Char Siu Chicken

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This fun grilled chicken recipe is based of char siu, the red pork you see at Chinese restaurants. It soaks for a long time in a great marinade giving it that color and tons of flavorful.

This bright red chicken’s color is matched by its bold flavors.  It is a mix of sweet and savory with a lovely mix of spices. 

It is sticky and delicious.  The chicken marinates for several days giving the flavor a chance to really soak in. 

You finish it with a great honey glaze as it cooks giving you that finger licking good shiny finish.  This is a fun way to switch up your grilled chicken routine!

Today I am going to give you a quick peek into the strange inner workings of my family.  I hope it doesn’t weird you out to much!  

We went through a phase when I was a kid where we went to the Chinese buffet semi-regularly for lunch.

I don’t remember if it was a birthday thing or just a way to get us out of the house for a bit when we were all at home during the summer.

I guess it doesn’t really matter.     

One of the items on the buffet that always found its way onto everybody’s plate was the red meat threaded on a skewer.  You know what I’m talking about.       

None of us knew what it was really called, so we had a family nickname for it.  Are you ready?  

Oh my.  

No, really prepare yourself.  

Ready now? 

Ok, we all called in monkey butt on a stick.  

Who knows how it started, but it stuck.  We still call it that to this day.  I don’t know what’s wrong with us… please send help!

So, when I was brainstorming ideas for something fun as our entry for the big grill-off I knew I had a winner on my hands as soon as I thought of char siu chicken.  It would be perfect! 

In the week leading up to the competition, everyone was getting really excited and couldn’t help but give some clues as to what they were making.  I quietly nodded, very careful not to give anything away. 

The day of the big contest, the grills circled and the fire was lit.  I waited until the last minute to bring out the bag of red chicken for my husband to grill.  

My brother K.C. quickly came over to inspect what we had going on.  I asked him if he knew what it was.  He quickly answered “Chicken Butt!”  

Ha!  Basically 😉

We have made this a few times now, with varying degrees of food coloring and a couple of different lengths of marinating.  Though the food coloring really shouldn’t affect the flavor much, it at least makes a mental difference.  

We really like the really red chicken more than that slightly red chicken.  It’s probably all in our heads, but it definitely makes more of an impact. 

We also like the chicken better with a full 3 days in the marinade, though again the shorter times still had good flavor.  Just buy really fresh chicken with a long date on it and let them really soak it up.

I am sure we will eventually make a version using pork and treading it on skewers for the full monkey butt on a stick experience.  But I will tell you a secret, the chicken thighs are actually better! 

After you try these, you should also try making a Bacon Explosion.  It is another recipe that is always a hit at our family gatherings.

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