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Char Siu Chicken - crazy delicious oven-roasted chicken with sweet, sticky and savory Chinese Char Siu marinade. This chicken is finger licking good, a must try recipe!
If you love Chinese or Cantonese food, I am sure you love Char Siu, or barbeque pork belly with a savory, sweet and sticky marinade. Char Siu is a Chinatown staple and it’s one of the most mouthwatering ways to roast meat.
However, many people can’t enjoy Char Siu as it’s always made with pork.
This Chicken Char Siu recipe is marinated with the Char Siu Sauce and roasted in the oven. This is probably one of the most flavorful and delicious chicken recipes I have made.
Imagine sticky sweet and savory meat with charred and crispy skin, with the drippings…it’s perfect 10 and absolutely mouthwatering!
For the best flavors and texture, I recommend chicken thighs. Use bone-in chicken thighs with skin, and follow my method and check out my video on how to debone chicken thighs.
The best part of this recipe is the skin, so you will want the chicken skin attached. However, you can always use boneless and skinless chicken thighs, legs or wings. I don’t recommend chicken breasts as they will be dry and tough.
Remember to save the drippings from the Char Siu Chicken. It’s absolutely delicious and amazing on steamed rice. Slice the chicken into pieces like my pictures, serve on top of steamed rice.
Add the dripping over the chicken and rice and you will have the most delicious dinner, I promise!
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is only 454 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Char Siu Chicken
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Other Recipes You Might Like
Char Siu Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb (500g) bone-in chicken thighs
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Char Siu Sauce:
- 2 pieces Chinese fermented red bean curd, optional
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine , or rice wine
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon five-spice powder
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper powder
- 3 1/2 oz (100g) sugar
Instructions
- Debone the chicken thighs, keeping the skin on. Click here to learn how.
- In a bowl, mix all the Char Siu sauce ingredients together and stir until well combined. Add the garlic and chicken, then pour in the Char Siu sauce. Stir to coat the chicken thoroughly. (You can use half of the Char Siu sauce to marinate the chicken and save the other half for later.)
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Place the chicken on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast for 20 minutes, or until the skin is nicely charred. Slice the chicken into pieces and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Save the drippings and serve immediately with steamed rice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
From the recipe, u are using 8.5 tbsp sugar, wouldnt that be too much? Just want to confirm before try out thd recipe
Hi Kathy, it’s not, this char siu recipe is supposed to be sweet, but you can certainly cut down the sugar. The char siu sauce is quite a lot and you can just use half of it.
Marinade for how long?
There is no need to marinate, after coating, you can bake. You can marinate for 15 minutes if you want to.
Could I use boneless skinless chicken breast instead of chicken thighs ? I’m really don’t like dark meat chicken ?.
Yes you can.
Can fish sauce replace oyster sauce?
Yes, but it might be too fishy for this recipe. Just use lesser and taste the marinade.
Thanks for another great and easy recipe. I had never had any talent in cooking Chinese food until I found your site.
I have tried to make a lot of your recipes and they all came out great.I love Chinese food and now I can make some of it myself.
Again, thank you.
Andree
Char Siu Chicken looks fabulous? What is the optional last ingredient that can replace sugar? Maltose? Honey? Thank you!
Nancy, it’s fermented red tofu, this will give a special pungent aroma to the chicken. You can skip it.
Hi Nancy, what is the last ingredient you mention in this Char Siu Chicken recipe? It indicates 3-1/2 oz (100 grams) sugar or 8-1/2 oz of ???? The substitute sweetening ingredient for granulated white sugar is missing. Can you please advise? Thank you!!
Sorry it was a type. It means total of 8 1/2 tablespoons of sugar.
What is the red bean curd? And in what section of the Asian store should I look for it? This looks wonderful. I am definitely going to make it, after I round up all the ingredients. I know my husband will like this! You have the most interesting things you make. I am going to make the green curry chicken too. WHat is the difference between. Green, red, and yellow curry paste? And the red chiles are they a certain kind? I do find it a bit daunting when some of the recipes have so many ingredients that are not common in my kitchen. Thanks for keeping it interesting!
Hi Terry, red bean curds are fermented bean curds that adds a pungent aroma and flavor to this recipe. It looks like this: http://www.khiewchanta.com/images/red-bean-curd.jpg. The Thai curries are similar in taste except the ingredients used to make the curry paste.
Thank you for listing the calories for this dish. I am watching my calories, and it’s good to know how much I’m consuming. Looking forward to trying this recipe! Looks tasty!!
Hi Barbie, thanks. You will love this char siu chicken.
Hi Bee, I’ve been following you for a while now, and notice subtle difference in your home page. Am I correct or are my new glasses fooling me?
Hi Darryl, I haven’t changed my design for a while. When was the last time you visited the homepage?
Are you using boneless thighs? The recipe states bone-in.
Yes, bone in and deboned. I explained it in the post.