Huli Huli Chicken Prep: Spatchcocking is a poultry butchering technique in which the poultry’s spine is removed so the poultry lays completely flat during the cooking process, which facilitates faster and more even cooking. While you can ask your butcher to spatchcock the chicken for you, it’s also very simple to do at home with a pair of sharp kitchen shears. I like to spatchcock chicken a day before I plan on grilling it, leaving the chicken to soak a pineapple brine, which results in seriously juicy and flavorful grilled huli huli chicken. Here’s what you’ll do:

1. Spatchcock and halve the chicken: Use paper towel to pat chicken very dry. Place breast-side down on a large plastic cutting board. Using very sharp kitchen shears, carefully snip along each side of the backbone, until completely detached. With breast side of the chicken still facing down, use your hands to gently stretch open the rib cavity of the chicken. Place the heel of your knife at the center of the wishbone. Forcefully press down until the wishbone snaps and the breastplate cracks. Flip the chicken so it lays flat, breast side facing up – you just spatchcocked a chicken! For grilled huli huli chicken, take it one step further, slicing between the breasts to create two halves. Be sure to tuck the wing tips behind the breasts, as pictured, to ensure they don’t burn as the chicken cooks. For step-by-step photos and more tips and tricks, be sure to check out PWWB’s How to Spatchcock a Chicken tutorial post.
2. Brine the chicken: In a large bowl, whisk together the pineapple juice, brown sugar, ketchup (if using), and 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Transfer 1 cup of the brine to a small airtight container and reserve for basting. Place the halved chicken in a large bowl, airtight container, or resealable bag. Pour the remaining pineapple brine over top, submerging the chicken as much as possible. Cover or seal, then transfer to the refrigerator to brine for at least 12 hours and up to 48 hours.

Grilled Huli Huli Chicken:

1. Grill prep: At least 60 minutes before grilling, take the brined chicken out of the refrigerator to allow it to come to room temperature before grilling. Remove the chicken from the brine, discard any excess brine, then use a paper towel to pat the chicken as dry as possible. Set aside. This is a great time to preheat the grill and prep the huli huli sauce (Step 2, below). Prepare your grill for indirect cooking, creating a zone of direct high heat and a second zone of indirect heat. If using a gas grill, begin preheating at least 15 minutes before grilling. If using charcoal, light the charcoal at least 30 minutes prior to grilling. (To learn more about zone grilling, be sure to check out this post.)
2. Prepare the huli huli sauce: Add all listed ingredients to a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and whisk to combine well. Once the huli huli sauce comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring the sauce occasionally, for 20 minutes to reduce and thicken. Remove from the heat and set aside for serving.
3. Grill the huli huli chicken: Place the chicken on the indirect heat side of the grill, breast side up, as close to the fire as possible without being over the direct heat. Close the grill lid. Cook the chicken, stopping to rotate it 180 degrees every 15 minutes. With each rotation, use a pastry brush to generously baste the surface of the chicken with the reserved pineapple brine from Step 2. The huli huli chicken is ready once an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast (without hitting the bone) registers a temperature of 160 degrees F. Depending on the size of your chicken and the temperature of your grill, this could take as little as 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
4. Rest the grilled huli huli chicken: Remove the huli huli chicken from the grill. Transfer to a large plate and set aside to rest for 5-10 minutes. Carryover heat will cause the internal temperature to continue to rise as it rests. The chicken is ready to serve once an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the chicken (without hitting the bone) registers a temperature of 165 degrees F.
5. Serve: Carve the huli huli chicken as desired and serve immediately, drenched in huli huli sauce and paired with whatever sides you like. We like serving our huli huli chicken plate lunch-style, with white rice and Mom’s Hawaiian mac salad. Enjoy!