Easy to make and hard not to love, this char siu chicken is a quicker alternative to the classic dish made with pork that marinates overnight.
Since moving to the middle of nowhere in rural New York a few years ago, I’ve taken to creating all the favorite flavors of Asian cuisines at home. There’s literally nowhere for me to go in under an hour of driving to get the real stuff, so it’s become a kind of game for me to try and recreate these flavors in my own kitchen.
I’m not claiming any of the recipes to be authentic, but I’ve been pretty pleased with the outcome of most. Korean sweet potato glass noodles (Japchae), spicy udon noodles and Chinese boneless spare ribs being some of my favorites.
This char siu chicken is the latest in the collection, and while traditional char siu is made with pork and typically a longer marinade time, I’m seriously impressed by how this quicker chicken version hits the mark on appearance and flavor.
If you don’t eat pork for whatever reason or just simply want something a little more accessible for a weeknight dinner, char siu chicken is a great option.
Use Chicken Thighs
In many recipes thighs and breasts are interchangeable when it comes to chicken. Char siu is not one of them. I highly recommend using dark meat in this recipe for its similarity to the traditional pork shoulder used for this dish.
The extra fat in chicken thighs gives a lot more flavor and keeps the final dish juicy in a way you can’t get with white meat. You can also use wings, chicken leg quarters or drumsticks.
Baked Chicken Char Siu Is Easy and Convenient
Many recipes for char siu direct you to grill the meat, but this is an oven baked recipe. While the grill is great and gets those nice caramelized, crispy edges, the oven is more accessible for any time of the year and easier from a convenience standpoint.
There’s a minimum marinade time of one hour in this recipe but you can certainly let the chicken soak up the flavors longer than that. This makes the recipe flexible for preparing before work (if you have time) or directly after work and still get dinner on the table at a reasonable hour. When I choose to prepare everything at the end of the day, I use the marinating time to prepare my sides and let the oven preheat.
What You’ll Need
It’s my goal with recipes like this to make them accessible to most home cooks. You’ll find an approachable ingredient list to make this char siu chicken. So while things like Shaoxing wine and fermented bean curd may be used in a traditional recipe, you don’t have to buy them to make this version.
The marinade, which also becomes the sauce, consists of:
- hoisin sauce
- soy sauce (substitute tamari or coconut aminos if desired)
- oyster sauce
- honey
- brown sugar
- Chinese five-spice powder
- garlic
- *optional* red food coloring (if desired for the traditional bright red color)
For the chicken, you’ll want boneless skinless chicken thighs that are well trimmed of any excess fat. I use kitchen shears to do this which work much better than a knife.
How To Make Char Siu Chicken
- Whisk together all the marinade ingredients in a small bowl until well combined.
- Place the trimmed chicken thighs in a dish and cover with the marinade. Let marinate for at least 1 hour. If more, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Arrange the marinated chicken thighs on the baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway through and brushing with any leftover marinade. The fully cooked chicken should read 165°F on an instant read thermometer. *Broil for the last 2-3 minutes for a caramelized finish and crispy edges.
Serving Suggestions
Once the chicken is out of the oven, I like to garnish it with sesame seeds and chopped green onions then slice the chicken into strips and serve over sticky white rice.
Grilled baby bok choy or bok choy stir fry make a great green side to go with the sticky, sweet and savory sauce.
Char siu gives off barbeque vibes with Asian flair so it also works with more traditional American sides you might serve with BBQ cuisine such as grilled potato wedges and grilled green beans. This creamy cucumber salad is also incredibly refreshing paired with the chicken.
Char Siu Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
For the Marinade
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon red food coloring, (optional for authentic red color)
Instructions
- Whisk together all the marinade ingredients in a small bowl.
- Line a baking tray with foil and lightly oil it.
- Arrange the chicken pieces on the tray and brush on both sides with marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes, flipping halfway and brushing with leftover marinade. Optional: Broil the last 2–3 minutes for a caramelized finish.
- Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve over rice or noodles.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
