Baked Hawaiian BBQ Chicken is easy to toss together at a moment’s notice! This easy baked chicken thighs recipe is powerfully flavorful and perfect any time you’re craving a twist on barbecue. Serve it with your favorite side dishes like rice and roasted veggies for a family favorite for any summer bbq or weeknight dinners.
If you love Hawaiian Barbecue, or if you tried and loved my Asian Baked Boneless Chicken Thighs, this healthy baked Hawaiian BBQ Chicken is for you!
Traditional Hawaiian BBQ Chicken combines soy sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, and sometimes pineapple juice to make a sweet and savory marinade with a slight tropical vibe.
This healthier Hawaiian barbecue chicken recipe is both soy-free and refined sugar-free, swapping out the soy sauce and the brown sugar with one ingredient: coconut aminos.
All we do to prepare this recipe is mix up a few basic ingredients for the marinade, marinate the chicken, then bake it when we’re ready to go.
For the best result, marinate the chicken well in advance (at least 2 hours, but ideally overnight) to ensure the meat gets infused with yummy flavors and also tenderizes. I like setting it up the night before so that I can bake it the next day.
While you can absolutely grill the chicken thighs, I like baking them only because I find it to be faster and easier. But the barbecue char sure does add an extra delicious element to the boneless thighs, so feel free go with grilled chicken instead.
This is one of those versatile easy recipes that can also be prepared in the Instant Pot or crock pot.
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients.
Ingredients for Hawaiian BBQ Chicken:
Chicken: Chicken thighs are my favorite in this application, as they turn out perfectly tender and flavorful. While boneless skinless chicken breasts can be used, I find they are never quite as tender as thighs.
Feel free to use any cut of chicken you enjoy. Just be sure to use 3 to 5 pounds so you have enough marinade, or scale the marinade up as needed.
Coconut Aminos: In order to make soy-free Hawaiian chicken, we use coconut aminos, which has a slight umami flavor, similar to soy sauce. Coconut aminos is also naturally sweet, so it takes the place of sugar in the marinade as well.
If you want to take a more traditional approach to this Hawaiian BBQ chicken recipe, use ½ cup soy sauce or liquid aminos and add ½ cup of water and ⅓ cup of brown sugar.
Ketchup: Unsweetened ketchup combined with the coconut aminos makes for an island BBQ sauce flavor. I use Primal Kitchen Unsweetened Ketchup, but you can use your favorite brand of ketchup.
Garlic: Fresh garlic levels up the flavor profile so that the chicken is loaded with deliciousness. Don’t skimp on the garlic!
Ground Ginger: Ground ginger adds that fresh zing to any recipe. I don’t recommend using fresh ginger as it often changes the texture of animal proteins to turn it a bit mushy.
Sea Salt: A big flavor enhancer here, sea salt helps to tenderize the chicken and also bring out all of the flavors. If you’re using liquid aminos or soy sauce, you won’t need to add more salt as there will already be a decent sodium content.
Optional Additions: For spicy chicken, add 2 tablespoons (or more) of sriracha or your favorite hot sauce. If you love fish sauce and have some on hand, feel free to add 1 to 3 teaspoons, according to your personal taste. A little bit goes a long way in bringing richness to a dish.
You can also incorporate your favorite homemade bbq sauce or store-bought bbq sauce if you’re looking for a smokier flavor.
How to Make Hawaiian BBQ Chicken:
Mix the coconut aminos, ketchup, garlic, ground ginger and sea salt together in a measuring cup or bowl until the marinade is well combined.
Transfer the boneless skinless chicken thighs to a large bowl, tupperware container, or zip lock bag and pour in all of the marinade. Stir everything around until all of the chicken thighs are coated in marinade. Cover with plastic wrap (or seal the container or zip lock) and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes (ideally several hours).
When you’re ready to bake the chicken, preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lightly spray a casserole dish, roasting pan, or rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray and transfer the chicken along with the marinade to the dish, arranging it into a single layer.
Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
Place the oven on the high broil setting and move the chicken to the shelf that is third from the top. Broil for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the chicken reaches your desired level of crisp.
Remove the Hawaiian BBQ chicken from the oven and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Serve Hawaiian BBQ chicken with your favorite side dishes. I love it with steamed white rice or coconut rice, pineapple slices, green onion, and coleslaw.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
More Healthy Chicken Recipes:
- Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Lemon Garlic Baked Chicken Breasts
- Baked Blackened Chicken Thighs
- Easy Honey Garlic Chicken
- One-Pot Creamy Chicken and Potatoes
Take a little Hawaiian vacation with this finger lickin’ good chicken!
Baked Hawaiian BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 to 5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs 8 thighs
- ¾ cup coconut aminos*
- 2/3 cup unsweetened ketchup
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Mix the coconut aminos, ketchup, garlic, ground ginger and sea salt together in a measuring cup or bowl until the marinade is well combined.
- Transfer the boneless skinless chicken thighs to a large bowl, tupperware container, or zip lock bag and pour in all of the marinade. Stir everything around until all of the chicken thighs are coated in marinade. Cover with plastic wrap (or seal the container or zip lock) and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes (ideally several hours).
- When you’re ready to bake the chicken, preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Lightly spray a casserole dish, roasting pan, or rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray and transfer the chicken along with the marinade to the dish, arranging it into a single layer.
- Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven to baste it with the sauce/juices. Place the oven on the high broil setting and move the chicken to the shelf that is third from the top. Broil for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the chicken reaches your desired level of crisp.
- Remove the Hawaiian BBQ chicken from the oven and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
- Serve Hawaiian BBQ chicken with your favorite side dishes. I love it with steamed white rice or coconut rice, pineapple slices, green onion, and coleslaw.
Notes
Nutrition
