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    Home » Recipes » Mains » Chinese Five Spice Chicken

    Chinese Five Spice Chicken

    Last Modified: November 15, 2022 - Published by: christieathome - Comments: 1 Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Chinese Five Spice Chicken. Tender juicy chicken thighs roasted in a delicious, savory, sweet five spice marinade.

    Chinese Five Spice Chicken

    This chicken recipe is easy to make and is perfect for dinner or lunch.

    I love serving this flavorful chicken with some jasmine rice, white rice, brown rice, or cauliflower rice (if you want a healthy option) and veggies!

    It's a great recipe to make for a large family since you can prepare the chicken the night before and, on the day of, pop it into the oven to bake.

    Chinese Five Spice Chicken

    Most of the simple ingredients can be found at your local grocery store. It's one of those easy dinner recipe ideas with a big flavor profile!

    Sheet pan dinners are the perfect solution for those busy weeknight meals! The only thing with this recipe is that you'll need to baste the chicken every 10 minutes for extra flavor.

    Chinese Five Spice Chicken

    Easy Chinese Five Spice Chicken Recipe

    This recipe is very easy to make at home! You're simply mixing your marinade in a bowl. Then coating the chicken in the marinade. You also have the option to marinate the chicken or not, depending on how much time you have. Finally bake it and you'll have a delicious tender chicken dish!

    Marinating recommended but not required!

    Yes, you heard me correctly, I've tested this recipe with and without marinating time and you can skip marinating and just pop the seasoned chicken into the oven. Of course, for best results, I recommend marinating for at least 15 minutes or overnight.

    Ingredients

    You will need the below ingredients for my Chinese five spice chicken recipe. Please scroll down to the below Recipe card for full measurements.

    • Chicken thighs with bone in skin on: I'm a big fan of dark meat specifically chicken thighs as they're tender and forgiving if you happen to overcook them due to the fat.
      • You may use boneless chicken thighs with skin on but please reduce the cooking time to 20-25 minutes until you reach an internal temperature of 165 F or until juices run clear.
      • If you want very tender juicy chicken, I would stick to thighs and avoid using chicken breast.
    • Green onions (optional): This is an optional garnish to your five-spice chicken.

    Chinese Five Spice Chicken Marinade:

    • Chinese five spice: Chinese five-spice powder is a combination of star anise, Chinese cinnamon, fennel seed, and cloves. The fifth spice usually ranges between Sichuan peppercorns, ginger, or white pepper. Any local supermarket or online retailer like Amazon will carry this seasoning blend.
      • If you can't find this spice, sub with all-spice powder.
    • Garlic powder: This enhances the taste of your Chinese 5-spice chicken thighs by giving it a garlicky taste! You may use regular garlic but I prefer the powder form so it can coat the chicken evenly.
    • Salt: To help season your chicken pieces and to bring out the flavors of the delicious spice blend.
    • Black pepper: Just like salt, black pepper is a key ingredient to help season your chicken.
    • Avocado oil: or any neutral oil like vegetable oil, peanut oil, grapeseed oil, canola oil. Do not use olive oil as it doesn't contain a high smoking point.
    • Rice vinegar or white vinegar: This gives the 5-spice chicken recipe that acidity it needs.
    • Regular Soy sauce: Just your regular soy sauce. Do not sub with dark soy sauce. You may use light soy sauce or low sodium soy sauce but please add to taste as light soy sauce is saltier than regular soy sauce.
    • Sesame seeds: Or sub with ½ tbsp sesame oil for a stronger sesame flavor.
    • Honey: This gives this Chinese chicken dish a sweet taste. Maple syrup is another great option.
    • Mustard: It helps make the sticky sauce slightly thicker and gives the chicken a sharp flavor and helps to bring out the flavors of the marinade.

    Required: a deep baking sheet or baking pan that can hold water, wire rack, mixing bowl

    How to make Chinese Five Spice Chicken

    Please scroll down to the below Recipe card for full instructions.

    1. Preheat oven to 355 degrees F.
    2. In a small bowl, whisk together marinade ingredients.
    3. Pat dry chicken thighs with clean paper towel. Transfer chicken thighs into a large bowl or a resealable plastic bag or Ziploc bag. Pour marinade over chicken thighs and mix until chicken is coated. Alternatively, if you're using a resealable bag, pour marinade over chicken and squeeze out excess air. Marinate for 15 minutes or overnight for better results. If you're short on time, you can actually skip marinating the chicken and it will be flavorful as is.
    4. Fill a deep 9 x 13-inch baking pan with enough water to cover the base of the pan. Place a wire rack into pan. Place chicken thighs bone side down, skin side up on top of rack. Make sure the water isn't touching thighs. Reserve the remaining marinade as a basting sauce.
    5. Bake for 10 minutes on the middle rack of the oven. Then remove from the oven and baste with remaining marinade.
    6. Then bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and baste again.
    7. Repeat the above step one more time.
    8. Finally, bake again for another 15 minutes (with or without basting, choice is yours) until cooked through to an internal temperature of 165 F or until juices run clear. Garnish with finely chopped green onions (optional) and enjoy!

    FAQ

    Below are frequently asked questions about these Chinese five spice chicken thighs:

    What can I use Chinese 5 spice for?

    This delicious spice can be used to season meat like chicken, pork or beef and vegan plant-based protein sources like tofu. It also can be used to season broths, vegetables, cakes and desserts.

    What is 5 spice made up of?

    It’s a mix of Chinese cinnamon, star anise, fennel seeds, Sichuan peppercorn and cloves. The fifth spice ranges between Sichuan peppercorns, ginger or white pepper.

    What can I use if I don't have Chinese five spice?

    You may substitute with All-spice or a combination of cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and ground cloves to mimic the flavor profile.

    Other recipes you may like!

    If you like my honey Chinese five spice with chicken, check out my other chicken recipes:

    • SOY HOISIN CHICKEN THIGHS
    • SOY MAPLE GLAZED CHICKEN
    • MONGOLIAN CHICKEN
    • OYSTER SAUCE BRAISED CHICKEN WINGS
    • HONEY SESAME CHICKEN
    • SESAME CHICKEN
    • KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN
    • CHICKEN ADOBO
    • TAIWANESE POPCORN CHICKEN
    • SALT AND PEPPER CHICKEN

    *This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.

    chinese five spice honey chicken

    Easy Chinese Five Spice Honey Chicken

    christieathome
    Chinese Five Spice Honey Chicken. Tender juicy chicken thighs roasted in a delicious, savory, sweet five spice marinade. Easy to make at home and perfect as a main for a meal.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 45 mins
    Total Time 50 mins
    Course dinner, lunch
    Cuisine Chinese
    Servings 4 thighs
    Calories per serving 350 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 lb bone in skin on chicken thighs (4 thighs)
    • 1 green onion finely chopped (optional for garnish)

    Marinade

    • 1 tbsp Chinese five spice or sub with all-spice powder
    • 1 tsp garlic powder or sub with 2 tsp minced garlic
    • ½ tsp salt
    • ¼ tsp black pepper
    • 2 tbsp avocado oil or sub with any neutral oil
    • 1 tbsp rice vinegar or white vinegar
    • 2 tbsp soy sauce not light or dark!
    • 1 tbsp sesame seeds or sub with ½ tbsp sesame oil
    • 3 tbsp honey or sub with maple syrup
    • 2 tsp mustard

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 355 degrees F.
    • In a small bowl, whisk together Marinade ingredients as listed above.
    • Pat dry chicken thighs with clean paper towel. Transfer chicken thighs into a large bowl or a resealable plastic bag or Ziploc bag. Pour marinade over chicken thighs and mix until chicken is coated. Alternatively, if you're using a resealable bag, pour marinade over chicken and squeeze out excess air.
    • Marinate for 15 minutes or overnight for better results. If you're short on time, you can skip this step and go to Step 5 and it will be flavorful as is.
    • Fill a deep 9 x 13 inch baking pan with enough water to cover the base of the pan. Place a wire rack into pan. Place chicken thighs bone side down, skin side up on top of rack. Make sure the water isn't touching thighs. Reserve the remaining marinade as a basting sauce.
    • Bake for 10 minutes on the middle rack of the oven. Then remove from the oven and baste with remaining marinade.
    • Then bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and baste again.
    • Repeat the above step one more time.
    • Finally, bake again for another 15 minutes (with or without basting, choice is yours) until cooked through to an internal temperature of 165 F or until juices run clear. Garnish with finely chopped green onions (optional) and enjoy!

    Notes

    These chicken thighs will last 4 days store in a sealed container in the fridge. They can be reheated in the microwave or on the stove top for later. 
    Enjoyed my recipe?Please leave a 5 star review (be kind)! Tag me on social media @christieathome as I'd love to see your creations!
    Copyright PolicyPlease do not copy and paste my recipes or use my photos in your own site/blog or social media. If you use my recipe for adaptation, please provide a link back to my recipe and re-write in your own words. Thank you.

    Suggested Equipment & Products

    Mixing bowl
    Whisk
    Deep baking pan 9 x 13 inches
    Large wire rack
    Nutrition
    Calories: 350kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 897mg | Potassium: 282mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 113IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 2mg
    Course dinner, lunch
    Cuisine Chinese
    Keyword chicken in chinese five spice, chicken recipes using chinese five spice, chinese five spice chicken baked, chinese five spice chicken marinade, chinese five spice chicken recipe, chinese five spice chicken thigh recipes, chinese five spice chicken thighs
    « Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken
    Chicken Pineapple Fried Rice »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Heidi | The Frugal Girls

      April 05, 2021 at 5:08 pm

      5 stars
      The Chinese five spice and honey created such a luscious glaze on the your chicken... so irresistible!

      Reply

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    Christie

    Christie is an Asian Recipe Blogger sharing delicious recipes that you can make at home! Her goal is to make Asian cooking approachable and less intimidating. With a social media following of over 500k, she has been featured on Buzz Feed Tasty, Food52, The Kitchn and more! Christie's recipes have been made over and over again by her loyal readers.

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