DAN’S HULI HULI CHICKEN

Although a Hawaiian Huli-Huli Chicken is often marinated with brown sugar, ginger and soy, I like Dan’s twist using molasses, orange juice, and chipotles. To me, the test of a good Huli-Huli Chicken is that you can’t stop eating it. And there are never any leftovers with Dan’s version. Huli means turn, and although you can certainly make this dish without a rotisserie, it’s well worth the extra effort to use one if you have one. If not, you can cut the chicken into pieces and cook over a charcoal or gas grill.

INGREDIENTS

FOR MARINADE

1/4 cup orange juice

4 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1 tablespoon molasses

3 chipotle pepper plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce

INGREDIENTS

FOR CHICKEN

1 whole chicken

1 whole orange

1 Ziplock Gallon Bag

Mesquite wood chips for smoker – (They use kiawe wood in Hawaii and if you can find it, use it. It’s slightly sweeter)

PREPARATION

Mix all of the marinade ingredients together in a bowl. Clean chicken, pat dry. Pour marinade into a ziplock bag. Place chicken in a bag and rub marinade around chicken. Let sit in the refrigerator for at least six hours before, but it’s best to let it marinate overnight or even for 48 hours. Turn the bird every few hours.

Remove the chicken from the bag and discard the remaining marinade and bag. Stuff one orange into the cavity. Truss the bird making sure the wings and drumsticks don’t dangle. Center the bird on the spit running the skewer through the orange.

Soak your wood chips for at least 30 minutes. Preheat the grill to 350°. Place the chips in the smoker box and set the skewer in place. Be sure to replenish wood chips once they stop smoking. Rotate over indirect heat until juices run clear. You want the internal temperature to be about 165° for white meat, 175° for dark meat, about 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours.

Use oven mitts to remove the spit from the grill. Allow to rest for 10 minutes, then slide the bird onto a cutting board. Remove the string and orange. Using poultry shears, cut the legs and wings off, then slice the breast. Serve on a platter.