Huli Huli Chicken is a sweet and savory Hawaiian dish that will soon become your favorite Air Fryer chicken recipe. Huli Huli means “turn turn.” If you don’t have a rotisserie, the Air Fryer is a great substitute.
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Key to Success #1 – Chicken Thighs For the Win
When making Huli Huli Chicken, I like to go with boneless skinless chicken thighs.
They are dark meat so they’ll stay plenty tender and they have plenty of meat on them.
They’re also an economical choice.
Boneless skinless chicken breasts would also be wonderful in this Huli Huli Chicken recipe.
You may need to adjust the cooking time or cut the chicken breasts in half so that they’ll cook quicker.
Key to Success #2 – Let the Chicken Marinate
When I started mixing up the marinade for this Huli Huli Chicken, I started getting some curious family members in my kitchen saying “Something smells really good!”
I think that’s a great sign.
This marinade is sweet and savory and adds wonderful flavor to the Huli Huli Chicken.
After you mix up the marinade, put it into a zip-top baggie with the chicken and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least a couple hours.
Let the chicken marinate for longer, up to 8 hours, if you have time.
Key to Success #3 – Watch your Huli Huli Chicken Carefully
Huli Huli Chicken Thighs cook in the Air Fryer in just a few minutes.
I cook chicken thighs for 10 minutes on one side then turn them over and cook for about 8 minutes on the other side.
You can check the internal temperature of your chicken thighs using a food thermometer.
Poultry should be cooked to at least 165 degrees F.
The marinade on this Huli Huli Chicken is on the sweeter side so you should get a nice glaze on your chicken.
It really has a great flavor that you will not want to miss.
Give this Huli Huli Chicken recipe a try. I think your family will be impressed.
Save this Huli Huli Chicken recipe to your favorite Hawaiian Food board or your Air Fryer board.
Air Fryer Huli Huli Chicken
Ingredients
- 4-5 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup pineapple juice
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
Instructions
- In medium bowl, combine all ingredients except the chicken to make a marinade. Stir well.
- Place chicken thighs in a plastic zip-top bag. Pour marinade into the bag then turn to coat the chicken.
- Place plastic bag into refrigerate and allow chicken to marinate for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat Air Fryer to 360 degrees F.
- Remove chicken from bag and discard remaining marinade.
- In batches, place chicken in greased Air Fryer basket and cook 10 minutes. Carefully turn chicken over and cook 8 more minutes. Check for doneness and cook additional 2-5 minutes if needed.
Notes
- Try reducing brown sugar to 1/2 cup
Equipment
Nutrition
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PKat
Sunday 27th of March 2022
Absolutely delicious and so easy. I made it exactly as written except I used chicken breast sliced in half. Will definitely be making again.
Kris
Thursday 20th of August 2020
My husband loves crispy skin so I wanted to try your recipe. No mess with the air fryer and quick too! The marinade was awesome, put the thighs in the morning and you won’t be sorry. Mahalo!
Jennifer
Friday 21st of August 2020
Thank you for the kind message. I'm so glad you loved the chicken recipe. New family favorite!
Kris
Thursday 20th of August 2020
My husband loves crispy skin so I wanted to try your recipe. No mess with the air fryer and quick too! The marinade was awesome, put the thighs in the morning and you won’t be sorry. Mahalo!