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Home Collections BBQ Recipes

Chinese Chicken (Char Siu!)

By:Nagi
Published:12 Jun '17Updated:11 Mar '19
161 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

If you love Asian food, you will go nuts over this Chinese Chicken! Made with the same Char Siu marinade as the ever popular Chinese Barbecue Pork (Char Siu), this recipe calls for Asian staples you might already have. BBQ it, pan fry, bake or broil/grill it. The smell when this is cooking is outrageous!

Try this with a side of Fried Rice and Asian Slaw, or Asian Mushroom Ramen Noodles!

Chinese Chicken (Char Siu) is the chicken version of the wildly popular Chinese BBQ Pork. The smell when this is cooking is outrageous! recipetineats.com

If you’ve strolled through Chinese neighbourhoods, past Chinese BBQ shops with the bronzed, glistening ducks and Chinese Barbecue Pork hanging from hooks in the window dripping with sticky glaze, then the smell when this hits the hot pan will be familiar.

And even if you’re not familiar with that smell, you will just know,  you will know that this is 100% lip smackingly delicious and a total crowd pleaser. 🙂

Chinese Chicken (Char Siu) is the chicken version of the wildly popular Chinese BBQ Pork. The smell when this is cooking is outrageous! recipetineats.com

This Chinese Chicken is the chicken version of Chinese Barbecue Pork. The marinade is slightly adjusted to make it more suitable for chicken – mainly less sugar because there’s more surface area with chicken so I find the pork Char Siu marinade a bit too sweet and also easier to cook on the BBQ/stove without burning the marinade.

And I even added the tiniest drop of red food colouring to give it that warm reddish tinge that Chinese Barbecue Pork is so well known for. (Entirely 100000% utterly and completely optional 🙂 )

Chinese Chicken (Char Siu) is the chicken version of the wildly popular Chinese BBQ Pork. The smell when this is cooking is outrageous! recipetineats.com

And speaking of optional – the skewers are totally optional too. I just used them to do something a bit different because it dawned on me that I had done the Thai Coconut Marinated Chicken recently that would look very similar once cooked. Plus, they are handy for turning the chicken. 🙂

The flavour of this chicken is classic Chinese – it has lovely depth of flavour, it’s sweet and savoury, and a hint of Chinese Five Spice Powder flavour that makes this distinctly Char Siu. This is terrific cooked in the oven or broiled/grilled, but hands down the best way is on the BBQ or stove. That caramelisation that you get on the surface is just gold. GOLD. – Nagi xx

PS If you make this, tell me in the comments below if you agree that the smell when this is cooking is outrageous!!!!

PPS If you haven’t made it yet but you want to, tell me in the comments below if you can tell just by looking at the photos that the smell when this is cooking is outrageous!!!!

Chinese Chicken (Char Siu) is the chicken version of the wildly popular Chinese BBQ Pork. The smell when this is cooking is outrageous! recipetineats.com

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Chinese Chicken (Char Siu) is the chicken version of the wildly popular Chinese BBQ Pork. The smell when this is cooking is outrageous! recipetineats.com

Chinese BBQ Chicken

Author: Nagi
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 25 mins
Main
Asian, Chinese
5 from 37 votes
Servings4
Tap or hover to scale
Print
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The marinade for this chicken is based on the famous Chinese BBQ Pork (Char Siu), a very popular recipe on my blog! It’s sweet, savoury, sticky, laced with Chinese Five Spice. Add your own touch like ginger and chilli for a kick! The red food colouring is optional – it gives the chicken the reddish tinge that Char Siu is known for. Recipe VIDEO below, MARINATING TIME: 3 - 24 hrs.

Ingredients

Marinade:

  • 2 garlic cloves , minced
  • 2 tsp brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tbsp honey
  • 1 1/2 tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 2 tsp oyster sauce
  • 1 ½ tbsp light soy sauce (or all purpose)
  • 1/2 tsp Chinese five spice powder (Note 1)
  • 1/2 tsp sesame oil (not critical)
  • Few drops red food colouring , optional

Chicken:

  • 750 g / 1.5lb chicken thigh fillets , skinless boneless (or breast)
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 10 – 12 bamboo skewers , soaked in water for 1 hour (optional)
  • Green onions / scallions , finely sliced, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  • Place Marinade ingredients in a ziplock bag or bowl and mix to combine.
  • Add chicken and mix to coat. Marinade for 3 – 24 hours.
  • Optional: Cut chicken into bite size or large pieces and thread onto skewers. Use 1 skewer for small pieces, 2 for large, like pictured in post.
  • Heat half the oil in a heavy based skillet over medium high heat, or BBQ on medium (if using grill side, brush oil on bars).
  • Remove chicken from marinade (RESERVE for basting) and place in the skillet - cook in 2 batches, don't crowd the pan. Cook for 4 minutes then turn.
  • Use the Marinade to baste the cooked side of the chicken. After 3 minutes, turn the chicken over so the basted side is now cooking again - cook for 1 minute.
  • Baste the chicken, then turn again and cook for 45 sec - 1 min.
  • Transfer chicken to a plate, cover loosely with foil and rest for 5 minutes.
  • Serve, garnished with green onions / scallions if using!

Recipe Notes:

1. Chinese Five Spice Powder is a blend of five spices that is now commonly found at every day supermarkets in the spice section. It is the same prices as other dried herbs and spices. If you can't find it, this will still be super tasty without it because Hoisin Sauce has five spice in it so you will still get a subtle fragrance of it. 
2. I like to make this with thigh because it's juicier but it works really well with breast too because the sugar in the marinade makes it caramelise nicely.
3. Oven: Preheat to 220C/425F. Small (150g/5oz) - Bake on top shelf for 18 minutes, then turn and bake for another 4 minutes. For large (200g/7oz), do 20 minutes then 5 minutes.
Grill/Broil: Preheat to medium high, then cook for 6 - 7 minutes on each side (watch carefully, will get dark brown spots and can burn easily due to sugar in marinade).
4. Nutrition per serving. 

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 201gCalories: 366cal (18%)
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

Chinese Chicken recipe video!

The ever popular Char Siu Chinese Barbecue Pork!

Char Siu Pork (Chinese BBQ Pork) is SO easy to make at home in the oven! The key is the Char Siu marinade that's also used as the glaze. recipetineats.com


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161 Comments

  1. Sonja says

    March 8, 2023 at 5:59 pm

    G’day Nagi, how are you? How is Dozer?

    Being the anal person that I am, I’ve purchased red bean curd from my local Asian food market.

    Dad’s not fond of pork so I’m going to make your Char Siu chicken recipe instead.

    How much Red Bean Curd do I need to use for the Char Siu chicken recipe?

    Reply
  2. Catherine says

    May 28, 2022 at 2:18 pm

    Hi Nagi!

    Looking for a chicken on skewers recipe that I can cook ahead and reheat for a party…would this be suitable or is it best eaten freshly cooked?

    Reply
  3. Dani says

    November 7, 2021 at 7:47 am

    5 stars
    A beautiful marinade. I loved this chicken and the kids loved it too. Thanks for another winner Nagi!

    Reply
  4. Taysia says

    November 6, 2021 at 12:44 am

    im not a huge fan of char siu pork so I tried this to go in the Singapore noodle recipe and it was delicious! Such a flavour packed marinade. I used chicken thighs, only had a couple of hours to marinade it, cooked it in the oven and it turned out beautifully.

    Reply
  5. Ellie says

    September 29, 2021 at 12:22 am

    5 stars
    The whole family loved these! I made them exactly as written, using my oven to bake them. Tq so much!

    Reply
  6. Kiki says

    September 25, 2021 at 10:00 pm

    Made this tonight with Nagi’s fried rice and also her wombok salad. Yum yum yum. We BBQ’d the chicken and I reduced leftover marinade on the stove to a sticky glaze for dipping. Highly recommend x

    Reply
  7. Theany says

    September 17, 2021 at 11:49 am

    5 stars
    Hi Nagi, made Char Siu this morning, the flavor is spot on great great great, never thought I could make something so incredible flavorful, love your recipes I’ve made a few so far.
    Thanks again Nagi! and love Dozer too!

    Reply
  8. Harmony Choi says

    September 6, 2021 at 9:05 am

    5 stars
    Another delicious 5 star recipe from Nagi! The chinese 5 spice made the whole apartment smell like char sui. Thank you!

    Reply
  9. Tracey Adamson says

    August 19, 2021 at 7:38 am

    could I use this to put in the stir fried rice

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 19, 2021 at 8:06 pm

      YES! It’s amazing Tracey!! N x

      Reply
  10. Rachael Ramsey says

    August 13, 2021 at 7:22 am

    5 stars
    My husband traded his dinner roll for a third piece of chicken.
    I accidentally defrosted bone in thighs. Worked great. TY for another winner, winner chicken dinner.

    Reply
  11. Mary says

    June 23, 2021 at 4:17 am

    5 stars
    So good! Made little appetizer sized skewers and took them out to the lake. My friends gobbled them up!

    Reply
  12. Richard says

    April 15, 2021 at 11:50 am

    5 stars
    Love this recipe…I’d bought a few too many thigh fillets so cooked them all in this recipe then froze the two left over thigh fillets. Used them for a starter at lunch on the weekend in a few spring roll wrappers. Our friends said I was amazing! Ha ha (thx tineats)⛹️‍♂️

    Reply
  13. Richard says

    April 15, 2021 at 11:45 am

    5 stars
    Thigh fillets we love u! This recipe is like having a Chinese restaurant in your kitchen except without all the chefs, without the fab smells and without those inviting sizzling noises) but with the cleanup of all those saucepans! ha ha. Again everyone (well our two friends) thought we bought this at our local Chinese! Love tineats 🏊‍♂️

    Reply
  14. Mimi says

    February 12, 2021 at 9:09 am

    Could you use this to marinade a whole chicken & cook it in the crockpot??

    Reply
  15. LEANNE says

    August 19, 2020 at 11:21 pm

    Hi Nagi. If i freeze this chicken in the marinaded then say take it out 3 weeks later and thaw on the bench will the marinate be watery due to the ice thawing and also can i use the thawed out marinate to baste while its cooking?Leanne

    Reply
  16. Sharon H says

    June 10, 2020 at 11:27 pm

    Another “keeper” as my hubby would say. Made the marinade but cooked the chicken thighs in my Air Fryer for 10 minutes on 200 Degrees. Yum. Turned out very moist and some burnt bits on the side of the chicken (extra flavour!!) . Thanks Nagi for another brilliant recipe. xx

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      June 11, 2020 at 7:43 am

      That’s great to hear Sharon! N x

      Reply
  17. Helen says

    June 1, 2020 at 6:26 pm

    5 stars
    This was wonderful

    Reply
  18. Emily says

    May 13, 2020 at 7:34 am

    Could this recipe be used as a substitute for chinese bbq pork as a filling for bao? I’m trying to eat less pork but still want to make something similar to char siu bao.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 13, 2020 at 12:15 pm

      Yes definitely Emily!! N x

      Reply
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