Paleo Huli Huli Chicken

Aloha from Hawaii! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving weekend filled with delicious food and gratitude. We are still here in Oahu soaking up the sun and the beach, and I’m so happy to be in this warm weather. What a breathtaking island this is! I highly recommend you visit Hawaii if you never have. There’s something for everyone if you love warm weather and the beach.

I’m so inspired by my trip here that I want to bring a bit of Hawaii into your homes with this Huli Huli chicken recipe! Huli Huli means “turn turn” in Hawaiian, and it’s a marinated chicken dish that’s baked or grilled. The marinade is sweet and soy sauce-based, and usually contains a good amount of sugar. It’s absolutely delicious, but I decided to make it paleo and gluten-free (and Whole30 friendly!) sweetened with just pineapples, so you can enjoy it in the comfort of my own home!

I think it’s safe to say that this is my new favorite chicken dish. The combination of sweet and salty of the seriously addicting sauce is just wonderful. I actually made a double batch so I can use it as a condiment for other dishes and I highly recommend you do the same.

If you are looking for a tropical island flavor in your kitchen, I hope you try out this delicious dish! It’s an addicting and delicious combo of flavors, you won’t be able to stop eating it. Enjoy!

Paleo Huli Huli Chicken

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Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups of fresh pineapple chunks or 1 14-ounce can of pineapple chunks, juice reserved
• 1/2 cup coconut aminos or gluten free tamari sauce
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• 3 cloves garlic (omit for low FODMAP)
• 1 inch ginger
• 3 green onions, roughly chopped + more, for garnish
• 1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 tbsp ghee or another cooking oil

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients, except the chicken and ghee, in the food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy.
• Pat dry the chicken and place in a large resealable plastic bag. Pour the marinade in and seal. Massage the chicken to make sure it's coated and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade and set the marinade aside.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Heat ghee in a large oven-safe skillet over medium high heat.
• Add the chicken, skin side down, letting it brown for 5 minutes. Flip and cook for 3 minutes.
• Place the skillet in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the thickest part of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F.
• While the chicken is cooking, pour the marinade in a saucepan and let it boil on the stovetop over medium-high heat.
• Stir the sauce frequently to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
• Once the marinade is thickened, serve it alongside the finished chicken, or pour it over the chicken.
• Garnish with chopped green onions before serving.