Juicy roasted chicken thighs that are sweet and savory with Chinese five spice. This easy Chinese five spice chicken recipe is ready with simple ingredients! A delicious main dish that's packed with flavor!
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Chinese five spice chicken features roasted chicken thighs seasoned with Chinese five spice, soy sauce, honey, vinegar, mustard, and other seasonings.
This easy chicken recipe is simple to make at home with Asian pantry ingredients. There's also no marinating time, but you can marinate if you wish!
Chinese Five Spice is made of ground cloves, star anise, cinnamon, Szechuan peppercorns and fennel seeds.
This spice has a warm licorice flavor with a numbing taste and it's often used in Chinese cuisine.
I love making this on busy weeknights, especially during the cold weather, as you can prepare the chicken in advance and bake it in the oven.
This Asian-style chicken pairs best with steamed rice and vegetables. You won't find this at Chinese restaurants, but you can easily make it at home!
Why you'll love this recipe:
- Easy to make!
- Made with simple ingredients.
- Family-friendly!
- Great for meal preparation.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to the below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Bone-in Skin-on Chicken Thighs: or substitute with chicken legs or chicken drumsticks and cook until an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Green Onions: for garnishing.
Sauce
- Liquid Honey: or substitute with maple syrup or corn syrup.
- Regular Soy Sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce, light soy sauce, tamari sauce, or coconut aminos.
- Neutral Oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil. Avoid olive oil or any low-smoke point oil.
- Chinese Five Spice Powder: or substitute with all-spice.
- Rice Vinegar (aka rice wine vinegar): or substitute with apple cider vinegar or white vinegar.
- Sesame Seeds: or substitute with sesame oil. If you're allergic to sesame, omit this ingredient.
- Yellow Mustard: the liquid kind not the powder. Or substitute with honey mustard or smooth Dijon mustard (not the coarse or seeded kind).
- Garlic Powder: avoid substituting with minced garlic or it'll burn in the oven.
- Salt
- Black Pepper: or substitute with white pepper.
Variation
- Gluten-free variation - replace the soy sauce with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or gluten-free soy sauce.
Note: Asian ingredients are typically available at most Asian grocery stores or check online.
Expert Tips
- Use fresh chicken thighs without any odors. If the chicken smells off, get a fresher pack as it's the star ingredient.
- Pat dry the chicken thighs to remove excess moisture, so the sauce can stick.
- Use a fork to poke as many holes into the chicken thighs, so the sauce can penetrate the thighs for more flavor.
- Ensure the chicken thighs are well coated in the sauce.
- If you have time, marinate the chicken for 15 minutes or longer for best taste!
- Ensure the chicken isn't touching the water in the pan or you'll end up with boiled chicken!
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make Chinese Five Spice chicken:
- Preheat the oven to 355 degrees F.
- Combine sauce ingredients as listed above in a small bowl until the honey is dissolved and set aside.
- Prepare the chicken: Pat dry chicken thighs with paper towels. Poke as many holes into the thighs with a fork and transfer them to a large mixing bowl.
- Coat chicken with sauce: Pour the sauce over chicken thighs and mix until evenly coated. (If you have time, marinate for 15 minutes or longer in the fridge).
- Prepare baking pan: Fill a deep 9 x 13-inch baking pan with just enough water to cover the base. Place a wire rack into pan - the top of the wire rack should not touch the water or you'll end up with boiled chicken.
- Transfer chicken to baking pan: Place chicken thighs on the wire rack, skin-side up. Evenly brush the sauce from the bowl onto the skin. Reserve the remaining sauce as a baste.
- Bake and baste: Bake for 35-40 minutes, basting every 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked (juices should run clear) or internal temperature of 165 degrees F with a digital cooking thermometer inserted at the thickest part.
- Serve: Remove from the oven. Garnish with green onions and enjoy!
Storage
- Chinese five spice chicken will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge, once cooled. To enjoy, reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until hot throughout.
- Cooked Chinese five spice chicken can be frozen for up to 2-3 months in a freezer-safe bag, once cooled. To enjoy, defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until hot throughout.
Pairing Suggestions
Chinese five spice chicken serves well with:
- starters like egg rolls, crab rangoons, egg drop soup, or hot and sour soup.
- white or brown rice, or fried rice.
- chow mein, lo mein, or plain noodles.
- cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
- protein dishes like Soy Sauce Chicken, Oven-Roasted Char Siu or Air Fryer Char Siu, or Chinese Roasted Pork Belly.
FAQ
Chinese five spice chicken can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge, once cooled. To reheat, microwave or reheat on the stovetop until hot throughout.
To air fry Chinese five spice chicken: Preheat the air fryer to 380 F for 5 minutes. Evenly spray the air fryer basket with neutral oil. Place the coated chicken thighs skin-side down in a single layer giving each piece enough room (you'll need to air fry in batches). Brush the bone-side with sauce from the bowl. Air fry for 12 minutes. Flip chicken over and baste the skin-side. Air fry for another 10-15 minutes until cooked, or an internal temperature of 165 F with a digital cooking thermometer.
Chinese five spice can be used to season meats and tofu. It also can be used to season broths, in stir-fries, noodles, vegetables and more!
More like this
📖 Recipe
Easy & Simple Chinese Five Spice Honey Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb skin-on bone-in chicken thighs about 4 thighs
- 1 green onion finely chopped for garnishing
Sauce
- 3 tablespoon honey or maple syrup / corn syrup
- 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce or light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- 1 tablespoon Chinese five spice
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or apple cider / white vinegar
- ½ tablespoon sesame seeds or sesame oil
- 2 teaspoon yellow mustard or honey mustard / smooth dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper or white pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 355 degrees F.
- Combine sauce ingredients as listed above in a small bowl until the honey is dissolved and set aside.
- Pat dry chicken thighs with paper towels. Poke as many holes into the thighs with a fork and transfer them to a large mixing bowl.
- Pour the sauce over chicken thighs and mix until evenly coated. (If you have time, marinate for 15 minutes or longer in the fridge).
- Fill a deep 9 x 13-inch baking pan with just enough water to cover the base. Place a wire rack into pan - the top of the wire rack should not touch the water or you'll end up with boiled chicken.
- Place chicken thighs on the wire rack, skin-side up. Evenly brush the sauce from the bowl onto the skin. Reserve the remaining sauce as a baste.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, basting every 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked (juices should run clear) or internal temperature of 165 degrees F with a digital cooking thermometer inserted at the thickest part.
- Remove from the oven. Garnish with green onions and enjoy!
Baker Tara
What does “mustard” mean? Dry or yellow?
christieathome
Yellow mustard in the bottle form
kait
Tastes great on the grill!
christieathome
So glad you enjoyed it and I appreciate the kind review, Kait! Thanks for making my recipe! The grill must add some great flavor 🙂
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
The Chinese five spice and honey created such a luscious glaze on the your chicken... so irresistible!