I’m still in love with the food we had in Hawaii, so from time to time, I try to recreate that trip on our dinner table. I came upon this recipe in July Taste of Home (a magazine in which I rarely find something I want to make in!) and really enjoyed it – simple to make and delicious to eat. Here’s my adaptation.

Huli Huli Chicken Breasts

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/3 cup organic ketchup

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup cooking sherry (substitute chicken broth if you don’t have any)

1 tsp minced fresh ginger

3/4 tsp minced garlic

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Mix the marinade in a bowl, then reserve 1/2 cup for basting or serving. Place chicken breasts in ziploc bag and pour the marinade over them. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Grill the chicken, basting with the reserved sauce, or heat the reserved sauce and serve it as a sauce with the chicken. This is great with rice. The leftover chicken is delicious in salads or on sandwiches. I make a double batch and we eat the leftovers for lunch all week.

I’m still in love with the food we had in Hawaii, so from time to time, I try to recreate that trip on our dinner table. I came upon this recipe in July Taste of Home (a magazine in which I rarely find something I want to make in!) and really enjoyed it – simple … Read more →

We went to Hawaii in the summer of ’08 and it was one of the most magnificent trips ever. We loved it there. The scenery, the climate, the people, the beaches – and of course the food. I think I ate fish every single night and we had shave ice many times. One of my favorite Hawaiian flavors is passion fruit. I can’t seem to find passion fruit juice or extract around here, so I’m left to improvise with other Hawaiian favorites.

Recently, I was in the mood for something from the islands, but we had had fish a lot so it was time to shift gears. I had chicken breasts and mangoes. I made a quick dash to the store and bought some fresh pineapple too.

I dug out some of the recipes I have from Sam Choy and adapted his Sweet and Sour Chicken Breasts with Tropical Fruits into a recipe I’m calling Hawaiian Chicken.
Marinate the chicken breasts in the following mixture:
1/2 cup tamari sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1 1/2 tbsp water
1 1/2 tsp brown sugar

I marinated mine for a couple of hours, but do it for at least half an hour. While that is marinating, cut up one mango and dice about a cup of fresh pineapple.

To cook, I melted a little butter in the pan, added the chicken breasts and about half the marinade and cooked over medium high heat. I let the marinade cook down a bit then covered it to cook the breasts all the way through. I did add some chicken broth (between 1/4 and 1/2 cup) as I went along when I felt the sauce was getting too dark or too thick. When they are close to done, add the fruit and 1/4 cup bottled sweet and sour sauce and salt and pepper. Cook until the fruit softens and the sauce is thick – about 3 minutes.

We went to Hawaii in the summer of ’08 and it was one of the most magnificent trips ever. We loved it there. The scenery, the climate, the people, the beaches – and of course the food. I think I ate fish every single night and we had shave ice many times. One of my … Read more →