Char Siu Chicken

Grilling in autumn is an event that many grilling enthusiasts look forward to all year. With perfect, brisk weather, fall colors descending, and cooler temperatures making hot food and drink even better - fall has become a favorite time for backyard grilling. To get you ready for grilling in autumn, here is Char Siu Chicken with addictive bold flavors everyone will love.

Grilling chicken at the peak of autumn is a sure way to make memories with friends and family around the fire pit or barbecue grill. You can prepare grilled chicken in many ways, but Char Siu Chicken has become one of the most popular. Char Siu Chicken is a Cantonese dish with a sweet yet savory sauce usually served with rice but can be paired with just about any side dish. The chicken is marinated in a combination of honey, hoisin, garlic, soy sauce, and Chinese five-spice powder to tenderize it before being roasted over an open flame.

Marinate, grill, baste, and serve - that's it! Super simple, this traditional recipe has been used and customized in various cultures for all kinds of tasty dishes. This chicken will amaze your friends and family with bold flavors and gorgeous color, thinking you slaved away half the day to make something so good.

Serves 4

Char Siu Chicken Ingredients

• 1 large garlic clove, put through a garlic press or minced and mashed
• 1/4 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
• 2 tablespoons honey, preferably amber-colored
• Brimming 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• Scant 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 3/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (See Recipe Note)

Char Siu Chicken Directions

1. Marinate the chicken: In a large bowl, stir together the garlic, five-spice powder, honey, hoisin, soy sauce, ketchup, and sesame oil. Remove three tablespoons and set aside for glazing the chicken.
2. Add the chicken to the bowl, coating the pieces well. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes, or refrigerate for up to 24 hours (return to room temperature before cooking).
3. Grill the chicken: Preheat a gas grill to medium and cook the chicken for 10 to 12 minutes.
4. To test for doneness, pierce the flesh with the tip of a knife: The chicken is cooked when clear juices flow out.
5. During the last 3 minutes of cooking, when the chicken feels firm-ish, baste with the reserved marinade to freshen the flavor and add sheen.
6. Serve: Transfer to a platter and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Note: This recipe is easily doubled.

If your thighs are quite large, butterfly them:  Pat the chicken thighs with paper towels to remove excess moisture, then trim and discard any big fat pads. If the thighs are large or super uneven in thickness, butterfly each one. Lay the thigh, smooth-side down, on your cutting board. Wielding your knife horizontally, slash the big mound of flesh to create a flap of meat, stopping just shy of cutting all the way through. Fold back the meat flap that you just created. The thigh should now be about 50 percent longer and relatively even in thickness. If the result seems awkwardly large, cut it crosswise into two smaller, square-ish pieces. Set aside.

Taken from simplyrecipes.com   https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/char_siu_chicken/