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This baked hoisin chicken is a quick and easy dish anyone can make at home. Moist, juicy, and delicious, it is marinated in a flavorful blend of hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil before being roasted in the oven.
Delicious Chicken In Hoisin Sauce
Hoisin sauce is one of my favorite sauces in my kitchen pantry. When it comes to Chinese recipes, there are three sauces that are staples: soy sauce, oyster sauce, and hoisin sauce.
While I like the savory notes of the first two, hoisin sauce brings a completely new flavor profile to a dish. It’s savory, sweet, and rich at the same time.
I really love how adding a little bit of hoisin sauce provides a lot of depth to the overall taste of any dish like this Hoisin Shrimp with Broccoli and Hoisin Sriracha Chicken. That’s why I combined the juicy goodness of chicken drumsticks with the delicious flavor of hoisin sauce in one recipe.
This glazed hoisin chicken recipe is something you can prepare and eat at any time of day. It just takes a little over 30 minutes and an oven!
Why You’ll Love Roasted Hoisin Chicken
- Easy to make. It only takes a few minutes to prep the marinade. Once that’s done, simply pop the chicken in the oven and let it bake.
- Healthy. Unlike fried chicken, this baked hoisin chicken is a healthier option as it uses less oil and still retains its juicy, tender texture.
- Flavorful marinade. The combination of hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil creates a deliciously sweet and savory flavor that will make you want to lick your plate clean.
Looking for more healthy Asian chicken recipes? Try making Ginger Garlic Baked Chicken and Honey Lemongrass Baked Chicken.
Ingredients
- Chicken drumsticks – I use drumsticks because they are juicier and more flavorful than other cuts. You can also use boneless chicken thighs for this recipe, which will take less time to cook.
- Hoisin sauce – to be used for the marinade. It gives a unique sweet and savory flavor to the chicken. You can find it at most grocery stores or any Asian store.
- Soy sauce – balances out the sweetness of the hoisin sauce with its salty taste.
- Sesame oil – adds a nutty flavor and aroma to the marinade.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make Hoisin Chicken Drumsticks
Previously, I shared my Hoisin Chicken Recipe which uses chicken breast and vegetables like broccoli, carrots, and mushrooms. It’s a stir-fry dish that you can serve with rice or noodles for lunch or dinner.
This baked chicken with hoisin sauce is a different yet equally delicious meal that highlights the bold flavors of hoisin sauce. Perfect when you don’t have a lot of time to cook! And you can easily make a big batch and store it for later.
Here’s how to cook hoisin sauce chicken in the oven:
Step 1: Preheat oven to 400°F (207°C). Combine the chicken with hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and pepper.
Step 2: Transfer the chicken to a baking tray lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
Step 3: Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the inside of the chicken is thoroughly cooked and no longer pink. Broil for 1-2 minutes to get a nice charred surface.
Step 4: Remove from oven and serve immediately.
Helpful Tips for Home Cooks
- I recommend marinating the chicken in the marinade for at least 30 minutes to allow all the flavors to seep into the meat before putting it in the oven.
- You can use other chicken parts for this recipe like thighs, breasts, or wings depending on what’s available. Just be mindful of the cooking time!
- Don’t throw away the remaining hoisin chicken marinade because you can simmer it to serve as an additional glaze for the dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hoisin sauce has a salty, tangy, and slightly sweet flavor. It is often used in Chinese cooking as a dipping sauce and glaze for meats.
These two sauces have similar flavor profiles, but hoisin sauce has a stronger umami flavor and a thicker consistency than teriyaki sauce.
Both are made with fermented soybeans. But hoisin sauce has garlic, molasses, vinegar, and Chinese five spice in it, making it thicker and more complex compared to soy sauce.
Hoisin sauce has a very mild level of heat. You can make it spicier by adding sriracha, gochujang, pepper, and chili paste/powder/flakes.
It’s not the best substitute as hoisin sauce has a distinct flavor profile. But in a pinch, you can a mixture of soy sauce, brown sugar, barbecue sauce, and Chinese five spice as a substitute for hoisin sauce.
Hoisin sauce can be used as a dipping sauce for wontons and other dumplings, sauce for noodles and stir-fries, and glaze for meats (just like in this recipe).
This roasted hoisin chicken recipe has only 351 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Baked Hoisin Chicken
Serve hoisin chicken with a bowl of steamed rice and garlic bok choy, parmesan broccoli, or Napa cabbage stir fry for a hearty meal.
For an easy and wholesome meal, I recommend the following recipes.
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Other Recipes With Hoisin Sauce
Baked Hoisin Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs (750g) chicken drumsticks
- 2 tbsp Hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 heavy dashes ground white pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (207°C). Combine the chicken with hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and pepper.
- Transfer the chicken to a baking tray lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the inside of the chicken is thoroughly cooked and no longer pink. Broil for 1-2 minutes to get a nice charred surface.
- Remove from oven and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- I recommend marinating the chicken in the marinade for at least 30 minutes to allow all the flavors to seep into the meat before putting it in the oven.
- You can use other chicken parts for this recipe like thighs, breasts, or wings depending on what’s available. Just be mindful of the cooking time!
- Don’t throw away the remaining hoisin chicken marinade because you can simmer it to serve as an additional glaze for the dish.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Great recipe! My whole family lives it, and they are not big fans of chicken legs.
How long should I marinate these drumsticks for before baking? So excited
It is so delicious. Thank for sharing. I love chicken, especially baked chicken. I’m going to try it now
Thanks Steve!
I’m about to try your recipe and I have a quick question. Do I have to boil the chicken before I bake? I want a melt off the bone type of chicken thank you in advanced.
No need
This is fabulous. I just made this. Even now while i’m writing this, i am eating the chicken. This one is a keeper. Thanks Bee.
Do you broil on high or low setting? After baking chicken at 400F, would you take out the chicken, then preheat the oven to broil and return it back to the oven for broiling? Is that the best way? Thanks for sharing your recipes. I have both of your books and love them! Keep them coming!
Hi Diana, thanks for your support. :) I am not sure about your oven setting, but mine can be set to Broil setting immediately after baking at 400F so I don’t take the chicken out. I always sit in front of the oven and watch the broiling closely so I don’t burn the skin. As soon as the skin is slightly charred, I turn off the oven and remove the food from the oven.
Thanks. I’ll give that a try. I also have an option of a high and low setting in broil. Any recommendations? Sorry for the multiple questions.
Made this tonight for dinner. Amazing. So easy and quick. My kids LOVED this. I used four pounds of thighs and expected leftovers for lunches this week … but it was all gone. I put the rice in the rice cooker after work, went to soccer practice. got home threw the chicken together and we were at the table 40 minutes later with little effort on my part.
Thank you.
Hi Mark – thanks for trying my recipe, yes baked hoisin chicken is so easy to make, next try try in a garlic bok choy and you have a wonderful meal. :)
Hi,this recipe make me hungry…can i know what type of soy sauce u use?is it the light salty one, dark salty or sweet one?tq in advance!!
Light soy sauce. :)
Wow! This baked hoisin chicken sounds DELICIOUS! If I opt to use chicken breasts instead, will the cooking temperature or duration change? Should I also double the quantity of sauces & oil?
THANK YOU in advance for your help.
Depending on how big your chicken breast is just check for doneness at 30 minutes mark. The sauce depends on the weight of the chicken, if you have 3 lbs then you can double.
Hello! I love hoisin sauce and would love to make this. But I have chicken breasts in the freezer. Do you think it will work with chicken breast or will it be too dry? Thanks!
Yes it will work.