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Grilled Chinese Char Siu Chicken Recipe

May 21, 2019 by Jeanette 21 Comments

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Grilled Chinese Char Siu Chicken

This Grilled Chinese Char Siu Chicken will remind you of the roast pork you find in Chinatown. The flavor is sweet and smokey, and best of all, there is no artificial coloring in this version.
Grilled Chinese Char Siu Chicken - this marinade is phenomenal! No artificial colors in this recipe - brilliant red beet powder stands in for red food coloring
Although I haven’t been to Chinatown in many years, I remember walking by the stores with various roasted meats hanging in the window, including Char Siu Pork with its brilliant red color. Although the beautiful red color is one of the things that makes Char Siu Pork appealing, once I realized it was red food coloring that gave it this distinctive quality, I rarely bought it. Instead, I started making it at home every once in a while; but, somehow it just didn’t seem the same without the red color.

Grilled Chinese Char Siu Chicken - this marinade is phenomenal! No artificial colors in this recipe - brilliant red beet powder stands in for red food coloring

Recently, I came across a recipe in Saveur by Chef Shepherd of the Underbelly restaurant in Houston, Texas. Chef Houston very smartly uses beet powder to color his Char Siu Chicken. I had bought a pack of beet powder from myspicer.com earlier this summer but hadn’t figured out what to use it in. So, I was curious what beet powder would look like in this recipe where it replaces red food coloring.

Beet Powder - a healthy natural red food coloring

I’m not sure how beet powder is made, but I imagine it is dehydrated beets that have been pulverized. I took a taste and it tastes just like beets.

Grilled Chinese Char Siu Chicken - this marinade is phenomenal! No artificial colors in this recipe - brilliant red beet powder stands in for red food coloring

The key to this Grilled Chinese Char Siu Chicken recipe is to let the chicken marinate in the char siu sauce for two days. The color is brilliant and the flavors run deep. I made this for my family this past weekend and it was a huge hit. Every last piece was devoured.

Grilled Chinese Char Siu Chicken - this marinade is phenomenal! No artificial colors in this recipe - brilliant red beet powder stands in for red food coloring

Grilled Chinese Char Siu Chicken - this marinade is phenomenal ~ no artificial colors in this recipe - brilliant red beet powder stands in for red food coloring
5 from 2 votes
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Grilled Chinese Char Siu Chicken Recipe

Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Marinate 2 days
Total Time 2 days 45 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 328 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup organic brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup raw honey
  • 1/4 cup organic ketchup
  • 1/4 cup gluten-free soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoon beet powder
  • 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon gluten-free hoisin sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • cooking oil spray

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, mix together brown sugar, honey, ketchup, soy sauce, beet powder, vinegar, hoisin sauce, five-spice powder, salt and pepper. Add chicken and toss well, coating all the pieces well; cover and refrigerate for two days to marinate.
  2. Heat grill; spray cooking oil on grates; grill chicken until cooked through, about 10 minutes per side.

Recipe Notes

Adapted from Saveur

Nutrition Facts
Grilled Chinese Char Siu Chicken Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 328 Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Cholesterol 180mg60%
Sodium 845mg37%
Potassium 535mg15%
Carbohydrates 25g8%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 24g27%
Protein 38g76%
Vitamin A 95IU2%
Vitamin C 0.4mg0%
Calcium 29mg3%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

If you like this Grilled Chinese Char Siu Chicken recipe, you might also like:

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Grilled Thai Curry Cilantro Garlic Chicken - this is so easy and delicious - it's our go-to summer barbecue recipe

 

Grilled Vietnamese Lemongrass Cilantro Chicken

Grilled Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken - the marinade in this recipe is amazing! Delicious in salads, summer rolls, sandwiches or as a main course

 

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Filed Under: Asian, chicken, Clean Eating, dairy-free, Dinner, gluten-free, main courses, Summer Recipes Tagged With: beet powder, char siu, grilled chicken, grilling, natural food coloring

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Comments

  1. Angie@Angie's Recipes says

    July 15, 2015 at 5:07 am

    I always love cha siu pork, but have never thought of making char siu chicken! What a brilliant idea. And you know what? I even have beetroot powder in my pantry!! Do you think it will work with chicken breast? I am afraid it would be too dry.

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      July 15, 2015 at 8:34 am

      I used chicken thighs because they don’t dry out as easily as chicken breast. I think chicken breast would be fine but the texture will probably be drier.

      Reply
  2. Marla Meridith says

    July 15, 2015 at 10:11 am

    This chicken looks wonderful!!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      July 15, 2015 at 10:56 am

      Thanks Marla – the marinade is so good!

      Reply
  3. Rachel @ athletic avocado says

    July 15, 2015 at 11:45 am

    I totally need to get beet powder, what a lovely way to enjoy chicken! 🙂

    Reply
  4. Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom says

    July 15, 2015 at 2:59 pm

    I am so intrigued by the beet powder!!! love a good char on my chicken. . this looks great!!!!

    Reply
  5. Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says

    July 15, 2015 at 4:26 pm

    Sweet and smokey, that just sounds like heaven to me! Excellent!

    Reply
  6. Bochnia says

    December 24, 2015 at 6:17 pm

    5 stars
    Awesome! I used skin-on drumsticks just as directed. Yes, you must be patient (its passive time anyway) to get that rich deep glaze. I garnished the chicken with sliced scallions. Definitely will make this again! Thanx !

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      December 26, 2015 at 8:03 pm

      Bochnia – so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for letting me know!

      Reply
  7. Thomas says

    March 14, 2016 at 9:36 am

    Also I added 1 small piece of ginger for a bit of flavor and I am glad I did. But that is just my personal taste 

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      March 14, 2016 at 5:40 pm

      I like your addition of ginger – thank you for sharing that!

      Reply
  8. Ems says

    May 28, 2016 at 11:58 am

    5 stars
    I love this recipe, I’ve made this numerous times with both pork and chicken. I’ve even featured it on my blog – I hope you don’t mind, if you want to check out the post, I’ve included the link in my details.

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      May 29, 2016 at 12:57 pm

      Thanks – glad you have been enjoying this recipe!

      Reply
  9. Reena says

    February 26, 2017 at 7:57 pm

    Is the beet used for flavour or colour? Can I use mashed beet instead?

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      February 26, 2017 at 8:41 pm

      The beet powder is for color, not flavor. I haven’t tried mashed beets, but it might work (or try beet juice).

      Reply
  10. Suet Horhota says

    March 6, 2017 at 11:51 am

    If I don’t have a grill, can I use the oven instead? I’m guessing 375 for an hour?

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      March 6, 2017 at 3:36 pm

      Roasting in the oven should work fine. If you want a little char, broil at the end for a few minutes.

      Reply
  11. Maria says

    March 19, 2017 at 12:09 am

    Made this, got applause and kiss from husband and son. Thank you… Love the recipe.

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      March 19, 2017 at 3:49 pm

      So glad you and your family enjoyed this recipe – thanks so much for letting me know!

      Reply
  12. Deirdre says

    February 24, 2021 at 4:24 pm

    Fabulous recipe. I made own
    own beet powder as I could not get it where I live. Second time to make it. Its delicious. Thank you

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      February 24, 2021 at 4:55 pm

      Hi Deirdre – so glad you enjoyed this recipe! I’m so impressed that you made your own beet powder!

      Reply

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