Recipes

Five Spice Chicken

July 27, 2022 3 Comments

This recipe comes to us courtesy of Jen and Wes of @crazythickasians. This is one of their favorite Chinese poultry dishes, Five Spice Chicken. Traditionally, five spice powder represents the five flavors of spices: sweet, bitter, sour, salty, and savory. It’s commonly used in marinades or as a dry rub to season meats and seafood.

For the chicken marinade, they used Oaktown's Chinese Five Spice blend, which is comprised of fennel, cinnamon, star anise, Sichuan peppercorn, and cloves. The five spice powder adds depth and complexity to the marinade. Results are finger-licking good chicken!

Serves 2
Prep time: 12+ hours (includes marinating)
Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

1.5-1.75 lb chicken legs

Marinade:

1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing Wine
1 1/2 teaspoons Chinese Five Spice
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1⁄2 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon onion, finely minced

Basting liquid:

1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce

Garnish:

Scallions, thinly sliced

Serve with:

Rice
Bok Choy

Directions

Marinate the chicken: Prepare marinade by mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl. After patting chicken dry with a paper towel, place on a plate or in a ziploc bag. Pour marinade all over the chicken, making sure it’s evenly coated. Place chicken in the refrigerator and marinate overnight.

Grill the chicken: Prepare basting liquid by mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl. Oil grill and turn heat to low-medium heat. If using stovetop, use a seasoned cast iron pan. After about a minute, carefully place chicken on top. Let cook for around 30 minutes (time may vary based on your equipment), flipping halfway through and basting both sides. Chicken is ready once it reaches an internal temperature of 170°.

Assembly: Garnish with scallions. Serve on a bed of rice and a side of bok choy. Enjoy!

3 Responses

Kirk

August 16, 2022

Hi Estelle,

Thank you for your questions. You can absolutely bake chicken thighs instead of grilling legs. Bake at 400 degrees for probably 30-40 minutes. You’ll want to start temping the chicken at 30 minutes and you’re looking for an internal temperature of 170 degrees in the thickest part not on the bone. If boneless start checking at 20 minutes. Use the same 1.5-1.75 lbs of chicken.

Estelle

August 15, 2022

And can you bake it instead of grilling and how long? Thanks so much.

Estelle

August 15, 2022

Can you use chicken thighs instead? And how many would you use with the same ingredients? Thank you.

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