Japanese-style Char Siu Chicken

My Char Siu Chicken is made by cooking rolled chicken in a Japanese way. It is very tender, with a mild sweet soy flavour. The browned patches on the surface of the chicken give it a similar appearance to roasted Char Siu.

As I mentioned in my Yakibuta (Braised Pork – Japanese Char Siu) recipe, Japanese cuisine adopted the Chinese Char Siu, but the cooking method was completely changed. Instead of roasting marinated meat, the surface is browned first, then the meat is braised in a sweet soy-based sauce.

Most Char Sui chicken recipes available online cook the chicken pieces as they are, with or without bones. But I rolled the chicken fillets before cooking so that they resemble the pork char siu often served as a topping for ramen. The sliced Chicken Char Siu is smaller than my Pork Char Siu, but it goes equally well with ramen.

What’s in My Japanese-style Char Siu Chicken

• 2 boneless chicken Marylands/whole chicken legs, skin on
• Salt
• Oil
• Crushed garlic clove
• Sliced ginger.

I couldn’t find Maryland fillets with skin on at the supermarket, so I bought bone-in Maryland and removed the bones. If you are unfamiliar with deboning a chicken Maryland, you can watch one of the YouTube demonstrations such as How to Debone a Chicken Leg and Thigh.

You could also make Cha Siu Chicken using thigh fillets, but you will need to make several short rolls.

Simmering Sauce

• Soy sauce
• Cooking sake
• Sugar
• Water (not in the photo).

How to Make Japanese-style Char Siu chicken

You will need kitchen twine to secure the rolled chicken.

1. Place the chicken fillet skin side down and butterfly the thick part so that thickness becomes even.
2. Sprinkle salt over the fillets, then roll each fillet tightly.
3. Secure each roll with kitchen twine.
4. Heat oil in a frying pan and brown the surface of the rolled chicken.
5. Add the simmering sauce ingredients, garlic, and ginger to the pan. Bring it to a boil, then simmer over medium low heat with a lid on.
6. Remove the lid, increase the heat to medium high, and continue cooking.
7. When the sauce reduces to about ¼ cup (the sauce should be slightly thickened), turn the heat off.
8. Transfer the rolls and the sauce to an airtight container, cover with a piece of cling wrap or baking paper, and let them cool.
9. Remove the twine and slice each roll into 1.5cm thick discs.
10. Place the chicken slices on a serving plate, drizzle the sauce over them, and serve.

You can serve Char Siu Chicken immediately or leave it in the sauce for 1-2 days in the fridge to allow the chicken to absorb the flavour. It can be a main dish, a topping for ramen, or as nibbles with drinks.

Yumiko

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Japanese-style Char Siu Chicken

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

20 mins

 

My Char Siu Chicken is made by cooking rolled chicken in a Japanese way. It is very tender, with a mild sweet soy flavour. The browned patches on the surface of the chicken give it a similar appearance to roasted Char Siu.

Recipe Type: Main

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: Char Siu, chicken recipe

Serves: 2 -3 Servings

Author: Yumiko

Ingredients (tbsp=15ml, cup=250ml)

• 2 chicken Maryland fillets skin on (note 1)
• A few pinches salt
• 2 tsp oil
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 30g / 1.1oz ginger sliced into 4-5 pieces
• Cooking twine

Simmering Sauce

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp cooking sake
• 1½ tbsp sugar
• 200ml / 6.8fl oz water

Instructions

1. Place a Maryland fillet on a cutting board, skin side down. Butterfly the thick part of the flesh so that the thickness of the meat is even (note 2).
2. Place the fillet horizontally so that the thigh portion is on the left (or right) of the drumstick portion. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the meat.
3. Starting from the edge closer to you, roll the fillet tightly.

4. Wrap one end of the meat once with kitchen twine and tie it. Then continue wrapping it at about 1.5cm / ⅝" intervals (note 3). At the end, tuck the end of the twine under the wrapped strands.

5. Repeat for the other fillet.
6. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
7. Place the chicken rolls in the pan, with the end of the twine facing down. Cook the chicken for a couple of minutes, until the surface touching the pan is browned.
8. Turn the chicken rolls occasionally and cook until they are nicely browned all over.

9. Wipe off the excess oil from the pan, then add all the Simmering Sauce ingredients, garlic, and ginger to the pan. Bring it to a boil.

10. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 7 minutes, with a lid on.

11. Remove the lid, increase the heat to medium high and continue to cook for 4-5 minutes (note 4). Occasionally rotate the chicken pieces. Remove the scum if necessary.

12. When the sauce is reduced and just covers the bottom of the frying pan (2-3 tablespoons), remove the pan from the heat.

13. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and remove the twine (note 5).

14. Slice the chicken rolls into 1.5cm wide pieces and transfer them to a plate.

15. Drizzle the sauce over the chicken and serve.

Recipe Notes

1. I bought 2 x bone-in chicken Maryland, which weighed 700g / 1.5lb in total. After removing the bones, the total fillet weighed 540g / 1.2lb.

2. You might find that the flesh where the two bones were joined is very thin, exposing the skin. You can fill the thin part with a piece of meat trimmed from the thicker part of the fillet.

3. Wrap the chicken diagonally so that the twine naturally moves towards the other end.

4. The time required to reduce the sauce may vary depending on the strength of the heat and the surface area of your frying pan.

5. If you are not serving immediately, transfer the chicken, with the twine intact, to an airtight container along with the sauce. It will keep for 5 days in the fridge or 4 weeks in the freezer.

6. Nutrition per serving, assuming 2 servings.

serving: 428g calories: 405kcal fat: 12g (18%) saturated fat: 206g (13%) trans fat: 0.0g polyunsaturated fat: 4.4g monounsaturated fat: 3.3g cholesterol: 176mg (59%) sodium: 1243mg (52%) carbohydrates: 11g (4%) dietary fibre: 1g (2%) sugar: 6g protein: 57g vitamin D: 0.7mcg (0%) calcium: 41mg (4%) iron: 3.2mg (18%) potassium: 784 mg (17%)