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Why Make Chicken Char Siu?
Roast Pork Char Siu goes way back for me, when I learned how to make it (and treats like Roast Pork with Garlic Bread) from my father, a chef cooking in upstate New York. But after working on the blog and fielding questions from so many folks around the world for all these years—whenever I’m digging into pork char siu, I often think about the people who are missing out on that great char siu flavor because they don’t eat pork. With this recipe, you don’t have to make any compromises. Using chicken is not only an easy substitute, it’s also pretty delicious in its own right!
What Cut of Chicken to Use
Dark meat chicken gives a similar sticky and delicious effect as pork shoulder or boneless pork butt. This recipe calls for chicken thighs, but you can also use drumsticks, leg quarters, or wings even. If you’d like to use chicken breast, we recommend skin-on, split chicken breasts. You’ll want to check the internal temperature to avoid overcooking the white meat. For breast meat, it should be 160°F/71°C—it will come up to 165°F (74°C) with residual heat after you take it out of the oven.
Baked Char Siu Chicken: A Make Ahead Meal
An oven-roasted char siu chicken recipe is a long overdue item on my to-cook list. While Sarah has already posted a grilled chicken char siu recipe, some days it may be too cold or rainy for the BBQ grill. While I know there are diehard “any weather” grillers out there, sometimes it’s just more comfortable and convenient to turn on the oven. Char siu chicken is a perfect weeknight meal that you can prepare and marinate the night before. When you come home from work, roast the chicken, prepare a veggie, hit the button on the rice cooker, and dinner is served! There’s something about that combination of five spice and hoisin in the marinade that permeates the entire kitchen and is simply irresistible! Pack the leftovers for lunch, and enjoy it again the next day.
Recipe Instructions
Trim the excess fat from the chicken thighs and discard. Combine the dark brown sugar, salt, five spice powder, white pepper, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and red food coloring (if using) in a bowl to make the marinade (i.e. the BBQ sauce). Rub the chicken with the marinade in a large bowl or baking dish. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 8 hours. About 2½ hours before you’d like to eat, take the chicken out of the refrigerator to come up to room temperature for even cooking. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and set a rack in the center of the oven. Line a sheet pan with heavy duty foil for easy clean-up, and place a sheet of parchment paper or non-stick foil on top. Evenly space the marinated chicken thighs on the sheet – they should not be touching each other. Reserve any remaining marinade. Transfer the chicken to your preheated oven, and roast for 30 minutes. Check on it every 15 minutes. If the chicken is starting to scorch or burn, tent it with aluminum foil and/or lower the oven temperature. While the chicken bakes, make your basting sauce. Pour the excess marinade into a small saucepan with the water. Heat the mixture to a simmer. Add the maltose (microwave the maltose for 15 seconds at a time until softened). Mix until the maltose melts into the marinade and turn off the heat. After 30 minutes, use a brush to baste the chicken with the cooked marinade. Continue roasting for another 5-10 minutes, and check the internal temperature of the chicken using an instant read thermometer. It’s done when it reaches 165°F (74°C) and/or when the juices run clear when the meat is pierced to the bone. Optionally, give the chicken one last basting and another minute in the oven for that extra char siu crust. Serve with white rice and a garlicky bok choy, yu choy, or basic stir fried bok choy. Enjoy!
