First of all, mahalo to Ground Control to Major Mom. I'd been searching for an old-time huli recipe for awhile, and finally came upon an authentic one. She has graciously allowed me to share her post and recipe.
Huli Huli Chicken by Ground Control to Major Mom
My family was living in Hawaii when I was 4-years-old. My Dad, who was in the Navy, was stationed at this small base northwest of Honolulu (not Pearl Harbor). My first solid memories were from Hawaii.
And here's one of them: Huli Huli chicken fundraisers. Click here for a history of Huli Huli chicken (from the obituary of the inventor--a Navy man--from 2002). I vaguely remember driving up to a large dirt/gravel parking lot, perhaps at a church or a high school. And you'd see row-after-row of rotisserie-like skewers, all covered with chickens, as well as large metal trash cans to hold the marinade (this was in the '70s, well before plastic trash cans, apparently), and folks using cotton mops to slop on the marinade on the skewers.
My Dad mentioned to me once that the chickens would be sold whole for just a few dollars (I think he said $5, but I could be wrong), and they'd be wrapped for you in newspaper!
Click here about a modern-day operation on Oahu.
My family was living in Hawaii when I was 4-years-old. My Dad, who was in the Navy, was stationed at this small base northwest of Honolulu (not Pearl Harbor). My first solid memories were from Hawaii.
And here's one of them: Huli Huli chicken fundraisers. Click here for a history of Huli Huli chicken (from the obituary of the inventor--a Navy man--from 2002). I vaguely remember driving up to a large dirt/gravel parking lot, perhaps at a church or a high school. And you'd see row-after-row of rotisserie-like skewers, all covered with chickens, as well as large metal trash cans to hold the marinade (this was in the '70s, well before plastic trash cans, apparently), and folks using cotton mops to slop on the marinade on the skewers.
My Dad mentioned to me once that the chickens would be sold whole for just a few dollars (I think he said $5, but I could be wrong), and they'd be wrapped for you in newspaper!
Click here about a modern-day operation on Oahu.
What I'm going to present always brings back the memories I had, but I'm sure someone will tell you that it's wrong. I've had chicken made with commercially purchased "Huli Huli Chicken Sauce" and that just seemed WRONG WRONG WRONG. Too syrupy, from what I remember. If you do a web search for "huli huli chicken recipe" you'll come up with a very wide variety of recipes. Ginger, sugar and garlic are common threads, but from there you'll see varied other ingredients: limes, chiles, honey, ketchup, white wine, etc.
That's my sister's handwriting, circa 1995 or so (she was still in high school). I didn't photograph the back of the card, but suffice it to say that the back merely says to cook the chicken.
That's my sister's handwriting, circa 1995 or so (she was still in high school). I didn't photograph the back of the card, but suffice it to say that the back merely says to cook the chicken.
Mix all ingredients together, sans chicken. Stir stir stir, dissolving as much of the sugar as you can.
Since the chicken is taking up so much space in the bag, a little marinade will go a long way in the zip-top baggie.
I will allow this to sit in my fridge for TWO DAYS, flipping the bag about every 12 hours.
Since the chicken is taking up so much space in the bag, a little marinade will go a long way in the zip-top baggie.
I will allow this to sit in my fridge for TWO DAYS, flipping the bag about every 12 hours.
The cooking is the tough part. Because of the sugar content of the marinade, you have to be VERY careful how to cook up the parts. Low low low, for 25 minutes on each side, then you can turn up the heat at the end to give a nice crispness to the skin. I guess I could invest in one of those rotisserie cooker thingies, but we're lazy and just want to throw it on the gas grill.
Another option is to slow bake the chicken, then throw it on the grill. I don't have a rigid cooking time, or even a rigid cooking temperature. Let's call it 350F for 1 hour. Then give it about 5 minutes on each side on a NASA-hot grill (to coin an awesome Alton Brown term). Baste it with more marinade, if you wish.
Looks WONDERUL, doesn't it? DO NOT be alarmed if you cut into your Huli Huli chicken and you see pink nearest the surface...this is the marinade penetrating the meat! Trust me, it's a good thing. So long as it isn't pink next to the bones, you're golden!
Another option is to slow bake the chicken, then throw it on the grill. I don't have a rigid cooking time, or even a rigid cooking temperature. Let's call it 350F for 1 hour. Then give it about 5 minutes on each side on a NASA-hot grill (to coin an awesome Alton Brown term). Baste it with more marinade, if you wish.
Looks WONDERUL, doesn't it? DO NOT be alarmed if you cut into your Huli Huli chicken and you see pink nearest the surface...this is the marinade penetrating the meat! Trust me, it's a good thing. So long as it isn't pink next to the bones, you're golden!
Thanks again to Major Mom. The Internet can make us all ohana. Or at least it has the ability to bring kindred huli chicken fanciers together. Click here for recipe.
Eat Well. Be Well.
Eat Well. Be Well.
