Try char siu pork’s easier, faster cousin, char siu chicken.
We also snuck slices of it from my moms cutting board.
It wasnt nuanced and complex in flavor, but she was cooking like many of her peers.
Alison Conklin
The sweetness and color make for great kid food.
My healthy weeknight alternative is to use chicken thighs.
To cook the chicken, you might use a stovetop grill pan as suggested in the recipe.
Alison Conklin
Oven roasting the chicken yields perfectly fine flavor, but grilling it produces wonderful old-school character.
Going from scratch for the marinade was easy.
More importantly, the layers of flavors elevated the Chinese barbecue of my youth.
Alison Conklin
Now I dont just love itI adore it.
When To Butterfly Chicken Thighs
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are naturally uneven.
Like the palm of your hand, theres a much thicker side.
Alison Conklin
If you buy small to medium thighs, that unevenness is usually negligible in a recipe like this one.
But when the thighs are large or extra large, the unevenness can be problematic on the grill.
Thats why I include instructions to butterfly the thighs.
Alison Conklin
Those smaller thighs can be left as is.
When sliced up, itll also seem like you have much more, enough to feed a crowd.
But you may just want to serve this Char Siu Chicken to a smallish group.
Alison Conklin
Its irresistibly good and incredibly useful.
AddDaikon and Carrot Picklesfor extra Viet flair.
Want More Vietnamese Recipes?
First of all, check out my book, “Vietnamese Food Any Day.”
If the thighs are large or super uneven in thickness, butterfly each one.
Lay the thigh, smooth-side down, on your cutting board.
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, squarish pieces.
Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
Remove 3 tablespoons and set aside for glazing the chicken.
Add the chicken to the bowl, coating the pieces well.
Lightly oil a cast-iron stovetop grill pan and set over medium-high heat.
Remove the chicken from the marinade, letting the excess drip off into the bowl.
Lay the chicken on the grill pan and cook for 6 to 10 minutes, turning several times.
Transfer to a platter and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
