Grilled Huli Huli Chicken — The Recipe That Belongs at Every Summer Kickoff

Memorial Day weekend. I grill. This is not optional. It is not in question. The Weber kettle comes out of winter storage mode, cleaned and primed, and I spend Saturday cooking in a way that is less about feeding the family and more about the ritual of fire and smoke at the start of summer. This is what my father did. This is what his father did. The specific mechanics have changed — I use a chimney starter, not lighter fluid, because lighter fluid is an affront to good fire — but the impulse is the same. We cook outside when it's warm because we're built for it.

I made two racks of pork spare ribs, rubbed with a dry rub that has green chile powder in it, smoked for four hours over cherry wood. Also chicken thighs. Also, because the twins requested it, hot dogs, which I grilled with the same attention I gave the ribs because a hot dog grilled correctly is a specific pleasure. The kids ate everything. The neighbors came over. Kevin from next door brought a case of beer and a bag of corn, which I am always happy to grill. We stayed outside until dark.

Ruben crossed my mind a lot this weekend. He always does on Memorial Day. He's alive. He called last week. He was fine. Still, standing at the grill on a warm Colorado Saturday watching my kids run around the yard, I felt the gap of his absence with a specificity that surprised me. He should have been here somehow. He'd have eaten four hot dogs and won every horseshoes game and talked football until midnight.

I called him Sunday morning. Got voicemail. Left a message saying happy Memorial Day and that I'd missed him at the grill. He called back two hours later and said, "You called to tell me you grilled without me? That's cold, man." I laughed harder than I had all weekend. That's my brother right there.

Summer officially starts Thursday when the last school bell rings. Four kids home means four kids underfoot means four times the noise and chaos and love and mess. I'm genuinely, completely ready.

After a weekend like that — the smoke, the neighbors, the phone call with Ruben that made the whole thing feel complete — I kept thinking about those chicken thighs. They’re always the thing that disappears first off the platter, and this Grilled Huli Huli Chicken is exactly the version I keep coming back to. The glaze caramelizes over charcoal in a way that makes Kevin from next door show up with extra beer, and with four kids about to be home all summer, I need recipes that work hard on the grill while I’m busy making sure nobody loses a horseshoe.

Grilled Huli Huli Chicken

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 50 minutes (plus marinating) | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 8 thighs)
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• 1/3 cup soy sauce (low-sodium preferred)
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• 1 teaspoon sriracha (optional, for heat)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water (for glaze)
• Sesame seeds and sliced green onions, for garnish

Instructions

1. Make the huli huli sauce. In a medium saucepan, combine pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and sriracha if using. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Cook for 5 minutes, then stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook until the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Reserve 1/2 cup of sauce for basting and serving.
2. Marinate the chicken. Place chicken thighs in a large zip-top bag or shallow dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the chicken, turning to coat. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours for deeper flavor.
3. Preheat the grill. Set up your grill for two-zone cooking — medium-high heat on one side, low heat on the other. Clean and oil the grates.
4. Grill the chicken. Remove chicken from the marinade and discard the used marinade. Place thighs skin-side down over medium-high heat. Grill for 5 to 6 minutes until the skin is golden and has good grill marks. Flip and move to the cooler side of the grill.
5. Baste and finish. Brush the chicken generously with the reserved sauce every 5 minutes. Continue grilling over indirect heat for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping and basting occasionally, until the internal temperature reaches 175°F in the thickest part of the thigh. The sugar in the glaze will caramelize beautifully — watch for flare-ups and move pieces as needed.
6. Rest and serve. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Arrange on a platter, drizzle with any remaining reserved sauce, and top with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 385 | Protein: 28g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 18g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 680mg