The Most Addicting Char Siu Chicken

Adding to my collection of Char Siu recipes with the most addicting Char Siu Chicken. Marinated in a simple char siu sauce, this delicious sweet and sticky chicken recipe will have you coming back for more every time. In this blog post, learn how to make this recipe with any cut of chicken you want, and get the pros and cons of using fermented red bean curd versus red food coloring to make the marinade.

After making Char Siu Pork earlier this year, I knew I had to follow that up with more Char Siu recipes. Today, I give you Char Siu Chicken! It’s chicken made with char siu sauce and is probably one of my favorite Asian chicken recipes I’ve ever developed. It has that vibrant red color typical of a char siu dish and packed full of flavor because of that amazing marinade. This will definitely be a regular in my dinner rotation. Dare I say I might like this more than Char Siu Pork?! If you want to see another application of this marinade, check out my Char Siu Salmon recipe!

How I developed my char siu chicken recipe

The development of this recipe was so simple because I used the same marinade as my pork recipe, and a very similar method. I tested this 2 times, and did test one ingredient variation. I was really curious how it would taste with fermented red bean curd added to the marinade, and found that it definitely tasted better but the color was less vibrant. Personally, I love how the red food coloring makes the chicken so vibrantly red for the pictures, but I don’t love using food coloring in my normal day-to-day meals. I can definitely see myself substituting it with the fermented red bean curd and using more of the liquid it comes with to make it redder.

Some deets about key ingredients

• Chicken Thighs – I thought long and hard about which cut of chicken to use and ended up choosing bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs because the thought of that crispy skin combined with that marinade made me really excited about this recipe. Additionally, chicken thighs are juicier and more flavorful than other cuts. You can also use other cuts of chicken like boneless, skinless chicken thighs and chicken breast, but you will need to adjust the cook time. For chicken breast, bake for 18-20 minutes, and for boneless, skinless chicken thighs, bake for ~25 minutes.
• Light brown sugar – Adds sweetness to the dish to balance out umami flavors. This can be substituted with granulated sugar or dark brown sugar. Personally, I prefer brown sugar to white sugar because it adds some molasses-y flavor to the marinade, resulting in a better marinade. Note that dark brown sugar will make the marinade sweeter.
• Sesame oil – Adds more flavor to the marinade. This ingredient is not always used, but in my tests, I found that sesame oil makes the chicken much more flavorful. If you can’t find sesame oil, it doesn’t need to be included, but I would highly recommend it if you can.
• Red food coloring – I use this ingredient in the marinade and in the basting sauce to make the chicken red. Traditionally, goji berries or fermented red bean curd is used. Feel free to use those options if you want a more natural option. I tested this with and without fermented red bean curd, and found that it tasted more flavorful with it. As mentioned, in my day to day life I don’t like to use food coloring in most of my dishes, so I can see myself using red bean curd more often. The main drawback of using only red bean curd is the color will be less red and closer to red brown. The red food coloring makes the chicken’s color very vibrant.

How to make my char siu chicken recipe

For a simplified version of this recipe, skip to the recipe card. Included in this section are tips and tricks on how to achieve the best results.

1. First, make the marinade. Whisk together 1/4 cup of granulated sugar, 1/2 tsp of five spice powder, 2 tsp of salt, 1/4 tsp of white pepper, 1/2 tsp of sesame oil, 1 tbsp of Shaoxing wine, 1 tbsp of soy sauce, 1 tbsp of hoisin sauce, 3 tbsp of honey, 2 drops of red food coloring, and 3 cloves of minced garlic.
2. Add 2 1/2 pounds of chicken thighs to a Ziploc bag. Pour the marinade over the top. Close the bag and coat the chicken in the marinade. Marinate for at least 1 hour. For the best flavor, marinate overnight (this is what I prefer).
   • Tip #1: You can also use a large bowl to marinate the chicken. Make sure to coat the chicken and turn the pieces over once in awhile so the chicken is marinated evenly on both sides.
3. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (218 degrees C).
4. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easier clean up and place a cooling rack on top.
5. Once the chicken is done marinating, place them on top of the cooling rack. Bake for 15 minutes. Reserve the marinade for later.
6. Take the chicken out of the oven and baste them with the reserved marinade. Put them back in the oven, and bake for another 15 minutes.
   • Tip #2: The chicken should be done or nearly done at this point. Every chicken thigh will cook differently depending on how big they are. A fool proof way to know if the chicken is done is to use a meat thermometer to measure the internal temperature of the chicken. It should register 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
   • Tip #3: Another way to know if the chicken is done is to cut into the thickest part of one, and if the juices run clear, the chicken is done. If the chicken has red or pink juices, it needs to cook longer.
7. Mix together 3 tbsp of honey, 3 tsp of water, and 1 drop of red food coloring.
   • Tip #4: If you wish to skip out on the food coloring, use the sauce that the fermented red bean curd comes in.
8. Take the chicken out of the oven and baste with the honey basting sauce. Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees F (232 degrees C). Bake for 5 more minutes.
9. Finally, baste one more time with the honey basting sauce before serving.

What do you serve char siu chicken with?

Char siu chicken is very savory, so serve it with something neutral like rice (get my rice cooking guide here!), fresh like veggies, or tart like pickled mustard greens. Here, I served it with a simple sauteed bok choy. I also had it with fresh cucumbers while testing this recipe, and loved it!

Did you make this dish?

If you made this dish, I would love to see!

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