Do you love char siu pork? Try its easier, quicker cousin, Char Siu Chicken. You’ll wonder how you ever grilled chicken thighs without this concoction of honey, hoisin, garlic, soy sauce and Chinese five spice powder.
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Vietnam and China are neighbors, which is why many Chinese dishes have become part of the Vietnamese repertoire over the millennia. I grew up eating savory-sweet, garlicky Chinese grilled pork, commonly known in America as charsiu, his Cantonese name; it says in Vietnamese xa xiu.
It wasn’t nuanced and complex in taste, but she cooked like many of her peers. The sweetness and color make for great kids food. I loved it.
Easy Weeknight Char Siu Chicken
Classic char siu is made from fatty pork shoulder that needs to be marinated overnight to taste great. My healthy weeknight alternative is to use chicken thighs.
To cook the chicken, you can use a griddle as suggested in the recipe. Weather permitting, preheat a medium charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill on medium and cook the chicken for 10 to 12 minutes, basting the last 3 minutes.
Roasting the chicken in the oven gives it perfectly refined flavor, but grilling it brings out a wonderful old-school character.
The best char siu sauce for a mahogany finish
Living alone and making this dish myself, I read Chinese cookbooks and cook marinades from scratch using ingredients like fragrant Chinese five spice powder (Spicely’s mix is excellent), hoisin sauce (Lee Kum Kee is a standard) , honey (use amber for bold flavor and rich color), soy sauce, and fresh garlic.
To achieve a mahogany finish on mine char siu, I have tried various things including dark soy sauce and fermented tofu sold in Asian markets. But when streamlining the recipes for my book, Vietnamese Food Any Day, I used ketchup, which works well and is readily available.
Making the marinade from scratch was easy. More importantly, the layers of flavor enhanced the Chinese barbecue of my youth. Now I don’t just love it – I adore it.
When to Smash Chicken Thighs
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are inherently uneven. Like the palm, there is a much thicker side. If you’re buying small to medium sized thighs, that bump is usually negligible in a recipe like this. But if the drumsticks are large or extra large, the bumps on the grill can be a problem. So I’m adding instructions to smash thighs.
Those smaller thighs can be left as they are. But for thicker thighs, a few snips with a knife will result in a flatter, more even cut of meat that cooks faster and more evenly. Also, when you slice it up, it seems like you have a lot more, enough to feed a crowd.
But maybe you only want to serve this char siu chicken to a smaller group. It’s irresistibly good and incredibly useful.
What to serve with Char Siu
Aside from the traditional way of serving char siu, you can certainly serve this char siu chicken like regular American barbecue with a tangy coleslaw and even potato salad. Add daikon and carrot pickles for extra Viet flair.
Want more Vietnamese recipes?
First, check out my book Everyday Vietnamese Food. Also try these other recipes here on Simply Recipes:
- Vietnamese style sticky chicken skewers
- Prawn spring rolls with peanut sauce
- Fast Chicken Pho
- Vietnamese style noodle bowls with chicken
- Curry scented wraps and grilled beef salad
Char Siu chicken
This recipe can easily be doubled.
If the thighs are pretty big, smash them: Pat the chicken thighs with paper towels to remove excess moisture, then trim and discard any large pockets of fat. If the thighs are large or very unevenly thick, smash each one. Place the leg, smooth side down, on your cutting board. Swing your knife horizontally, slicing open the large pile of meat to create a lobe of meat, stopping just before slicing all the way through. Fold back the flap of flesh you just created. The thigh should now be about 50 percent longer and relatively even in thickness. If the result seems uncomfortably large, slice it crosswise into two smaller, square pieces. Put aside.
Reprinted with permission from Andrea Nguyen, Vietnamese Food Any Day: Simple Recipes for True, Fresh Flavors, Copyright ©2019. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
ingredients
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1 large clove garlicpass through a garlic press or chop and puree
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1/4 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
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2 tablespoon Honey, preferably amber
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2 brimming tablespoons Hoisin sauce
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1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
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1 tablespoon Ketchup
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2 scarce teaspoons toasted sesame oil
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1 3/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (see recipe note)
method
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Marinate Chicken:
In a large bowl, stir together the garlic, five spice powder, honey, hoisin, soy sauce, ketchup, and sesame oil. Remove 3 tablespoons and set aside to glaze the chicken.
Place the chicken in the bowl and coat the pieces well. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or refrigerate for up to 24 hours (return to room temperature before cooking).
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Grill chicken:
Lightly oil a cast-iron skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and drain the excess into the bowl. Place the chicken on the grill pan and cook for 6 to 10 minutes, turning occasionally.
To test the meat, poke the tip of a knife into the meat: the chicken is done when clear juice escapes.
During the last 2 minutes of cooking, when the chicken is firm to the touch, baste with the reserved marinade to refresh flavor and add shine.
Simple tip!
Alternatively, prep a medium charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill on medium and grill the chicken for 10 to 12 minutes, basting for the last 3 minutes.
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Leave to rest, then serve:
Place on a platter and let rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 404 | calories |
| 18g | Fat |
| 14g | carbohydrates |
| 49g | protein |
