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A bowl of huli huli chicken skewers with rice, coleslaw, and fresh pineapple

Air Fryer Huli Huli Chicken Skewers

5 from 2 votes
Emily Dixon, One Lovely Life
Our air fryer Huli Huli Chicken Skewers recipe simplifies prep but keeps the famous sticky-sweet sauce you crave! (Bonus: it's gluten-free!)
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Marinate Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
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Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 283kcal

Ingredients

For The Huli-Huli Sauce:

  • 3/4 cup canned pineapple juice*
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 cup gluten-free tamari*
  • 1/2 cup 100 grams light brown sugar
  • 2 cloves garlic finely minced
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger NOT dried!*

Other Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast or chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes*
  • 6- inch wooden skewers

Instructions

  • 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.
  • Prep The Chicken. If you haven't already, cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes. Place chicken cubes into a shallow dish or container that has a lid so you can use it for marinating.
  • 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.
  • Divide The Sauce. Set aside 1 cup of sauce for marinating, 3/4 cup for basting, and the rest for serving.
  • 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!)
  • Skewer The Chicken. When you're ready to cook, thread the 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 remaining marinade.
  • Baste. Brush the chicken skewers generously with about 1/3 of the basting sauce. (You'll still have plenty left!)
  • Air-Fry. Line the basket with a parchment paper liner. Working in batches so there's room for 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. 
  • Serve & Store. Serve chicken with extra sauce, white rice, pineapple, coleslaw, or macaroni salad. Store leftover chicken in the fridge in an airtight container 3-4 days.

Notes

  • Pineapple Juice. Fresh pineapple juice will overly tenderize the chicken and can impact the texture. Use something shelf-stable, like bottled or canned pineapple juice.
  • Chicken. You can use boneless, skinless chicken breast, chicken thighs, or chicken tenders here, so long as you cut it into evenly sized cubes. Chicken thighs will be more moist, but have a stronger flavor and may take an extra minute or two to cook.
  • Tamari. We recommend using low-sodium gluten-free tamari to moderate the salt content. 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.
  • Don't Crowd The Fryer! The key to getting good air circulation (which = crispier chicken & more caramelized sauce!) is not overcrowding the air fryer. Put the skewers into the fryer in a single layer and leave room in between the skewers to allow the air to flow freely in between them.
  • A Tip For Clean-Up. If the bottom of your air fryer has some charred sauce stuck on it, don't panic! Some super hot water will dissolve the sugar and it should clean up really quickly. I like to pour SUPER hot water on the air fryer basket insert, let it sit for 3-5 minutes (or while we eat dinner), then it cleans up like a dream!

Video

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: air fryer huli huli chicken, huli huli chicken, huli huli chicken skewers

Nutrition

Serving: 3Skewers (1/6th recipe) | Calories: 283kcal | Carbohydrates: 22.8g | Protein: 36.2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 0.9g | Cholesterol: 110.3mg | Sodium: 942.8mg | Potassium: 564.1mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 19.7g | Vitamin C: 10.1mg | Calcium: 24.3mg

Nutrition facts are an estimate only and will vary based on brands and amounts used.

Find it Online:

https://www.onelovelylife.com/huli-huli-chicken-skewers/