This easy and delicious Hawaiian Chicken Recipe brings your favorite Hawaiian flavors right to your kitchen table. Marinated in a mixture of pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, fresh garlic, and ginger, this Hawaiian chicken marinade is perfectly sweet and savory and takes just minutes to whip together.
The Best Hawaiian Chicken Recipe
Juicy chicken pieces marinated in the most incredible combination of sweet and savory ingredients then grilled (or baked!) to perfection. This Hawaiian chicken recipe is one of my all-time favorite marinades.
The best part about this Hawaiian chicken recipe, aside from the stand-out flavor, of course, is the super simple, basic, and affordable ingredient list (many of which you may already have in your pantry). A favorite weeknight dinner and summertime bbq must-have, everyone loves this easy recipe.
Hawaiian Chicken Marinade Ingredients
- Pineapple juice – The key ingredient in this marinade, pineapple juice is sweet, delicious, and tropical. Your best bet is to use canned, jarred, or boxed pineapple juice.
- Soy sauce – Adds savory saltiness and helps balance the sweetness of the pineapple juice and brown sugar. If you’re sensitive to gluten, look for gluten-free soy sauce alternatives or use gluten-free tamari.
- Light brown sugar – Adds additional sweetness and caramelizes perfectly when grilled.
- Rice wine vinegar – Adds a nice tangy zing.
- Vegetable oil – It has a higher smoke point than olive oil.
- Lime juice – Fresh lime juice is better than the concentrated stuff.
- Fresh garlic and ginger – Two essential aromatics in this marinade. For easy mincing and/or grating, use a microplane grater.
Recipe Tip
Double the marinade. Use half as the marinade and the second half to make a glaze. Gently heat the second half of the marinade in a small saucepot over medium-low heat until simmering. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously. Use it as a glaze or dipping sauce.
Remember never to reuse marinade that has come into contact with raw meat unless the marinade has been boiled vigorously to kill any harmful bacteria.
How Long Should I Marinate the Chicken?
I have made this Hawaiian chicken many times over the years, each with a different total marinade time.
Time allowing, I always try to aim for at least 2-4 hours. That said, you don’t have to marinate your chicken for that long. If you only have 30 minutes, that’s certainly better than no time at all.
On the flip side, you can absolutely marinate this chicken ahead of time. So, if you need to leave the chicken to marinate overnight, that is perfectly fine, too. Simply cover your marinating chicken with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator until ready to cook.
How to Grill Hawaiian Chicken
- Prepare the marinade in a large mixing bowl by combining the pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, vegetable oil, lime juice, minced garlic, and ginger. Mix well.
- Place the chicken thighs in a resealable plastic bag with the marinade. Seal the bag and massage it well to ensure the chicken is evenly coated with the marinade.
- Transfer to the refrigerator allowing the chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes, but ideally 4 hours or overnight.
- Prepare the grill. As the chicken marinates, clean the grill grates and lightly oil them with vegetable oil or cooking spray. Set grill to medium-high heat.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and grill them for 5-7 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F as measured with a digital meat thermometer.
- Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the grill and let it rest for 5 minutes.
- Serve with cooked rice, grilled pineapple, and sliced green onions.
Can You Bake Hawaiian Chicken?
Yes, absolutely. I love to bake this Hawaiian marinated chicken recipe whenever I want a more hands-off dinner.
- Prepare the marinade as outlined above and marinate the chicken for (at least) 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
- Arrange the chicken on the prepared baking sheet. Discard any remaining marinade.
- Bake until the internal temperature reaches 160-165 degrees Fahrenheit as read with a digital meat thermometer. Boneless skinless chicken thighs will take approximately 20-30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow it to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Recipes to Serve with Hawaiian Chicken
This amazing chicken is fantastic with various side dishes. Here are some of my favorites:
- Cooked white rice
- Coconut rice
- Grilled veggie skewers
- Pineapple chunks
- Macaroni salad
- Potato salad
- Stir-fried veggies
- Fresh fruit salad
Storage and Freezing
Keep leftovers stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
You may also freeze leftover cooked Hawaiian chicken or just the marinade. In both cases, remove as much air as possible before freeing it and allow the chicken to cool before transferring it to a freezer-friendly container. Use within 3 months.
More Amazing Chicken Recipes
- The Best Greek Chicken Marinade
- Citrus Chicken Marinade Recipe
- Chimichurri Chicken Recipe
- Easy Teriyaki Chicken
- Jerk Chicken
- Chicken Shish Kabob Recipe
If you try making this Hawaiian Chicken Recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.
Hawaiian Chicken
Ingredients
- ½ cup pineapple juice - see notes
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ cup light brown sugar - packed
- ¼ cup rice vine vinegar - or apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons finely minced ginger
- 4 large chicken thighs - see notes
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, vegetable oil, lime juice, garlic, and ginger. Mix until the sugar is fully dissolved.
- Put the chicken thighs in a resealable plastic bag and pour the marinade over them. Remove as much air from the bag as possible and securely seal the bag. Massage the marinade into the chicken so that the chicken is completely coated.
- Transfer the chicken to the refrigerator to marinate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
- When ready to cook, remove the chicken from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Clean the grill grates and brush with oil or spray with non-stick cooking spray, then preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and grill them for 5-7 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
- Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the grill and let it rest for 5 minutes.
- Serve with cooked rice, grilled pineapple and sliced green onions if desired.
Jessica’s Notes
- Pineapple juice: Fresh pineapple juice is not recommended as fresh pineapple juice contains the enzyme bromelain, which may leave your chicken mushy. Canned pineapple juice is fine to use.
- Chicken: Feel free to make this recipe using boneless skinless chicken thighs, skinless chicken breasts, or bone-in skin-on chicken. Remember that different cuts of chicken cook at different rates, so remember to check the internal temperature using a digital meat thermometer and always cook the chicken to 165 degrees F.
- For a bit of heat: Add half a teaspoon of red pepper flakes or a tablespoon of Sriracha to the marinade.
- Keep leftovers stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
Is this recipe OK to can?
Possibly with a pressure canner, but I wouldn’t recommend it.
When canning, it’s important to use proper canning techniques to ensure safety. The high acidity of the pineapple combined with the heat from pressure canning should kill off any potential bacteria, but it’s crucial to follow guidelines provided by a trusted source like the National Center for Home Food Preservation or a similar authority.
Just to note, canning low-acid foods like chicken requires a pressure canner, not a boiling water bath, due to the risk of botulism. Also, remember that the texture of the chicken might change after the canning process, as it could become softer. Always use fresh, high-quality ingredients, and consume your canned goods within the recommended timeframe.
5 star. Excellent. When son-in-law proclaims to be best cook in the world is jealous of this Hawaiian chiken it is a true Kodak moment.Rjr
Thank you 4 recipe. Have a hard time with negative comments. Again, thanks! You took the time to post & I’m making this with gratitude to you. ❤❤
Ummmm is pineapple the only reason why this is called Hawaiian chicken??? Pineapple is a actually native to and originates from south america where the Spaniards brought it back to Spain and introduced it to Hawaii in the 1800s.
Ummm the recipe tastes delicious, so who cares what she calls it. Call it Spanish Chicken in your home.
Also, are you addressing this issue with the 10,000 pizzerias that call their pineapple pizzas, Hawaiian?
Tomatoes also came from South America, so with that logic 🤔 Pizza and Pasta are not really Italian… and I don’t see any references to “traditional Hawaiian” in the write-up. It seems like a good Huli Huli-style Hawaiin chicken dish to me.
Love Hawaiian chicken! Trying this tomorrow!
I just made this for dinner for my family, they all loved it. I need to make more next time for leftovers!
You mention vegetable oil several times, but never say how much.
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil 🙂
My family loved it! It is just like Mike’s Huli Chicken in Honolulu!