Traditional char siu demands overnight marinating, a specialized oven, and patience you don't have at 6pm on a Tuesday. This version asks for 30 minutes — just long enough to prep your vegetables and throw together a quick side — then delivers the payoff: lacquered, mahogany-glazed chicken with edges that char and caramelize, piled over springy noodles. Smoky, sweet, savory, slightly charred. The kind of bowl that makes the table go quiet for a beat before everyone reaches for seconds.
For this recipe, we are using boneless skinless chicken thighs so that the meat stays juicy and doesn't easily get overcooked. This recipe works even if you don't have a wok—just make sure you're using a big enough non-stick pan and use a high powered burner. We find that a butane burner like this often works better than a normal stove. Of course, if you have an outdoor wok station, that is the dream!
Recommended side dishes:
- Cucumber salad
- Quick daikon and carrot pickles
- Blanched Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce
- Blanched bean sprouts with Aromatic Chili Crisp
- Addicting Cabbage Salad
Serves 4
Ingredients
Stir Fry:
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thigh
- 2 packs of KYUNU Just Noodles
- 2-3 green onions, trimmed
- 1/2 yellow onion, sliced
- 1-2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 3-4 tbsp avocado oil (or a high heat oil of your choice)
Marinade & Noodle Sauce
- 2 tsp five spice powder
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 3 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp Taiwanese Michu, Shaoxing Wine or Sake
- 4 tsp soy sauce
- 6 tbsp Taiwanese Thick Bean Paste
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 6 garlic cloves, grated
- 2 inch knob ginger, grated
- 2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
- 4 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 5-6 tsp beet root powder (optional)
Instructions
Prepare the marinade:
- In a bowl or measuring cup, combine the marinade ingredients and stir well to dissolve the sugar and beet root powder. The beet root powder will help it turn red, but is not necessary for the flavor.
- Reserve 1/3 of the marinade for the noodle sauce. Add 1/4 cup water and stir to combine, then set aside.
Marinade the chicken: Put the chicken thighs into the casserole dish and coat well with the marinade. Marinate for at least 30 minutes. Prepare the other ingredients and a side dish while it is marinading.
Prepare the vegetables:
- Cut the green onion whites into one inch segments.
- Chop the green onions and set aside for garnish.
Prepare the noodles:
- Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the noodles for 2 minutes.
- Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain really well.
- Then coat with 1 tbsp of avocado oil to prevent sticking.
Stir Fry:
- Make sure all your vegetables, spices and sauce are prepped and ready because the stir fry happens really fast!
- Pre-heat your work on high heat. Turn off the heat add 1 tsp of high heat oil to the pan and spread around with a paper towel to coat the entire inside. This ensures the wok will remain non-stick. Skip if you are using a non-stick pan.
- Add 2-3 tbsp of your high smoke point oil and the green onion whites, garlic and onions to flavor the oil. Stir fry until fragrant, but not soft. Remove and set aside.
- Turn down the heat to medium and add your chicken thighs in a single layer and sear the meat. Once browned and slightly caramelized, flip it over to sear and caramelize the other side. Pour over some of the marinade and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes until all the way cooked through. Once cooked, remove the meat and set aside. In total you will cook the chicken for about 8-10 minutes.
- Turn the heat to high. Add the noodles into the wok. Use tongs or long chopsticks to spread out the noodles to lightly sear for about 1 minute.
- Add the reserved marinade mixture over the noodles and stir well to loosen noodles and combine. Continue to sear the noodles and caramelize the sauce for about 30 seconds, stirring continuously.
- Add the onions, green onion whites, garlic, and rest of the green onions in and stir fry for another minute until well combined and the onions are done to your preference.
Plate up family style:
- Transfer the noodles onto a large serving platter on one side.
- Cut the chicken into large strips, and place on the the other side of the platter.
- Top with green onions and serve immediately!