an easy make-ahead side, whip up a pasta salad with veggies and a creamy dressing. Rotini with bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, basil, and an Italian vinaigrette works well.
12. Hawaiian Dinner Rolls
Buttery, fluffy Hawaiian dinner rolls can be served alongside huli huli chicken to soak up the delicious marinade drippings. Slather them with butter for extra richness.
Tips for Serving Huli Huli Chicken and Sides
Here are some final tips for serving up huli huli chicken with complementary sides:
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Cook rice, pasta, and vegetable sides first since the chicken needs to marinate.
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Time the cooking so everything finishes around the same time.
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Set up a DIY serving station with the chicken and sides so everyone can build their own plates.
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Scatter tropical greenery like palm fronds or pineapple leaves on the table for decoration.
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Include Hawaiian iced tea or fruit punch for drinks.
With flavorful huli huli chicken and the right balance of side dishes, you can create a luau-worthy Hawaiian feast to enjoy all summer long without having to leave home. Aloha!
Tell Me About This Hawaiian Chicken Recipe
This easy chicken marinade and method of preparation comes from Hawaii where the Hawaiian word huli means “turn”. There the chicken is either grilled or roasted on a spit over coals and turned to baste in its’ own juices, with a little extra help from more huli-huli sauce being brushed on to caramelize during the cooking process. Mesquite wood chips are also sometimes used to add a smoky flavor to the meat.
- Taste: Huli huli sauce tastes a lot like teriyaki sauce; it’s sweet, savory, and salty, and it’s absolutely delicious. It tastes smoky when you cook it on a charcoal grill. The meat is juicy and tender.
- Easy: The marinade is easy to make and only takes a few minutes to mix. It’s also easy to grill the meat on a hot grill. The longer part is waiting for the chicken to soak up some of the flavors while it marinates.
- Homemade: You can buy huli-huli sauce in Hawaii, but it’s hard to find where I live, and I already have everything I need to make my own.
This is a quick overview of some of the important ingredients you’ll need for this huli huli chicken recipe. Specific measurements and full recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
- Chicken: For our huli-huli chicken, we like boneless, skinless chicken thighs because they cook quickly on a hot grill, only a few minutes on each side. It can be used with bone-in chicken thighs, chicken breasts, or whole chicken leg quarters, though. Basically any cut of chicken you like. It also goes well with pork chops, pork tenderloin, and many kinds of fish.
- Brown sugar gives the sauce a hint of molasses and makes it sweet.
- Ketchup: Adding a little ketchup gives the sauce body and depth, as well as a nice color.
- Soy sauce: For the coveted umami notes and saltiness.
- Garlic and ginger: For the best results and taste, use fresh ginger and minced garlic.
- Adding pineapple juice, which is also sweet, helps make the chicken more tender. Most of the time, we just grill pineapple slices and pineapple juice that has been drained from a can.
- Rice vinegar: The sour taste of an acid like vinegar keeps the sauce from being too sweet. Apple cider vinegar is a good substitute.
- One of our favorite ingredients, sesame oil has a really unique taste. Even though we don’t use it often, we always have it on hand because it stays fresh for at least a year.
- You could also use water to thin out the marinade and sauce instead of chicken broth.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Don’t forget to save some of the marinade. Brushing the chicken with more sauce for the last five minutes of cooking gives it even more flavor and color.
- For grill marks: Start with hot, clean grill grates if you want nice, dark grill marks. This not only makes the chicken look nice, but it also seals in the juices to make it taste even better.
- Fresh pineapple spears work just as well as pineapple rings when grilled. I use pineapple juice from the can as part of the marinade.
- Great for meal planning: We always make more than we think we will eat so we have extra for easy lunches during the week or to shred and use in other recipes, like our favorite chicken flautas.
HULI HULI CHICKEN | Hawaii’s Famous Grilled Chicken
FAQ
What is a good side dish for huli huli chicken?
If you’re outside and not planning on doing any indoor cooking, serve Huli Huli chicken with some cool salads like a classic potato salad or this cucumber salad. Otherwise, it’s perfect with some basmati rice or mashed potatoes with a side salad. A cool refreshing beer alongside is not a bad idea either!.
What sides go well with Hawaiian chicken?
- Tropical Fruit Salad
- Veggie Fried Rice
- Grilled Asparagus in Foil
- Asian Cucumber Salad
- Ramen Noodle Salad
What is the difference between teriyaki and huli huli?
…huli huli uses ginger, soy sauce, and some kind of sweetener. It’s not the same as teriyaki because it has pineapple juice and other acidic ingredients like July 3, 2024
What to serve with Filipino chicken?
Filipino Chicken Adobo is a simple dish that packs a big flavor punch. The combination of soy, vinegar, and sugar creates a salty-sweet tangy glaze that is hard to stop eating. That being said, this dish tastes great on rice or in a taco, and the corn and cucumber salad makes it even better.