Huli Huli Pressure Cooker Chicken

Even though Huli Huli Chicken tastes like it took hours, your Instant Pot does most of the work. In less than an hour, you can have incredibly saucy, fall-apart shredded chicken with the unbeatable sweet-soy-ginger flavor. Pair the chicken with white rice (and a few pineapple chunks with green onions if you really want to impress) and dinner will look like a culinary masterpiece.

This dinner has become a staple in our home. The sauce is so bold that it makes plain rice enjoyable. Also, the chicken shreds easily right in the pot. You won’t need to marinate the chicken, wait for the grill to heat up, or do any other time-consuming tasks. It’s real flavor with minimal fuss.

Ingredients

This is what goes into the dish and the reason why each part is significant:

Chicken

Four boneless skinless chicken breasts should be cut into ½ inch cubes. Breast meat is ideal for this as it shreds nicely and takes in the sauce without being too fatty. If you want to use chicken thighs, those work as well, and they tend to be more forgiving if you overcook by a minute or so. Although, thighs do yield a bit richer result.

Pineapple (canned, in juice)

You must use some of the juice — ⅓ cup — the chunks need to be reserved for garnish. The juice will help tenderize the chicken and will give a nice fruity flavor to the sauce. Please don’t skip this or substitute in just broth. It will not be the same.

Soy sauce

1/2 cup. This is the salt and umami base of the sauce. If you’re concerned about sodium, go for the low sodium soy sauce — just be mindful that the flavor of the sauce will be a bit lighter. Personally, I have done the comparison and the full sodium version offers more depth of flavor.

Brown sugar

½ cup. Yes, that is a lot of sugar — it is supposed to be. Huli huli chicken is a sweet dish, and during the cooking process, the sugar will caramelize, creating a nice glossy finish to the sauce. Don’t cut it unless you want to ruin the dish. If you add less sugar, the sauce will be thinner and taste off.

Tomato paste

3 tablespoons. You won’t taste tomato, but the paste will provide body and a hint of savory depth that balances the soy-pineapple combo. It’s the sort of thing where if it were omitted, you’d notice, even if you couldn’t put your finger on what was absent.

Ginger and garlic

2 teaspoons of fresh grated ginger and 1 tablespoon of minced garlic. Fresh is important here – especially with the ginger. Ginger in a squeeze tube is fine for a pinch, but fresh has a brighter and more aromatic punch. Pre-minced garlic in a jar is completely acceptable.

Broth

1/3 cup of chicken or vegetable broth. This is what you add to the pot with the chicken for the pressure cook cycle — the Instant pot needs liquid to build pressure. Either type works. Chicken broth gives a little more flavor and vegetable broth keeps it neutral.

Garnishes

Green onions and pineapple chunks shouldn’t be missed. They are not merely decorative toppings. Green onion is cool and crunchy and chicken is warm and saucy. That contrast makes every mouthful much better. The same is true for the pineapple chunks.

How to Make Huli Huli Pressure Cooker Chicken

Step 1: Pressure cook the chicken

For this step, add just the chicken cubes and ⅓ cup of broth into the Instant Pot insert. After that, close the lid ensuring the valve is on sealing. Now, set the Instant Pot to cook on manual high pressure for 15 minutes.

When the timer goes off, pay attention to do a quick release by flipping the valve from sealing to venting. Use a folded towel or oven mitt to to vent the steam because hot steam comes out quickly. The pressure will be fully released and the float valve will drop, which means you can open the lid.

Step 2: Make the sauce

Combine the ingredients for the sauce while the chicken is being pressure cooked (or right after, it takes a minute). The sauce ingredients are: pineapple juice, soy sauce, tomato paste, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic. Whisk until combined and the sugar is mostly dissolved. Set aside.

Put the pineapple chunks in a different bowl. These will be saved to use as a garnish at the end.

Step 3: Sauté the sauce into the chicken

Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode. Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken in the pot and stir to coat everything. Allow to cook on sauté mode, stirring every minute, for about 5-7 minutes. The sauce will begin to bubble and thicken to a glossy finish, and coat the chicken.

Add the pepper now and mix it in. Try the sauce; if it is too sweet, then a dash of soy sauce will help balance it.

Step 4: Shred the chicken

After the sauce has thickened, use two forks to pull the chicken apart directly in the pot. The chicken should separate without any resistance because the pressure cooker has made it very tender. If there are any pieces that are being difficult, they will need to be sautéed for another minute.

Once shredded, stir the chicken into the sauce so every piece is covered. Turn off the sauté mode.

Step 5: Serve

Place the shredded chicken over white rice and add green onions and pineapple chunks. If there’s excess sauce, ladle it into a small bowl and pass it at the table. People will want it in different amounts, and it’s better to keep it on the side than to dump it all in.

Helpful Tips

Don’t skip the sauté step

Most common mistake. After pressure cooking, chicken is cooked, but still sitting in watery liquid. Sauté mode is what turns that liquid into a proper sauce. If you pour in the sauce mixture and shred right away, you will have wet, unflavored chicken. Let it reduce for 5-7 minutes.

If the sauce isn’t thickening

Before you add the sauce mixture, you should drain some liquid from the pot. The pressure-cooked chicken releases some moisture, and excessive liquid in the pot will make it more difficult for the sauce to reduce. If you use a ladle to quickly drain some, or if you tilt the pot a little, you will be in good shape.

Want it saucier?

Increase the sauce ingredients to 2x the amount listed in the recipe. Though the given recipe provides an adequate amount for coating the chicken, you can increase the soy sauce, brown sugar, pineapple juice, and tomato paste by 1.5x or 2x for additional sauce to serve with the rice. The leftover sauce reduces nicely to a good thickness.

Quick release caution

When you flip the pressure release valve, always use a towel or oven mitt. The steam is extremely hot and may spatter. This is the one part of the recipe that you need to be careful for. Keep your face and hands away from the vent.

Chicken thighs as a swap

Boneless and skinless chicken thighs may work even better if you’re looking for a richer texture. They are more forgiving if you go a minute or two over pressure. Cook time should still stay the same.

Recommended gear

The 6-quart Instant Pot Duo (recipescc-20) is what I personally use and most recipes are written for and fits 4-6 people! If you’re serving a larger group or want to double recipes frequently, the 8-quart version (recipescc-20) is a good option.

Serving Ideas

White jasmine rice is my go-to because of its classic pairing with the dish. Its starchy, slightly sticky texture holds up to the saucy chicken better than its long-grain counterparts. Here are a few other options that work well:

• Brown rice — nuttier, heartier, holds up fine
• Cauliflower rice — a lower-carb option; the sauce covers it well enough that you won’t miss the regular rice
• Hawaiian rolls — serve the chicken as a slider filling with a little extra sauce and a pineapple slice; great for parties
• Lettuce wraps — large butter lettuce leaves work well if you want something lighter
• Noodles — rice noodles or lo mein noodles tossed in the sauce are a solid variation

Storage, Make-Ahead, and Leftovers

Refrigerator

Keep any remaining chicken and sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 days. The chicken will actually absorb more sauce and flavor which makes day two leftovers even better than day one. To reheat, add a splash of water or broth and loosen the sauce in the microwave or warm it in a skillet over medium-low heat.

Freezer

Once the food is finished, let it cool, then pour it into a freezer zip lock bag or container and put it in the freezer. You can keep it frozen for 3 months. To thaw it, place it in the fridge the night before and reheat it as previously stated. The food actually holds together remarkably well after being frozen. The protective sauce saves the chicken from becoming dry.

Make-ahead

You can pre-make your sauce a day in advance and store it in the fridge until it’s time to start cooking. While the sauce can be made ahead of time, the pressure cooking and sautéing has to be done the same day. If you want, you can cook the entire meal a day in advance and just reheat it when you’re ready to eat. Believe it or not, it really is just as good the next day!

Frequently Asked Questions

What does “huli huli” mean?

In Hawaiian, ‘Huli’ means ‘turn.’ Huli Huli chicken gets its name because it is traditionally cooked on a spit over an open fire, turning frequently. The marinade for Huli Huli chicken consists of a sweet and savory blend of soy sauce, fresh pineapple juice, ginger, and sugar. This recipe for Huli Huli chicken uses a pressure cooker to achieve a similar taste, minus the need for a grill or rotating equipment.

Can I use frozen chicken?

Yes, but some adjustments will be necessary. When cooking from frozen, you will need to increase your pressure cook time by 5–7 minutes. Remember, you cannot cube frozen chicken, so you will be pressure cooking whole frozen breasts. This could take around 20-22 minutes at high pressure. Before shredding, ensure it is fully cooked by checking that it has an internal temperature of 165°F.

Why is my sauce not thickening?

There is probably excess liquid due to the pressure cooking step. Before adding the sauce mixture, try to drain or ladle out some of the cooking liquid that has accumulated. Then, allow the sauce to reduce on sauté for a complete 7-8 minutes instead of stopping it early. The sauce will thicken as the sugars concentrate and the liquid evaporates.

Can I make this without an Instant Pot?

Sure. Any electric pressure cooker that has a sauté or browning option will work for this recipe. If you want to make this in the stovetop, you will have to simmer the chicken in the broth in a covered pan for 20 – 25 minutes. After that, drain most of the liquid, then add your sauce ingredients and allow it to reduce over medium heat until it is thick. This will take a bit longer, but it will work.

Is this recipe spicy?

No – the base recipe doesn’t have any spiciness at all. The 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper is very mild. For some spice, consider adding 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, or you can drizzle some sriracha into the sauce prior to cooking. Just keep in mind that against the sweetness of brown sugar and pineapple, a little goes a long way.

Can I double the recipe?

Yes, provided that you stick to the max fill line on your Instant Pot. For a 6-quart, it’s usually fine to double to 8 chicken breasts and the doubled sauce. The pressure cook time is the same. The sauté time time may increase a few minutes since there’s more liquid to reduce.

Related Recipes

If you enjoyed this, you might want to try:

• Instant Pot Crack Chicken — one of the most-made recipes on this site; creamy, cheesy, and takes about the same amount of time
• Instant Pot Chicken Taco Meat — same basic pressure cook + shred approach but with completely different flavor
• Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken — similar sweet-soy sauce profile if you want something in the same flavor family
• Pineapple Chicken — for when you want the pineapple flavor but not the pressure cooker