Char Siu Chicken Roast

How to make Char Siu Chicken, a Chinese-style red honey roasted BBQ chicken.

Char Siu or Char Siew is one of those classic Chinese dishes that most of us know and love. Char Siu is traditionally made with pork, but this recipe replaces it with chicken. Char Siu is a Chinese-style roast that is savoury, sweet and sticky.

This recipe is an ultra easy, oven-roasted barbecue chicken that is one of my ultimate go-tos!

Char Siu Chicken is very versatile. Personally I love eating this with chicken rice – you should really check out my one pan chicken rice recipe. You can also top noodles with this! It’s also fabulous when eaten by itself.

The Best Oven Settings to make Char Siu Chicken

I used boneless chicken legs, which is the entire chicken thigh and drumstick portion attached. I realise it’s not the easiest to find for most, so use boneless chicken thighs as per ingredients list below.

Boneless chicken that is flattened out takes much less time to cook in the oven. 20 minutes at a preheated 200 deg celcius temperature in my oven was able to cook the chicken thoroughly. If uncertain, keep the chicken in longer in the oven – fattier chicken parts will not dry out easily.

I used chicken thighs, but this recipe can also work on chicken breasts at the same temperature and timing. Try not to keep it in for too long if using breasts as it tends to dry out more. I replicated this with chicken breasts with my Kolo Mee recipe.

If you are using bone-in chicken parts, you want to double, perhaps even triple, the oven time to 35 to 45 minutes. Check that the internal temperature at the thickest part of the chicken has hit 74 deg celcius or 165 deg fahrenheit to ensure it’s cooked through. Or poke a fork through the thickest part and make sure the juices run clear and blood-less.

Can I make this in an Air Fryer?

Definitely!

To make this in an air fryer, and if using boneless chicken thighs, stick to a 200 deg celcius or 390 deg fahrenheit. Many have tried my recipe at this setting, and with good results!

Another air-fryer user commented that they tried at 180 degrees celcius setting, which also cooked the chicken through. This would also work for chicken breasts.

If using bone-in chicken, double the cook time in the air fryer. Again, you want to check that it’s cooked all the way through.

(EDIT (2/2/2024): I have both the oven and air fryer now! See my dedicated post to Air Fryer Char Siu Chicken right here.)

Do I need the Red Food Colouring?

Not at all! The red food colouring is optional. I usually omit it. I only added it in to make it look as close to what you get at the shops as possible. And yes – unfortunately most char siews you buy these days are dyed red with food colouring. It does make it look more appetising, but if at home, I try not to add unnecessary chemicals to my food.

Alternatively, you can get organic red beetroot colouring. Paprika powder is also an option, though there will be a mild spice (which sounds awesome to me).

The authentic way of colouring is by the red in fermented tofu, which unfortunately is not easily found here. If you have that available, you can most definitely use it. Be wary of salt content, and adjust the other seasonings.

What is Chinese Five Spice Powder?

Ready-made, bottled Chinese five-spice powder is easily found in supermarkets here in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

It is usually a blend of five (duh) ground spices, usually Cinnamon, Cloves, Star Anise, Coriander Seeds and Cumin. It is not uncommon for other spices to be included such as Fennel and Sichuan Peppercorns, depending on the brand. I don’t find there to be much difference between the different brands. Find it in the spice section (where the white and black peppers will be), labelled as Five Spice Powder or Chinese Five Spice Powder.

Some options on Amazon:

• McCormick Gourmet, Chinese Five Spice Blend, 1.75 oz

• 123 Organic Simply Natural Organic Chinese Five Spices Powder, 70 g

• If you’re in Singapore, you can look out for this at the major supermarkets: MasterFoods Spices – Chinese Five Spice

I can’t find the brand I personally used on the website, but it’s a local brand and costs super cheap, some $1-ish. More than good enough 🙂

Making the Sauce for Char Siu Chicken

In the video, I boiled the leftover marinade and let it reduce to create a sticky sauce that you can pour over your rice.

I know there might be concern over reusing marinade due to bacteria, but personally I’ve never had any issues. I always make sure to boil it for a while, until it reduces to a sticky sauce, so that any present bacteria would be killed off. If you want to err on the side of caution, then discard the marinade.

To make that sauce, when making the marinade for the chicken, simply make another potion of the marinade. With the extra portion – that has not touched the chicken – make the sauce. All you do is add the sauce to a pan over medium to high heat. Allow the sauce to boil and bubble, until it starts to reduce and thicken.

More recipes like this:

If you love this Char Siu Chicken, you might enjoy these other oven roasted recipes:

• Oven Baked Kung Pao Chicken
• Oven Roasted Chicken Shawarma
• Oven Roasted ‘Gai Yang’ Thai Grilled Chicken
• Oven Roasted Ayam Percik

Char Siu Chicken

Recipe by Sha

5.0 from 2 votes

Course: Eats, Recipes

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Ingredients

• 300 grams Chicken Thigh (fatty ones are best)
  

• Marinade

• 1 tbsp Honey

• 1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce

• 1 tbsp Oyster Sauce

• 1 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce (or Kecap Manis)

• 2 tbsps Brown Sugar

• 2 cloves Garlic, pureed or grated

• 1 inch Ginger, pureed or grated

• 1 tsp Chinese Five Spice powder

• Pinch of White Pepper

• 1 tsp Red Food Colouring (optional)

Directions

• Mix the marinade in a bowl or ziplock bag.
• Add the chicken and let it marinade a minimum of 2 hours to overnight in the refridgerator.
• Take the chicken out of of the fridge, and allow to warm to room temperature for about 15-20 minutes so it’s not going in the oven very cold. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius or 390 degrees fahrenheit.
• Lay chicken on a baking tray and pop in the preheated oven.
• Bake for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
• Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes, before slicing and serving.

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