Char Siu Chicken
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Andrea Nguyen’s savory-sweet char siu chicken is easy to make and hard to resist.
Photo by Aubrie Pick © 2019
This easy char siu chicken recipe comes from Vietnamese Food Any Day: Simple Recipes for True, Fresh Flavors by Andrea Nguyen. Nguyen writes, “Savory-sweet and garlicky Chinese barbecued pork, called char siu in Cantonese and xá xíu in Vietnamese, is hard to resist. Since the classic porky version requires a good hour (better yet, overnight) to marinate, my weeknight approach is to make it with chicken thighs and grill it for a wonderful old-school flavor…Enjoy char siu chicken for dinner with rice and a vegetable or salad. Use leftovers (or make a double batch) for banh mi, a noodle soup, or fried rice.” My only tweak to the recipe was to increase the quantities and double the sauce because it’s that good.
What You’ll Need To Make Char Siu Chicken
The nice thing about this recipe is that very little prep is required; most of the ingredients come out of bottles and jars. The most time-consuming part of the recipe is trimming the chicken thighs (I find it easiest to use sharp kitchen shears). If you don’t want to use dark meat, go ahead and use chicken tenderloins. Just keep in mind that they’ll cook in half the time and you’ll need slightly less since they don’t need to be trimmed.
Step-by-Step Instructions For Char Siu Chicken
In a large bowl, stir together the garlic, five-spice powder, honey, hoisin, soy sauce, ketchup, and sesame oil.
Remove about half the marinade and set aside for glazing the chicken. Add the chicken to the bowl, coating the pieces well. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes, or refrigerate up to 24 hours (return to room temperature before cooking).
Lightly oil a cast-iron stove-top grill pan and set over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 6 to 10 minutes, turning several times. To test for doneness, pierce the flesh with the tip of a knife; the chicken is cooked when clear juices flow out. During the last 2 minutes, when the chicken feels firmish, baste with the reserved marinade to freshen flavor and add sheen.
Alternatively, prepare a medium charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill to medium and cook the chicken for 10 to 12 minutes, basting during the last 3 minutes. Transfer to a platter and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
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Char Siu Chicken
Andrea Nguyen’s savory-sweet char siu chicken is easy to make and hard to resist.
Ingredients
- 2.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (see note if you prefer white meat)
- 2 large garlic cloves, put through a press or minced and mashed
- ½ teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
- ¼ cup honey, preferably amber colored
- Brimming ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- Scant 4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- Pat the chicken thighs with paper towels to remove excess moisture, then trim and discard any big fat pads. If the thighs are large or super-uneven in thickness, butterfly each one. Lay the thigh, smooth-side down, on your cutting board. Wielding your knife horizontally, slash the big mound of flesh to create a flap of meat, stopping just shy of cutting all the way through. Fold back the meat flap that you just created. The thigh should now be about 50 percent longer and relatively even in thickness. If the result seems awkwardly large, cut it crosswise into two smaller, square-ish pieces. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together the garlic, five-spice powder, honey, hoisin, soy sauce, ketchup, and sesame oil. Remove about half the marinade and set aside for glazing the chicken. Add the chicken to the bowl, coating the pieces well. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes, or refrigerate up to 24 hours (return to room temperature before cooking).
- Lightly oil a cast-iron stove-top grill pan and set over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 6 to 10 minutes, turning several times. To test for doneness, pierce the flesh with the tip of a knife; the chicken is cooked when clear juices flow out. During the last 2 minutes, when the chicken feels firmish, baste with the reserved marinade to freshen flavor and add sheen. (Alternatively, prepare a medium charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill to medium and cook the chicken for 10 to 12 minutes, basting during the last 3 minutes.) Transfer to a platter and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
- Note: If you'd prefer to use white meat, use 2 pounds of chicken tenderloins. (The reason you'll need slightly less is because they don't need to be trimmed.) Keep in mind that they'll cook in about half the time.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 334
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 19 g
- Sugar: 16 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 38 g
- Sodium: 844 mg
- Cholesterol: 178 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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So flavorful! With the exception of adding 1/2 tsp. of white pepper to the marinade, I made this as written.
I cut the chicken thighs into long strips before marinating overnight, and then threaded them onto skewers before taking them outside to grill. This recipe definitely makes it into the ‘grilling files’. Thanks as always Jenn, and with a tip o’ the hat to Andrea Nguyen.
My husband and I made Char Siu Chicken on the barbecue grill outdoors this evening and it was delicious! We also made the recommended sides, Jasmine Rice and Thai Cucumber Salad with Peanuts. Everything was fantastic and a great combination.
We will definitely make it again – very often! Cooking at home with Jenn’s recipes are better than dining out.
I used boneless thighs and grilled excellent flavors marinated for about 8 hours Every recipe I make from your site turns out great. Thanks
I love this recipe! The marinade is so flavorful. I just pounded the chicken thighs – it worked perfectly. I’m making more of the marinade tonight because we are having Bahn mi sandwiches with the leftover chicken. I made the Thai cucumber salad so I will add some of the cucumber and onion to the sandwich along with lettuce, mint, cilantro and basil. And of course the marinade. I can’t wait! Thank you Jen – you’re an amazing chef!
Loved, loved, loved this. I have always wanted to be able to make this, I paired it with the rice. It was so easy. I used the outdoor grill and I will definitely will be making this again.
Hi Jenn,
This looks wonderful and I would like to try, but I have never cooked using a cast-iron stove-top grill pan or any cast-iron pan for that matter. Do you have any recommendations? FYI, I am making your coconut cream pie right now and made your baked ziti earlier in the week! Yum on both.
Thank you for your wonderful recipes and tips!
Hi Alison, I love this cast iron skillet and this cast iron grill pan. Hope that helps and that you enjoy the chicken if you make it!
Can’t wait to try. Would you mind linking your grill pan?
Hi Chad, that picture is from the cookbook that the recipe came from but I see that it’s a Staub pan. This is the grill pan I have. Hope you enjoy the chicken!
Super easy! Super delicious!! Did not have 5-spice powder so subbed in Simply Baharat Seasoning. Also grilled on gas grill. Otherwise followed recipe as written!! Cannot wait to impress company with same dish!!
This is a wonderful recipe my family loves! However, my son just decided to become a pescatarian, and I’m struggling to adapt this recipe. Can you think of any fish or seafood that might work? I want to support him but I’m stumped. Thanks for your help!
So glad you like it! I think shrimp would work nicely here. I’d love to hear what he thinks of it with shrimp!
New favorite chicken recipe! Wow, was this delicious. I made it for a family dinner party and everyone wanted the recipe. I loved how easy it was to make. It’s perfect for a large group. I can’t wait to make it again.