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Take a break from the ordinary and serve up these Hawaiian Huli Huli Chicken Tacos topped with a fresh pineapple, mango, and avocado salsa for dinner this Taco Tuesday!
It may be the dead of winter around here, but that doesn’t mean we can’t escape to a tropical paradise, and that’s exactly what we do when we make these spectacular Hawaiian Huli Huli Chicken Tacos.
what is huli hulichicken?
Huli Huli is traditionally a grilled chicken dish over mesquite, that’s basted with a sweet and salty tropical marinade consisting of:
- pineapple juice
- soy sauce
- fresh ginger
The sauce is rounded off with ketchup, chicken broth, brown sugar, and garlic, for immense flavor.
how do I keep this recipe gluten free?
It’s very easy, actually! We’re serving these tacos on corn tortillas instead of flour, and you can utilize your favorite gluten freesoy sauce, or tamari!
what if I don’t have a grill?
More often than not, I whip out my grill pan instead. But you can absolutely make this huli huli chicken in a regular, large skillet as well, you just won’t have the pretty grill marks on it.
I prefer to use a pan that’s a bit higher-sided so I can fit a lid over it when the chicken is cooking, but if you pound out the chicken to a thinner, even size, you can skip the lid, because the chicken will cook very quickly then.
pineapple, mango, and avocado salsa
I would honestly say it’s more like a fresh pico de gallo than a true salsa, but it’s every bit as delicious.
You definitely want to grab a fresh mango and avocado, but you can use canned pineapple if you prefer. I know cutting up a pineapple can be a pain sometimes.
Dice everything up into a uniform size, and mix with cilantro, lime juice, and a pinch of salt.
The flavors really complement and even out the sweet and salty of the hulihulichicken tacos.
You really can’t go wrong with street tacos, and these Hawaiian Huli Huli Chicken Tacos will make a wonderful addition to any taco lineup, and a fun flavor profile for your Taco Tuesday pursuits. Who’s ready to eat?!
eat more tacos
- deconstructed falafel pita tacos
- carne asada tacos
- breakfast tacos
- pulled pork quesadilla tacos
Hawaiian Huli Huli Chicken Tacos
Take a break from the ordinary and serve up these Hawaiian Huli Huli Chicken Tacos topped with a fresh pineapple, mango, and avocado salsa for dinner this Taco Tuesday!
5 from 10 votes
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Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Hawaiian, Mexican
Prep Time: 35 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 411kcal
Author: Karly Gomez
Ingredients
Huli Huli Chicken
- ½ cup pineapple juice
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons ketchup
- 6 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons chicken broth
- 1 ¼ teaspoons fresh ginger minced
- ¾ teaspoon garlic minced
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 24 mini corn tortillas
Pineapple, Mango, Avocado Salsa
- 1 cup pineapple diced
- 1 cup fresh mango diced
- 1 cup avocado diced
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- pinch sea salt
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
In a large bowl, whisk together the pineapple juice, brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, chicken broth, ginger, and garlic. Reserve 1 cup of the marinade in a separate bowl and set aside. Add the chicken to the main bowl and coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
In a large bowl, add the pineapple, mango, avocado, cilantro, and lime juice. Toss gently to combine, then sprinkle with sea salt, cover, and set aside.
Heat a grill pan over medium heat and gently brush with oil or cooking spray. Drain the chicken and discard the marinade, then grill, covered, for 6-8 minutes per side, or until no longer pink and a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest portion reads 165 degrees. Baste occasionally with reserved marinade, then dice the chicken into small pieces.
Divide the chicken and salsa between the tortillas and serve immediately.
Notes
Divide the reserved marinade before basting to avoid contamination, so you can use half to drizzle over finished tacos, if desired.
Nutrition
Calories: 411kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 789mg | Potassium: 928mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 525IU | Vitamin C: 30.1mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 1.8mg
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About Karly
From her childhood home in Southern Minnesota, Karly embraces the crazy of everyday life by creating delicious dishes her family and friends love, while experimenting with new flavors and techniques and photographing the results. Karly’s love for beautiful foods and joy for creating is infectious to all who meet her.
Reader Interactions
Comments
Emily Fritsch says
This is delicious! Do you think I could cook ahead of time and freeze?Reply
Shelley Donahue says
I used chicken tenders instead of breasts which I think allows the chicken so soak up more marinade, cook faster and chops quicker. I wish I had seen the note about dividing the reserve! I’m actually thinking that the next time I might cook it down a little so that it’s more of a drizzle. I used frozen fruit, because I was trying to clear out my freezer. This was fine for the pineapple but not so much the mango but it was still delicious. The tortillas shells didn’t do much for me. All of your pictures look like they had been cooked. I only heated mine in the microwave. I might try that next time or maybe flour. But we loved this!Reply
Shadi Hasanzadenemati says
I love Hawaiian flavors! This chicken taco looks so flavorful and it will be a nice twist on the classic taco Tuesday!Reply
Holly says
Tacos are my love language and these look amazing. I loved this recipe!Reply
