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Hawaiian BBQ Chicken

Hawaiian BBQ chicken with a pineapple-soy glaze is marinated, then grilled until caramelized and smoky. Bone-in chicken thighs get basting glaze in the final minutes, with sweet grilled pineapple rings on the side.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
marinating 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Hawaiian-American
Calories: 610
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken thighs
  • 4 bone-in chicken thighs
Pineapple-soy BBQ glaze
  • 0.5 cup pineapple juice
  • 0.25 cup soy sauce
  • 0.25 cup ketchup
  • 3 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 4 garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp ginger, grated
Grilled pineapple and garnish
  • 4 pineapple rings for grilling
  • 0.25 green onions and sesame seeds for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 grill

Method
 

Make the pineapple-soy glaze
  1. Whisk pineapple juice, soy sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger in a bowl until smooth; reserve 1/3 for basting glaze later.
  2. Set the reserved 1/3 glaze aside for the basting step during grilling.
Marinate
  1. Add chicken thighs to the marinade and coat well, then refrigerate to marinate at least 1 hour or overnight (keep covered and don’t reuse raw marinade).
Grill the chicken
  1. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat, then grill chicken thighs for 8-10 minutes per side until browned.
  2. In the last 6 minutes of grilling, baste the chicken with the reserved 1/3 glaze, letting it caramelize and glisten before the final turn.
Grill the pineapple rings
  1. Place pineapple rings on the grill and cook 2-3 minutes per side until caramelized with visible grill marks.
Serve
  1. Serve the caramelized BBQ chicken with the grilled pineapple rings, then top with green onions and sesame seeds for garnish.

Notes

For the best caramelization, keep basting to the final 6 minutes so the sugar in the glaze doesn’t burn. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container up to 3 days; freeze chicken and pineapple together up to 2 months (garnish after thawing). For a lower-sugar option, reduce brown sugar to 2 tbsp and use no-sugar-added ketchup while keeping all other amounts the same.