The Most Addicting Char Siu Chicken

Char Siu Chicken served with bok choy and rice.

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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.

Prep Time10

Cook Time35

Marinating Time1

Total Time1 45

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: char siu chicken, char siu chicken recipe

Servings: people

Calories: 788kcal

Author: Becca Du

Equipment

Ingredients

Char Siu Chicken

¼ cup granulated sugar
½ tsp five spice powder
2 tsp salt
¼ tsp white pepper
½ tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp shaoxing wine
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
3 tbsp honey
2 drops red food coloring
3 cloves garlic minced
2 ½ lbs chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on

Honey Basting Sauce

3 tbsp honey
3 tsp water
1 drop red food coloring

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

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.
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).
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (218 degrees C).
Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easier clean up and place a cooling rack on top.
Once the chicken is done marinating, place them on top of the cooling rack. Bake for 15 minutes. Reserve the marinade for later.
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.
Mix together 3 tbsp of honey, 3 tsp of water, and 1 drop of red food coloring.
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.
Finally, baste one more time with the honey basting sauce before serving.

Video

Notes

A good substitute for red food coloring is fermented red bean curd. Refer to the blog post for my pros and cons of this substitute.
Before serving, check the chicken is cooked by using a meat thermometer. The internal temperature should be 165 degrees F.
Store the chicken in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, microwave for 30 seconds to a minute.

Nutrition