This Slow Cooker Huli Huli Chicken is the ultimate set it and forget it recipe. The flavour is so intense that it’s hard to believe how easy this is to make. This will become your family’s favourite chicken recipe!
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There are just some recipes out there that rock your world at dinnertime. Huli Huli chicken is one of those recipes. Whether you grill it, bake it, or cook it in the slow cooker, it will impress your family and friends every single time.
We love Hawaiian food in our household. My husband and I visited Hawaii for our honeymoon many, many moons ago. We fell in love with the culture, as well as the cuisine. The food in Hawaii was nothing short of spectacular.
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Between luaus and visiting small local joints, we ate like kings and queens while we were there. So many dishes made a huge impact on me while we visited. I fell in love with Mahi Mahi. I also discovered Kalua Pork. It’s so freaking amazing.
Among all the delicious food we consumed while in Hawaii I have to say the Huli Huli Chicken really stood out. The flavour was out of this world. The chicken was so tender it melted in your mouth. I couldn’t eat enough of it.
Every now and then I like to whip up some Huli Huli Chicken at home to remind myself how much I loved Hawaii. We want to go back to visit next year and bring the kids. My daughter’s name is Hawaiian and I’ve always wanted her to see the place her name came from.
I’m looking forward to showing my daughter all the amazing things Hawaii has to offer. We have big plans to go scuba diving, snorkelling, and hiking. We also plan to do the helicopter rides through Kauai, and skydiving as well. I’m hoping we can also find time to try surfing. Horseback riding is also on the agenda.
This recipe is inspired by my gal pal Aly of Cooking in Stilettos. Aly is one of my besties in the food blogging world, and beyond it. She is my rock when life gets hard. Aly keeps me on even ground, and gives me the reality check I need on occasion. I adore her, and I’d be lost without her in my life.
Aly loves Polynesian food as much as I do. So I used her Huli Huli Chicken as a jump off point for this recipe. I knew I wanted the flavour of Huli Huli chicken, but I wanted to cook it in my slow cooker. I’m a sucker for set-it-and-forget-it recipes. I’m busy most days so I want cooking to be easy.
I took Aly’s recipe and changed a couple of minor things, mostly the cooking method. I think it turned out amazing and I’m so happy with the flavour of this one. It’s great on it’s on, or piled high on slider buns. This recipe also kicks ass on pizza. Pile it on top of pizza and drizzle BBQ sauce over top.
For this recipe I used pre-grilled chicken. I wanted the flavour of grilled chicken because I think that’s important when making Huli Huli Chicken. So I picked up some pre-grilled chicken breasts in the frozen food section of my grocery store. It’s not a deal breaker if you don’t use grilled chicken. That’s your call.
I can highly advise using pineapple in your recipe though. Those tiny pieces of pineapple make this recipe pop. You’ll flip your lid when you taste this. No joke. Lids will be flipping left and right. All over town. It’s that good.
Get in your kitchen and pull out that crockpot you have hanging around in the cupboard. Give it a good clean, then slap all the ingredients for this recipe inside it. Turn the dial on, walk away, watch some Netflix, then bam! Dinner!
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- 1 package of pre-cooked grilled chicken breasts 20 oz/1.25 lb/566 g
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup Italian dressing
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 3/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 to 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 can crushed pineapple 398 ml/14 fl oz
- 1/2 cup water
- Optional if making sandwiches with the meat:
- 1 cup reserved juices from slow cooker
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
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Place all your ingredients in the slow cooker and turn it on the low setting. Cook for about 6 to 8 hours, depending on how tender you want your chicken.
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Remove meat from slow cooker.
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Serve solo or on sandwich or slider buns.
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If you want to take this up a notch and have an extra 5 minutes I highly recommend finishing this in a skillet to thicken it slightly for sandwiches. Follow instructions below:
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Transfer the meat to a bowl and drain off excess liquid, reserving 1/2 to 1 cup of liquid.
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Pour about 1/4 of the liquid in a small jar and add corn starch to it to make a slurry. Shake the jar until combined.
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Pour remaining liquid into skillet and heat over medium-high heat for about a minute. Shake jar of slurry again, and add that to the skillet. Cook until thickened then add meat. Stir until well coated.
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Pile it on sandwich or slider buns.
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Serve with a big old Huli Huli Chicken loving smile!
Recipe adapted from Huli Huli Chicken from Cooking in Stilettos
You can cook this on low for 6 to 8 hours OR high for 3 to 4 hours. Time varies depending on your slow cooker.
This recipe can easily be doubled.
This recipe also freezes perfectly.
Other great Hawaiian Recipes from around the web:
- Slow Cooker Kalua Pork from Try Anything Once
- Kalua Pork Sliders with Spicy Pineapple Relish from Cooking in Stilettos
- Leonard’s Bakery’s Hawaii Malasadas from Saveur
- Pani Poppo from A Treats Affair
- Hawaiian Poi from Polynesian Cultural Center
Eat it straight up or on a bun. Whatever works for you!
Craving more Slow Cooker Recipes? Check these out!
Slow Cooker Pulled BBQ Chicken
Take some time to peruse my recipe index. You can find lots of slow cooker recipes, plus tons of main course recipes as well.
Be sure to follow me on Pinterest. I’m always pinning great recipes, and fun DIY ideas. You should also follow me Instagram. I share all my latest and greatest recipes there.
Toodles! xx
John/Kitchen Riffs says
I’d make this just because the name is so neat! 🙂
Karyn Granrud says
Growing up in the islands and getting Huli Huli Chicken from the street vendors, I’ve got to admit that you have my taste buds going! This sounds amazing! I’d love a big ol’ sammich of that right now! Did you know you can also order the sauce via amazon? That’s what I do 🙂
Kim Beaulieu says
Game changer. I had no idea you could order it on Amazon. Ordering some this weekend.
I’ve been obsessed with Huli Huli Chicken lately. I have a bunch more recipes coming up. Ha.
I’m still so envious you grew up there. We should plan a retreat for a few of us in Hawaii and have you show us the best places to eat and play.
Lauren Kelly Nutrition says
I love anything made in the slow cooker and this looks AMAZING! I love when I find a recipe that my whole family will eat 🙂
Kellie @ The Suburban Soapbox says
Holy moly! That looks delish! I’ve never been to Hawaii but I love all the flavors of this dish and think it could really take my tastebuds on a vacation of their own.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Oh my goodness, I’m totally drooling over here! That looks SO good and I love the addition of the pineapple!
Nicole says
This looks ah-mazing! I have pinned it to my slow cooker board because I must try this asap! Thank you for linking up at the #HomeMattersParty this week!
Dee says
This looks amazing — love that it’s made in the slow cooker! Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday.
Pat C.Wilson says
it looks tasty just like i can smell it around here. xD everything made by slow cooker is delicious but very quick and simple ( i love that). now this must be the recipe for our family’s today dinner. thanks for sharing, Kim.
Lauren Gaskill | Making Life Sweet says
I want to eat the whole bowl of this chicken! Amazing photos and delicious recipe. This is a 10 in my book!
Shadi Hasanzadenemati says
I’m so in love with this chicken dish! I totally will make it next week! Everyone will love it!
Renee - Kudos Kitchen says
Sounds so easy. Looks so incredible. Can’t wait to make this. Pinning. Printing. Cooking 🙂
Beverley Press says
thank you girls for a great looking and tasty recipe, yes I can see this being an all time new favorite of mine xoxo
Betsy @ Desserts Required says
It’s hard to adequately describe how badly I want this chicken. I can’t wait to get in the kitchen and let my slow cooker do the work! Sharing on Desserts Required this weekend. <3
Sabrina Zaragoza says
I love Hawaiian food, too, and this recipe seems quite attractive and delicious to me. Will definitely try to make this. Thanks for sharing, Betsy.
LL says
3 words. THE BEE’S KNEES
Amanda says
I have a ton of raw chicken breasts, can I use those instead of cooked??
Thanks
Kim Beaulieu says
Hi, Amanda.You can totally use raw chicken, you’ll just have to adjust the cooking time a bit.
I just used pre-cooked grilled chicken because I had it on hand and wanted the grill flavour.
Vivian says
This looks so delicious, I absolutely love it. And also love your photos, they are great.
Francis says
Lovely pictures, make me want to make this dish right now.
Sasha Jamison says
My husband is very very picky and he devoured this. We will be making this a staple in our dinners 😋
Kim Beaulieu says
Yeah!! I’m so happy to hear that. My daughter and myself are picky eaters so I can totally relate to how amazing it is to find tried and true recipes everyone loves.