I think I've found the perfect chicken recipe.
The fam and I were watching the new Nat Geo show "Uncharted" and he headed to Maui to drive the Road To Hana. On the journey, he stopped at this roadside chicken shack that served the famous Hawaiian "Huli-Huli" chicken and I was mesmerized. It's chicken marinated in brown sugar, honey, garlic, ginger and other things that made it sound PERFECT. "Huli-Huli" means "turn-turn" and you absolutely have to do that with this chicken rotating it every four minutes. The sugars in the marinade will burn quickly if you leave it on one side for too long. Long story short, it was AMAZING.
- PRO TIPS:
You really need to stay on your turn game or this chicken WILL burn. You're gonna get some serious caramelization either way, so don't worry too much about it but keep an eye on it for sure! Huli-Huli! - When chicken is done, put it in a pyrex with the lid on. The residual heat will finish slow-cooking the chicken and soften up the burns on the skin for a better dining experience.
- Pulverizing the garlic and ginger is important. When you crush them from the top instead of chopping or mincing, it really breaks down the cell walls and releases an exponential amount of flavor for your marinade.
- Be sure to setup a hot-cold grill situation. You're going to want an indirect cooking area to finish your chicken without giving it more caramelization.
INGREDIENTS:
2 whole chickens cut into pieces
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
2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
4 tbsp Rice Vinegar
2 tbsp Sriracha or Asian chili paste (or red pepper flakes) to taste. Only if you like it spicy!
1 tbsp fish sauce (optional)
Squeeze of lemon before serving
DIRECTIONS:
- Rough chop the ginger and garlic and pulverize it with a mortar and pestle (this is preferred if you have one, otherwise a mince on both is fine). Add a bit of salt and really turn it into a paste.
- Add all ingredients (except lemon) into a bowl(including ginger and garlic) and mix. Set aside for 20-30 minutes.
- Reserve about a cup of the marinade for basting during the cook.
- Put chicken pieces into a gallon bag and pour the rest of the marinade over pieces. Push the air out of the bag and seal, place the bag in the refrigerator and marinate a minimum of 2 hours and a maximum of 12.
- Do a standard half and half grill (with a hot side and and a cool side) and place chicken pieces skin-side-up on the grill.
- Let the chicken grill turning every 3-4 minutes.
- With about 10 minutes to go, begin basting and turning the chicken frequently. The marinade and the sauce have a lot of sugar in them so make sure you keep up with your "huli-huli!"
- Serve with steamed white rice