This fun grilled chicken recipe is based of char siu, the red pork you see at Chinese restaurants. It soaks for a long time in a great marinade giving it that color and tons of flavorful.
This bright red chicken’s color is matched by its bold flavors. It is a mix of sweet and savory with a lovely mix of spices.
It is sticky and delicious. The chicken marinates for several days giving the flavor a chance to really soak in.
You finish it with a great honey glaze as it cooks giving you that finger licking good shiny finish. This is a fun way to switch up your grilled chicken routine!
Today I am going to give you a quick peek into the strange inner workings of my family. I hope it doesn’t weird you out to much!
We went through a phase when I was a kid where we went to the Chinese buffet semi-regularly for lunch.
I don’t remember if it was a birthday thing or just a way to get us out of the house for a bit when we were all at home during the summer.
I guess it doesn’t really matter.
One of the items on the buffet that always found its way onto everybody’s plate was the red meat threaded on a skewer. You know what I’m talking about.
None of us knew what it was really called, so we had a family nickname for it. Are you ready?
Oh my.
No, really prepare yourself.
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Ready now?
Ok, we all called in monkey butt on a stick.
Who knows how it started, but it stuck. We still call it that to this day. I don’t know what’s wrong with us… please send help!
So, when I was brainstorming ideas for something fun as our entry for the big grill-off I knew I had a winner on my hands as soon as I thought of char siu chicken. It would be perfect!
In the week leading up to the competition, everyone was getting really excited and couldn’t help but give some clues as to what they were making. I quietly nodded, very careful not to give anything away.
The day of the big contest, the grills circled and the fire was lit. I waited until the last minute to bring out the bag of red chicken for my husband to grill.
My brother K.C. quickly came over to inspect what we had going on. I asked him if he knew what it was. He quickly answered “Chicken Butt!”
Ha! Basically 😉
We have made this a few times now, with varying degrees of food coloring and a couple of different lengths of marinating. Though the food coloring really shouldn’t affect the flavor much, it at least makes a mental difference.
We really like the really red chicken more than that slightly red chicken. It’s probably all in our heads, but it definitely makes more of an impact.
We also like the chicken better with a full 3 days in the marinade, though again the shorter times still had good flavor. Just buy really fresh chicken with a long date on it and let them really soak it up.
I am sure we will eventually make a version using pork and treading it on skewers for the full monkey butt on a stick experience. But I will tell you a secret, the chicken thighs and drumsticks are actually better!
Char Siu Chicken
Ingredients
Marinade
- 6 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons salt
- 1½ teaspoons five spice powder
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 Tablespoon molasses
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon red food coloring
- 6-8 pounds chicken pieces
Basting Liquid
- 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 Tablespoons honey
- 3 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
- any remaining marinade
Instructions
- In a large zipper top bag, mix together all of the marinade ingredients 6 Tablespoons granulated sugar, 2 Tablespoons salt, 1½ teaspoons five spice powder, 1 teaspoon white pepper, 3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1½ teaspoon sesame oil, 3 Tablespoons hoisin sauce, 1 Tablespoon molasses, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon red food coloring) Add the 6-8 pounds chicken pieces. (The thighs are our favorite, but drumsticks are good too.) Place in refrigerator and let marinate for 1-3 days. Every so often adjust the chicken in the bag so that all of the chicken gets plenty of contact with the goodness.
- The day of grilling, stir together the 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil, 3 Tablespoons honey, 3 Tablespoons hoisin sauce, and 3 Tablespoons soy sauce to make the basting liquid. Remove chicken from the marinade and add about 1 cup of the marinating liquid to the basting mixture.
- Preheat your grill. Because of the high sugar content in the basting liquid, cook over indirect heat or a low flame.
- Cook chicken, basting frequently until a meat thermometer reads 165°F. Because the basting liquid has raw chicken juice in it, quit basting about 5 minutes before the chicken is done cooking.
- Rest for 5 minutes and then serve.
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Seriously.. these look finger licking good! So glad you shared this one on ouir our grlling recipe round up!
It really is, thanks!
I want to make this now just so I can tell my Angel Face we are having Monkey Butt for dinner LOL
Ha! You totally should!