To tell you the plain truth, I never had to MAKE my own sauce for Huli Chicken! In Hawai’i you find the bottled stuff at any market. Not to mention that just about any weekend you’ll see those huge smoke plumes with those ONO birds grilling away.
So with that said, I searched the NET and found these articles; all of these recipes sound about right to me, other than using the chilis, that’s not really one of the typical flavor profiles, IMHO. The real stuff is done with Kiawe wood to give that aroma. I think that Mesquite would be pretty close. I myself have a gas grill, so the taste will not be quite the same, but we’ll give it a go.
Now that gonenfishin (Dan, thanks by the way) has brought this all up, I’m going to have to make some Huli Huli Chicken myself and then we can compare notes.
From Hawai’i Magazine . com
Turn! Turn! Turn! How to make Huli-Huli Chicken.
by: John Heckathorn
posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009
How can I obtain the original Ernie Morgado recipe—not the bottled stuff— for authentic Huli-Huli Chicken? Can you send it to me?
First off, we'll just say that we understand Walter's desire for the recipe.
Huli-Huli Chicken is one of those great "only-in-Hawaii" foods. In 1955, Ernest Morgado of Pacific Poultry barbecued his version of teriyaki chicken for a farmers gathering.
The chicken was such a hit, it became a favorite Hawaii fundraiser, raising perhaps millions over the ensuing years for schools, softball teams and hula halau (hula groups).
The chicken was cooked between two grills. The grills had to be flipped over. And since huli is the Hawaiian word for turn, thus was born the name Huli-Huli Chicken.
Huli-Huli chicken all but disappeared after Morgado asserted his rights to the trademark, and started marketing a bottled sauce under that name.
Of course, you can still buy Huli-Huli-style chicken in the Islands, practically anywhere you see billows of great-smelling smoke emanating from a large roadside grill. It won’t be called Huli-Huli Chicken. But that's pretty much what it is.
Morgado’s exact recipe is a trade secret. But here’s my personal recipe, which, if you ask me, is better.
This is a marinade recipe, so don’t be fussy about measuring. Jus’ do ‘em to taste.
The recipe is enough for about three chickens, split in half. You can use chicken pieces if that’s what you have. Marinate your chicken for at least a half-hour.
1/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup sherry
1-2 Tbsp. sesame oil
1-2-more pieces ginger root, crushed
3 cloves garlic, crushed
Worchestershire sauce to taste
Sriracha or Asian chili paste (or red pepper flakes) to taste
Squeeze a lemon in if you've got one
Brush the chicken with the remaining marinade while cooking over a grill. And don't forget to huli the chicken.
From About . com Hawaii Travel
By John Fischer
Variation 1
Ingredients:
- 4-5 lbs chicken pieces
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons sherry
- 1 piece ginger root, crushed
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
Preparation:
Combine ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, sherry, ginger root, and garlic. Stir well. Place chicken, skin side up, on the rack of broiler pan about 6 inches from the heat or preferably on an outdoor grill. Baste the chicken frequently and continue broiling or grilling for about 10 minutes on each side or until chicken appears done.
Variation 2
Courtesy of Local Kine Recipes. University of Hawaii.
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 broken fryers, split or quartered
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup shoyu (Japanese soy sauce)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/3 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup frozen pineapple juice concentrate.
- pinch of fresh or dried ginger.
- drop or two of Worcestershire sauce.
PREPARATION:
Mix ingredients in bowl, brush over chicken pieces. Grill over barbecue, turning and basting with sauce until it is done (about 40 minutes).
