Grilled Hawaiian Chicken
The flavor of this tender, juicy grilled Hawaiian chicken is insanely delicious! I can’t stop making it (especially for company!)…and serving it with grilled pineapple and cilantro lime rice. YUM!
Ok, guys. Meet my new favorite summer meal.
Seriously…SO RIDICULOUSLY DELICIOUS. I can’t get over it.
My sweet empty-nester friend Dee and her husband Wilson, who knew Brian when he was a wee lad himself and they all lived in the Dallas, Texas area, were {very} brave and invited our whole family over for dinner a while ago.
The kids spilled gallons of bubbles in their immaculately curated back yard while Wilson grilled up this Hawaiian chicken. One bite and honestly, I wanted to die – it was the tastiest chicken I’d ever had.
After the kids and I cleaned up the bubbles (ahem, and the other back yard mayhem), I dared ask Dee for the recipe…and I’ve been making this grilled Hawaiian chicken right and left ever since, including for the last three out of four people who’ve joined us for dinner.
Usually after making a recipe that often, I’m kind of done. I need a break. A little time to myself.
But not with this grilled Hawaiian chicken. I could eat it every night for the rest of forever.
Friends, MAKE IT! It’s lifechanging good.
Now here’s the thing. I know you…and you know me. And over the years, I’ve only posted a handful of recipes calling for chicken thighs because quite honestly, they kind of gross me out a little when I prepare them.
So I usually opt for boneless, skinless chicken breasts. And I love ’em! And definitely prefer them for *most* chicken dishes.
But for this exceptional Hawaiian chicken (although by this point we know that it’s prolly not authentic Hawaiian food, so don’t call me out on that, ok?), I’m using my best bossy voice to strongly encourage you to go for the chicken thighs.
I grab boneless, skinless chicken thighs at Costco, put my big girl apron on, power through it, and trim the heck out of those thighs. It’s worth it.
It didn’t take us long to realize that while we love this grilled Hawaiian chicken (we loooove it – is this the most redundant post ever or what?), it becomes a meal worthy of epic, widespread attention when served with grilled pineapple and cilantro lime rice (or coconut rice!)
I don’t do anything fancy for the grilled pineapple – just cut it in strips and toss it on the grill with the chicken. You can brush some of the reserved, non-icky-chicken marinade over the pineapple if you so desire. Divine.
The strong, teriyaki-vibe of the marinade is perfect with the tangy-sweet, fresh pineapple and cilantro lime rice.
Anyway, now that I’ve totally fangirled out over this amazing grilled chicken (and tasty little side dishes), I’m really hoping you love it as much as I do.
I probably should have dialed back the excitement a bit – you know, keep the expectations low and all that.
But it’s pretty impossible with something this yummy. ENJOY!
P.S. I haven’t tried this yet (because I’m a grilling fool in the summer), but I’m just waiting for someone to dump this in the Instant Pot and give it a whirl!
What To Serve With This:
Cilantro Lime Rice or Coconut Rice
Grilled pineapple (I just slice it in 1-inch strips and toss it on the grill with the chicken – SO yummy!)
Green salad or roasted veggie
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Grilled Hawaiian Chicken
Ingredients
- 2-3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (see note)
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 1 cup low-sodium soy sauce (see note)
- ⅔ cup brown sugar, light or dark
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated or finely minced ginger, or use ginger paste
- 6 cloves garlic, finely minced (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
Instructions
- Place the chicken thighs in a shallow dish or in a gallon-size ziploc bag.
- Whisk together the pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger and garlic until the brown sugar is dissolved (or mostly dissolved). Pour half of the marinade over the chicken in the bag so the chicken is evenly coated. Seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
- Refrigerate the remaining marinade until the chicken is ready to be grilled.
- Preheat grill to medium- or medium-high (I use 400 degrees on my pellet grill).
- Bring the refrigerated reserved marinade to a simmer in a small saucepan on the stove. Simmer for 5-10 minutes (the longer it simmers the more reduced and slightly thickened it will be).
- Place the chicken on the preheated grill (discard the marinade in the bag/dish) and cook until an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F at the thickest part, about 7-8 minutes per side. During the last 3-4 minutes of cooking, baste the chicken liberally with the simmered sauce/marinade.
- Serve the cooked chicken with the warm marinade (to be drizzled over – it’s especially yummy if serving this chicken with cilantro lime rice or coconut rice).
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: introduced to me by my friend Dee N. (she got it from FavFamilyRecipes and I adapted it from there!)
137 Comments on “Grilled Hawaiian Chicken”
I made this with frozen skin-on bone-in chicken thighs. I threw them in the Instant Pot with half the sauce. Then, when cooked, I put them under the broiler until the skin was crispy and brushed them with the thickened sauce. It was divine. I served it with coconut rice.
We love this recipe. We use chicken breasts. I also grill the pineapple and even my picky kids love it. I have found that I have to cook the sauce on med and then simmer. Otherwise it takes forever for it the become a glaze.
Can you bake it? I don’t have a grill.
You could try! The sugar might burn/caramelize a bit so keep an eye on it in the oven.
There are no words for how perfect this chicken is. We are 100% chicken breast people, but for the first time in our 21-year-marriage, I bought chicken thighs for this recipe. They were amazing. Since we always have breasts on hand, I have also sliced the breasts into strips before marinating and grilled the strips. Both are absolutely delicious, but the thighs really are better. We make extra sauce for brushing grilled pineapple slices and to serve with your cilantro-lime rice. A perfect meal!
I have been making this recipe since 1990,I found it in a cookbook back then,but I use a whole cut up chicken and marinate for minimum 24 hrs. It’s soooo good. I do leave out the ginger though…. just cause I freaking hate it. But I also pit this with plain ole white rice and top with green onions. But honestly I don’t end up eating the rice cause I’m too busy pigging out in the chicken. I’ve done it in the oven and on the grill but I recently finally!!! Bought a air fryer and I am literally obsessed with it. Do you think that I can fix this in the air fryer???? I have only made so far in the air fryer, chicken wings,hamburgers,french fries,baked potatoes, chicken pot pie pockets in puffed pastry, and ground chicken gyros . .I’m literally still in my first week.so I need to figure out some stuff to throw in there . please let me know what you think?by the way i enjoy your little stories leading up to recipes.
This is an easy, delicious weeknight dinner option. I love using chicken thighs and this recipe delivers. I highly recommend serving it with Mel’s coconut rice and grilled pineapple – so good!
Lovelovelove this recipe!
I buy pineapple juice by the canned qts. And separate and freeze them in canning jars just for this recipe. Delish!!
Hi Mel
I love the thought of grilling but stop short when I think of having to clean the grill after every use. I think it’s way easier just clean up the things used in the kitchen so rarely grill. You mentioned you grill as much as possible in summer and all year round so what are your tips? How often to you clean the grill? Any ideas as to how to make that easier?
Thanks so much.
Lyndal
Hi Lyndal, I have a grill brush that I scrape the grates with before I preheat the grill. I do a deep clean of the grill (I have a pellet grill that I use 100% of the time) about once every couple of months.
We had a family luau last week (with a gigantic slip n slide at the park – highly recommend) and marinated chicken in this sauce to make pineapple chicken sandwiches – DELISH! Would totally make it again.
Love this recipe and everything else I find on your site. Have you ever used the marinade on steak? Thinking it would make a good skirt steak marinade.
It’s delicious on steak (and pork!)
Made this for the first time last night and it was a hit with EVERYONE, even my 8 yo who has always hated pineapple and chicken thighs loved it AND the pineapple (I just put some canned tidbits on the side)!! I used the Aminos instead of soy sauce (what I had on hand), but I have, over the years, learned we like less soy sauce, so I always cut it in half in your recipes and it was PERFECT. I did make one chicken breast (because of my picky eater) and a Costco package of thighs which came out to 2 lbs. There was only one tiny piece of a thigh left after a family of 5 (kids 3, 6 and 8) attacked it. Next time I’ll make 3 lbs to ensure some left overs ;-). Served with coconut rice, pineapple tidbits, and a garden salad and it was perfect! I’ve never received so much praise for a dinner before, especially since I cooked it on the Pellet without assistance and didn’t mess it up haha! I’m much better at oven cooking 😉
Have you ever tried this in the instant pot? We don’t have a grill, so I’ve been sticking with that or my slow cooker a lot lately.
I saw your note about not having tried it, but I just threw it in with the cilantro rice. Here’s hoping all goes well!
How did it work out? (I haven’t tried it in the IP).
It was fantastic! I’m actually making it again for dinner tonight. I doubled both recipes this time since we barely had any leftovers before. I love having everything ready at the same time. Thank you!
Laura, how did you make the Hawaiian Chicken in the IP? You said you threw it in with the rice. I’m flummoxed. Would love to know how you did it.
Is grilling synonymous with broiling?
Grilling usually means an outdoor grill whereas broiling is using the oven. Usually you can broil when a recipe calls for grilling, but every oven is different so keep an eye on the time of the broiling ingredient.
I have this marinating in the fridge but forgot to set half the marinade aside. Can I still use it since it’s brought to a boil even though raw chicken marinated in it in the fridge?
From what I understand, as long as you vigorously boil the marinade for several minutes it should be fine!
This was an easy and delicious recipe. I made the coconut rice to go with it, and the whole meal was a hit with my family. Thank you.
I’ve made my share of Hawaiian style chicken thighs, but this recipe was so, so good. I don’t think I need to go back to any other recipe. I marinated the chicken for a full 24 hours and the hint of pineapple flavor was so delicious. I will make it again.
Delish! Boys loved it, and I was worried it might be ‘too sweet’ for them. Made it yesterday with port tenderloin medallions and that was delicious as well! Will probably rotate this every other week with smoky honey cilantro chicken! Thanks!
Love this recipe! I make it in my instant pot because we don’t have a grill, and it turns out AMAZING. So, so easy. I don’t even need to marinate it in advance or defrost my chicken in my IP.
I know you posted this comment a while ago, but do you remember the settings you used for the instant pot?? Thanks!
I swear this meal gets better and better every time I make it! The chicken is wonderful grilled and the sauce is amazing ( I make a cornstarch slurry just to thicken it even more). I paired it with your coconut rice last night and we were in heaven!
I’ve made this numerous times. The first time was last summer while on a Disney World trip with our son’s family. It was a big hit with grandson #2 & 3. The leftovers make wonderful street tacos with the addition of mango salsa!
We don’t have a grill. What’s the best way to make it in the oven?
Probably using the broil function or 400 degrees F – watch closely and flip halfway through (either method).
It’s my family’s favorite!! I always wish I had made
More bc there are never any leftovers….
So easy. So delicious. Loved by all! I didn’t have any cilantro on hand, so I made your coconut rice and that was super yummy, too. Thanks for another fantastic meal!
I’ve made this 5 times and I might as well leave a review – It is AMAZING!! Chicken thighs or whatever you have. It’s turned out well every time.
Delicious! Made the whole meal, rice, pineapple, roasted broccoli and the chicken. I only had bone in, skin on thighs in the freezer so I removed the skin and the bones… gross. But I am happy to report, totally worth it! Thanks, Mel.
Glad the effort was worth it, Angela!
Mel,,,This Hawaiian chicken sounds great with the lime cilantro rice,,but when you trip the fast off your chicken get some fat with it….lol,,,,,just letting you know ,,,my fingers do the same thing sometimes…you have so many great recipe’s ,,have one you should try,,,,Jerk chicken from a friend from Jamaica.
Regards Douglas
I’d love the recipe…had Jamaican jerk chicken twice and loved it….
It’s great!!
I made this for a family reunion this summer. We served 18 adults and 22 kids. It was a huge hit and everyone loved it!! One change I made (and really liked) the second time making this was to add crushed red pepper flakes to the sauce for some heat. We did half and half so the kids could have regular and mom and dad could do spicy. It was crazy good. Also, one time making it I only had half the amount of pineapple juice. So I used pineapple juice in the half that becomes sauce, and replaced it with oil in the half used for a marinade. It turned out great! This is definitely a keeper recipe!
Yum, Kat! That spicy version sounds delicious! I’m glad it was a hit at your family reunion.