Huli huli chicken is a popular Hawaiian style grilled chicken dish made with a sweet and savory marinade. The tender juicy chicken gets its name from the Hawaiian word “huli” meaning “turn”, since the chicken is rotated over hot coals while grilling. This results in chicken that is caramelized and full of flavor. Huli huli chicken is simple to make but what should you serve alongside it to round out the meal? Here are 12 delicious side dish ideas for what to serve 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 star of the show, so keep your side starchy to round out the meal. Rice, potatoes, pasta, or bread are good choices.
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A vegetable or salad: Serve a vegetable side or fresh salad to add vitamins, minerals, and fiber. 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 provides a cooling contrast to the hot chicken. To make it extra Hawaiian, add some diced pineapple and shredded coconut.
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.
- Flavor: Huli huli sauce has many similarities with teriyaki sauce with a sweet, savory, and salty taste that’s absolutely delicious. And when you use a charcoal grill the juicy, tender meat has a smoky flavor as well.
- Ease: It only takes a few minutes to whisk together the marinade, and grilling the meat on a hot grill is fast too. The longer part is waiting for the chicken to marinate and absorb some of those flavors.
- Homemade: You can purchase bottles of huli-huli sauce in Hawaii, but it’s not easy to find where I live and I already have the ingredients on hand to make homemade huli huli sauce anyway.
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: We like boneless skinless chicken thighs for our huli-huli chicken because they cook quickly with just a few minutes on each side on a hot grill. But the marinade and sauce can be used with bone-in chicken thighs, chicken breasts, or whole chicken leg quarters. Basically any cut of chicken you like. And it would go great with pork tenderloin, pork chops, and many types of fish as well.
- Brown sugar: This adds a hint of molasses and sweetness to the sauce.
- Ketchup: A little ketchup gives body and depth to the sauce, as well as a nice color.
- Soy sauce: For the coveted umami notes and saltiness.
- Garlic and ginger: Use fresh minced garlic and fresh ginger for best results and flavor.
- Pineapple juice: Another sweet element, this also helps tenderize the chicken. We usually just use pineapple juice drained from a can of pineapple slices, which we grill up with the chicken.
- Rice vinegar: The sour tang of an acid like vinegar balances out the sauce so it isn’t overly sweet. Apple cider vinegar is a good substitute.
- Sesame oil: One of our favorite ingredients with a really unique flavor. We don’t use it in a lot of dishes, but it lasts for at least a year in the fridge so we usually have it on hand.
- Chicken broth: You could also use water to thin out the marinade and sauce.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Don’t forget to set aside some of the marinade: Brushing the chicken with additional sauce during the last five minutes of grilling adds even more of that amazing flavor, as well as additional color.
- For grill marks: If you want beautiful dark grill marks, start with hot, clean grill grates. Not only does this give a beautiful appearance, but it also sears in the juices for more mouthwatering chicken.
- Grilled pineapple: We usually do pineapple rings because I use the juice from the can as part of the marinade, but fresh pineapple spears work just as well.
- Great for meal prep: We purposefully always make more than we think we will eat so there is enough for easy lunches through the week or for shredding and using in other dishes 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 soy sauce, some variety of sweetener, and ginger, it strays from teriyaki when it includes pineapple juice and other types of acid like …Jul 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. Paired with the bright crunch of the corn and cucumber salad, this dish goes equally well on a bed of rice as it does in a taco.