Air Fryer Huli Huli Chicken Skewers

Our tender, juicy Air Fryer Huli Huli Chicken skewers are made with a sticky sweet sauce that’s PACKED with tangy, sweet, umami, and savory flavors. This easy chicken has it all!

This savory Hawaiian dish gets its name from the expression “Huli Huli”, which means “turn, turn” or “turn over and over.” A popular dish at Hawaiian food trucks, roadside stands, and restaurants, authentic Hawaiian Huli Huli Chicken is traditionally cooked on a rotisserie over a fire pit or charcoal grill, turning the chicken throughout the cooking process, brushing more sweet, tangy sauce on as you go.

Our air fryer Huli Huli chicken recipe is a simplified twist on the classic, made for those without a grill or rotisserie set-up (and moms who need easy dinner ideas!). Even though we’re skipping the grill or rotisserie, you end up with flavorful, juicy chicken, brushed in a delicious sauce that’ll keep you coming back for more.

This tasty meal is easy to make, kid-friendly (my kids ate every single morsel!), and can even be prepped in advance for a busy night. But best of all? This easy dinner starts with simple ingredients…

Gather Your Ingredients

One reason this huli huli chicken is always a huge hit is the sauce, which adds bold flavor to the chicken as a marinade, and again when brushed over the chicken as it cooks. Let’s take a look at what you’ll need:

• Chicken. You can use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, boneless skinless chicken thighs, or chicken tenders here, so long as you cut it into evenly sized cubes. Chicken thighs will be more moist, but dark meat tends to have a stronger flavor and may take an extra minute or two to cook.
• Pineapple Juice. We start with a pineapple juice base that adds a bright, tangy flavor to the sauce. While I know it’s delicious, fresh pineapple juice will overly tenderize the chicken and can negatively impact the texture. Use something shelf-stable, like bottled or canned pineapple juice, for best results. 
• Ketchup. Tangy ketchup for the win! Ketchup thickens this sauce and adds some sweetness and acidity.
• Brown Sugar. I know you may want to reduce the sugar, but…don’t. It makes up part of the liquid ingredients and adds to the signature sweetness and delicious flavor of the huli huli sauce! If you must, you can use half honey and half brown sugar.
• Gluten-Free Tamari. I highly recommend using low-sodium gluten-free tamari to moderate the salt content in this dish. If you’re not gluten-free, you can use low-sodium soy sauce instead. If you don’t tolerate soy, you can use coconut aminos here.
• Garlic & Ginger. Fresh garlic cloves and fresh ginger add such a vibrant note of flavor! Don’t use garlic powder or powdered ginger here since it will impact the flavor. (If the prep bothers you, you CAN use frozen cubes of garlic and ginger to save time!)
• Some Wooden Skewers! You can’t make skewers without something to skewer them on!

How To Make Air Fryer Huli Huli Chicken Skewers, Step By Step

As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.

1. Soak The Skewers. Before starting, soak the skewers in a bowl or shallow dish of water for at least 10-15 minutes (up to 2 hours). This will prevent them from smoking or burning when cooked.
2. Prep The Chicken. If you haven’t already, cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces. Place chicken cubes into a shallow dish or container that has a lid so you can use it for marinating. (A large ziploc bag also works!)
3. Make The Sauce. In a medium bowl or large liquid measuring cup, combine 3/4 cup pineapple juice, 1/2 cup ketchup, 1/2 cup tamari, 1/2 cup brown sugar, the garlic, and the ginger. Whisk until well blended.
4. Divide The Sauce. Set aside 1 cup of sauce for marinating, 3/4 cup for basting, and the rest for serving.
5. Marinate Chicken. Pour 1 cup of the sauce over chicken, cover, and refrigerate. Marinate chicken at least 2-3 hours, up to overnight. (Keep the reserved basting and serving sauce in two separate containers in the fridge to avoid cross contamination!)
6. Skewer The Chicken. When you’re ready to cook, thread the marinated chicken onto the skewers, leaving yourself a 1-2 inch “handle” at the end that you can use for turning or holding. Aim to pack the chicken pieces closely together without smashing them right up against each other. Discard the leftover marinade.

7. Baste. Brush the chicken skewers generously with about 1/3 of the reserved sauce. (You’ll still have plenty left!)
8. Air-Fry. Line your air fryer basket with a parchment liner for easy clean-up. Working in batches so there’s room for hot air to circulate around each skewer, cook the skewers at 350 degrees for about 12-15 minutes, pausing to flip the skewers and brush with another 1/3 of the basting sauce onto the them halfway through cooking. Repeat until all the chicken has been cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Brush the remaining basting sauce on the chicken one more time and then turn up the heat to 400 degrees and cook an additional 2-3 minutes to caramelize the sauce. 
9. Serve & Store. Enjoy warm with a little extra sauce for drizzling or dipping. Store leftover chicken in the fridge in an airtight container 3-4 days.

Make It A Meal! (Serving Suggestions)

So, what do you serve with Huli Huli Chicken? We like to add a few great side dishes to turn this Hawaiian chicken into a complete meal. Here are some of our favorites: 

• Rice. Some fluffy white jasmine rice or coconut rice is a delicious way to soak up any leftover sauce.
• Macaroni Salad or Potato Salad! Some Hawaiian Macaroni salad would be delicious here! Or, go for a classic potato salad.
• Pineapple Slaw. If macaroni salad or potato salad aren’t sounding great, try our coconut pineapple slaw! It’s cool, creamy, and refreshing–a great pairing with the warm, savory chicken.
• Fresh Fruit! Some fresh, sweet pineapple or watermelon in the summer is delicious.
• Maybe a Fun Drink.
• A Green Veggie. Not traditional, but if you’re looking to fit in a veggie with your meal, we love these seasoned green beans or this Thai cucumber salad!