Char Siu Chicken

Juicy oven-roasted chicken glazed with a Cantonese-style char siu marinade of hoisin, soy, honey and five-spice.

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This chicken version borrows the sweet-savoury glaze of char siu while using easily available boneless thighs for reliable home cooking.

Ingredients

• 800 g boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 3 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 3 garlic cloves (finely grated)
• 10 g fresh ginger (finely grated)
• 0.75 tsp Chinese five-spice
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp red fermented bean curd liquid (optional for colour and depth)
• 2 spring onions (sliced to serve)

Step-by-step method

1. Pat the chicken thighs dry with kitchen paper. If some pieces are much thicker than others, gently flatten them so they cook at a similar rate.
2. Mix the hoisin, soy, oyster sauce, honey, brown sugar, Shaoxing wine, garlic, ginger, five-spice, sesame oil and fermented bean curd liquid if using.
3. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the marinade in a clean bowl for glazing later. Coat the chicken with the remaining marinade, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
4. Heat the oven to 220°C conventional or 200°C fan. Line a tray with foil and place a rack on top if you have one. Arrange the chicken in one layer and let excess marinade drip off.
5. Roast for 15 minutes, then turn the thighs. Brush with some of the reserved clean marinade and roast for another 8–10 minutes.
6. Brush once more and cook for 3–5 minutes until the glaze is sticky and lightly caramelised. The thickest part of the chicken should reach at least 74°C.
7. Rest the chicken for 5 minutes before slicing across the grain. Finish with spring onions and serve with rice or vegetables.