Hawaiian Huli Huli Grilled Chicken Wings — The Wings That Made DeAndre Say “Crazy Good”

August in Memphis. If June is when summer announces itself and July is when it celebrates, August is when it digs in and dares you to survive. One hundred degrees on Tuesday. One hundred and two on Wednesday. Heat so thick you could chew it, and humidity so high that the air itself seems to sweat. I have been walking mail routes in Memphis Augusts for thirty-six years, and every year my body tells me this is the year it's had enough, and every year I tell my body it's wrong, and every year the margin gets thinner.

The school year is about to start, which means the neighborhood is shifting — parents dragging kids to Target for school supplies, the last desperate pool visits, the ice cream truck making its final rounds like a musician on a farewell tour. DeAndre starts first grade in two weeks. First grade. I remember first grade at the old school on Park Avenue, sitting in a wooden desk too small for my already-large frame, my teacher Mrs. Robinson writing letters on the chalkboard while I thought about Uncle Clyde's smoker and wondered what was for dinner. Some things don't change: Johnson men think about food during school.

Walter Jr. brought DeAndre to the house Wednesday after work so Tamika could do back-to-school shopping without three children in tow. DeAndre and I sat on the back porch and played a game he invented called "Flavor Detective," where I blindfold him with a dish towel and let him taste different seasonings and he tries to guess what they are. He got salt (easy), black pepper (moderate), and garlic powder (he said "pizza," which is close enough). He missed cumin, which he described as "the dirt one," and cayenne, which he described by screaming and running for water. We're going to workshop the cayenne.

I made smoked chicken wings for his visit — a batch of twenty, rubbed with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a touch of brown sugar, smoked at 300 over hickory for about ninety minutes, then tossed in a simple sauce of butter, hot sauce, and honey. Wings are the perfect food for a six-year-old: small enough for small hands, flavorful enough for developing palates, and messy enough to make the eating an adventure. DeAndre ate six wings and declared them "crazy good," which I believe is the current highest rating available in the six-year-old critical vocabulary.

Marcus stopped by Saturday with Isaiah. His boy is six — I keep forgetting Marcus has a son from before Angela, from his college years, a relationship that didn't last but produced a beautiful boy that Marcus has joint custody of. Isaiah is quieter than DeAndre, more watchful, the kind of child who observes before he participates. He sat on the porch steps and watched me clean the smoker, and after fifteen minutes of silence he said, "Big E, how does the smoke know where to go?" I said, "It follows the heat, Isaiah. The heat draws the smoke the same way love draws a family — toward the warmest place." He thought about this and said, "That makes sense." I don't know if it does. But it felt true, and sometimes that's enough.

Sunday at church I talked with Pastor Williams about the upcoming fall schedule — the church homecoming in October, the holiday meals program, the Thanksgiving food drive. Mt. Zion does more feeding than most restaurants in Memphis. We run a soup kitchen every Wednesday, a food pantry every first Saturday, and the holiday meals program delivers full dinners to homebound seniors throughout Orange Mound and South Memphis. I've been cooking for these programs for twenty years, which is the second most important job I have after being a father and husband. Feeding strangers who can't feed themselves is the closest I get to understanding what God wants from us, which I think is simpler than we make it: feed the hungry, love the broken, show up.

The batch I made for DeAndre that Wednesday followed the same spirit I’ve always brought to wings — simple rub, real smoke, a sauce that balances heat and sweet — and watching that boy eat six of them with both hands and declare them “crazy good” reminded me that the best food doesn’t need to be complicated, it just needs to be honest. These Hawaiian Huli Huli Grilled Chicken Wings have that same honesty: a pineapple-and-soy marinade that caramelizes over the grill into something sticky and deep, the kind of sauce that keeps little fingers busy and grown folks quiet. If you’re feeding a six-year-old Flavor Detective or a porch full of people you love, this is the recipe that shows up right.

Hawaiian Huli Huli Grilled Chicken Wings

Prep Time: 15 minutes (plus 1–2 hours marinating) | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: ~2 hours | Servings: 4–6

Ingredients

• 3 pounds chicken wings, split at the joint, tips removed
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 3 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated (or 1 teaspoon ground ginger)
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional, for heat)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch + 1 tablespoon cold water (for glaze thickening)
• Sliced green onions and sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions

1. Make the marinade. In a medium bowl, whisk together pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes (if using) until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is uniform.
2. Marinate the wings. Place the chicken wings in a large zip-top bag or shallow baking dish. Pour half the marinade over the wings, reserving the other half for the glaze. Seal and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, up to 2 hours. Do not marinate longer or the acidity will affect the texture.
3. Thicken the glaze. Pour the reserved marinade into a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk together the cornstarch and cold water, then stir into the saucepan. Bring to a low simmer, stirring frequently, until the glaze thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 4–5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Preheat the grill. Heat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat (about 400°F). Oil the grates well to prevent sticking. If using charcoal, set up a two-zone fire so you can move wings to indirect heat if they flare up.
5. Grill the wings. Remove wings from the marinade and pat lightly with paper towels — this helps them char rather than steam. Arrange wings on the grill over direct heat. Cook for 10–12 minutes per side, turning once, until the skin is golden and the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
6. Glaze and finish. In the last 4–5 minutes of cooking, brush wings generously with the thickened Huli Huli glaze, turning and re-glazing once. The glaze will caramelize and deepen in color — watch closely to avoid burning. Move to indirect heat if needed.
7. Rest and serve. Transfer wings to a platter and let rest for 3–4 minutes. Brush with any remaining glaze, then garnish with sliced green onions and a scatter of sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 390 | Protein: 29g | Fat: 19g | Carbs: 24g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 780mg