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    Home » Recipes » chicken and poultry

    Chinese Roasted Chicken (烧鸡)

    March 26, 2017 by Elaine 27 Comments | Jump to Recipe

    Learn how to make Chinese roasted chicken with a simplified method.Roasted chicken (烧鸡) actually is a large group of dish in China, differ from different area and cuisine.The recipe introduced here creates paper thin skins and tender meat.

    Chinese roasted Chicken | chinasichuanfood.com

    After getting the embed large oven as a birthday gift in my kitchen, I decided to develop several yummy whole roasted chicken as a return to my family in addition to different kinds of sweet desserts (Hong Kong Egg tarts) and soft asian buns (milk bread). Fortunately, I get more than 5 quite yummy recipes to share in this year. I have re-tested them several times in the past year. Cooking with oven is much easier and energy saving comparing with wok because the later involves lots of cutting, chopping and stir-frying. Though the entire process of this Chinese roasted chicken takes a little bit long, it is quite easy.

    There is a much complex but softer version popular in China. The Chicken is pre-cooked in a soy sauce flavored soup base, followed by a long air-drying process. Then roast with honey water or light soy sauce. This recipe uses a very similar concept but different approaches. Marinating is responsible for all the flavoring tasks.

    Tips

    1. The actual roasting time is very much based on the weight of your chicken. I usually use 1kg smaller chicken for oven roasted chicken. For 1.5 kg chicken, the low temperature roasting time should at least 30 minutes.
    2. Do not brush any oil or honey on the skin so you can make paper-thin crispy skin.
    3. Remember to lower the temperature later to most of the inside juice can be kept.

    Ingredients

    1 chicken (around 1 kg )

    Marinade

    • 4 cloves garlic, sliced
    • 1 thumb ginger, sliced
    • 2 green onion, cut into small sections
    • 1 tbsp. Shaoxing wine
    • ½ cup soy sauce
    • 1 tbsp. sugar
    • 1 tsp. salt
    • ½ tsp. five spice powder

    Steps

    1.Clean the chicken and soak in clean water for 15 minutes. Then massage with white vinegar, set aside for 10 minutes. Then rinse the chicken with paper (drying process is quite important). Rubbing with white vinegar can help to remove any oddness taste if exists. 

    2.Combine all the marinade ingredient in a small bowl. Prepare a large bag, place the chicken in and then add all the marinade sauce. Rub the bag gently to make sure the chicken is evenly coated by the sauce. Keep in fridge at least overnight to 48 hours. Flip 2-3 times.

    Chinese roasted Chicken | chinasichuanfood.com

    3.Take only the chicken out (discard the liquid and all the other spices). Truss the the legs and place on a baking sheet (breast up) and then air dry until the skin becomes tightened and dry (usually take 1 to 4 hours based on the room condition).

    Chinese roasted Chicken | chinasichuanfood.com

    Chinese roasted Chicken | chinasichuanfood.com

    4 hours later with air drying

    4. Preheat the oven to 200 degree C (400 Degree F). Place the chicken on the low rack and roast for 30 minutes. Lower the temperature to 120 degree C (250 degree F) and bake for another 20 minutes (you can rotate your roasting pan).

    Chinese roasted Chicken | chinasichuanfood.com

    5.Cooled down for 15 minutes before shredding and enjoy. You can serve it with spicy sauce, soy sauce or plum sauce. You can easily apart the chicken with hands.

    Chinese roasted Chicken | chinasichuanfood.com

    By the way, if you love to cook whole chicken, check salt baked chicken (盐焗鸡) and Chinese style braised chicken with spices and soy sauce (脱骨卤鸡), and in summer time, you must try tender and milk white cut chicken and spicy Sichuan mouthwatering chicken.

    Chinese Roasted Chicken (烧鸡)

    Chinese roasted chicken with soy sauce marinating
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Chinese
    Keyword: chicken, Roasted
    Prep Time: 2 days
    Cook Time: 1 hour
    Total Time: 2 days 1 hour
    Servings: 3
    Calories: 778kcal
    Author: Elaine

    Ingredients

    • 1 chicken , around 1 kg

    Marinade

    • 4 cloves garlic , sliced
    • 1 thumb ginger , sliced
    • 2 green onion , cut into smaller sections
    • 1 tbsp. Shaoxing wine
    • ½ cup soy sauce
    • 1 tbsp. sugar
    • 1 tsp. salt
    • ½ tsp. five spice powder

    Instructions

    • Clean the chicken and soak in clean water for 15 minutes. Then message with white vinegar, set aside for 10 minutes. Then rinse the chicken with paper (drying process is quite important).
    • Combine all the marinade ingredient in a small bowl.
    • Prepare a large bag, place the chicken in and then add all the marinade sauce. Rub the bag gently to make sure the chicken is evenly coated by the sauce. Keep in fridge at least overnight to 48 hours. Flip 2-3 times.
    • Take only the chicken out (discard the liquid and all the other spices). Truss the legs and place on a baking sheet (beast up) and then air dry until the skin becomes tightened and dry (usually take 1 to 4 hours based on the room condition).
    • Preheat the oven to 200 degree C (400 Degree F). Place the chicken on the low rack and roast for 30 minutes. Lower the temperature to 120 degree C (250 degree F) and bake for another 20 minutes (you can rotate the baking pan).
    • Cooled down for 15 minutes before shredding and enjoy. You can serve it with spicy sauce, soy sauce or plum sauce.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 778kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 66g | Fat: 50g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 250mg | Sodium: 3031mg | Potassium: 743mg | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 500IU | Vitamin C: 7.5mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 4.3mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @ChinaSichuanFood or tag #ElaineCSF!

    Chinese roasted Chicken | chinasichuanfood.com

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Paul Monsen

      January 29, 2018 at 12:27 am

      Is this what some restaurants call "Hong Kong roast chicken"?

      Reply
      • Elaine

        January 31, 2018 at 9:40 am

        That might be the name.

        Reply
    2. Leo

      October 18, 2018 at 4:10 am

      You can put lemon grass inside the chicken to add flavor and aroma.

      Reply
      • Elaine

        October 18, 2018 at 7:53 am

        Leo,
        Nice suggestion! I love the taste of lemon grass. Will try later.

        Reply
    3. Jessica

      October 20, 2019 at 9:56 am

      5 stars
      Great classic recipe for Chinese roast chicken. We stir fried the leftovers in a plum sauce based sauce. This is good as it is with mandarin pancakes or bao buns, but also excellent added into stirfries, soups, and salads. Can’t wait to try Peking duck recipe from this site. Hopefully I’ll get the chance around the holidays.

      Reply
    4. Mel

      December 30, 2020 at 9:16 pm

      What do you recommend for cooking times (with the high and low oven temperatures) for chicken that has been cut up (not whole)?

      Reply
      • Elaine

        January 08, 2021 at 8:39 am

        Reduce 5 mins each side.

        Reply
    5. Mary Jo

      January 31, 2022 at 10:29 am

      5 stars
      We eat lots of roast chicken because we can make so many meals out of them. Usually I use the Zuni Cafe recipe but no more. This roast chicken is THE BOMB. The flavor is amazing. I was afraid it would be dry but not at all. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe.

      Reply
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