Char Siu Chicken (Paleo, Whole30, Gluten Free)

This Whole30, paleo, and gluten-free Char Siu Chicken is a quick and tasty pork-free spin on my crowd-pleasing paleo Char Siu recipe. Slathered with a sticky-sweet sauce, these roasted boneless chicken thighs are a healthy take on Chinese BBQ chicken!

What is Char Siu chicken?

Char Siu Chicken is a riff on char siu, a traditional Chinese dish made by marinating strips of pork shoulder in a sweet and savory sauce and then roasting or grilling them until the meat is tender and the sauce is caramelized. For Char Siu Chicken, skinless chicken thighs are coated with a marinade that typically includes soy sauce, honey, hoisin sauce, red fermented bean curd, and five-spice powder. This dish is often served as an appetizer or main course and enjoyed with rice, noodles, or vegetables.

My Whole30 Char Siu Chicken recipe

My Paleo Char Siu Pork’s been a Nomster favorite for years, but I’ve fielded plenty of requests from non-pork-eaters to create a Whole30-compatible Char Siu Chicken recipe. So I came up with a simple weeknight dish using my original paleo Char Siu sauce that doesn’t even require marinating the chicken beforehand! This healthy and gluten-free Char Siu Chicken is perfect for meal planning ’cause you can throw it in the oven or air fryer on a weeknight and eat the leftovers throughout the rest of the week!

Ingredients

• Boneless skinless chicken thighs: I use this cut of chicken because it cooks quickly, doesn’t dry out easily, and tastes better than chicken breast. If you must, you can use boneless and skinless breasts, but make sure you don’t overcook them. Bone-in cuts like chicken drumsticks or wings will also work, but make sure you adjust the cooking time.
• Umami Stir-Fry Powder or Diamond Crystal kosher salt: My Umami Stir-Fry Powder is the perfect salt blend for all of my Chinese-inspired dishes because it incorporates salt with traditional Chinese seasonings like dried shiitake mushrooms, garlic, ginger, green onion, and white pepper. If you don’t have a jar of this stuff—the recipe is in our green cookbook or you can buy it online—you can substitute Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
• Avocado oil
• Plum, peach or apricot jam, sweetened only with fruit juice (I like St. Dalfour brand): Adds sweetness to the sauce without adding sugar or honey. Make sure you buy a brand sweetened with only fruit if you’re doing a Whole30.
• Coconut aminos: I use this condiment as a paleo and Whole30-compatible soy sauce substitute.
• Almond butter: I use it in place of the fermented bean curd in the sauce to add a delightful nuttiness. Nut allergy? You can substitute tahini.
• Tomato paste: In place of ketchup, I use tomato paste to impart umami and give the sauce its distinctive red color.
• Red Boat fish sauce: I always pair coconut aminos with a dash of umami-packed fish sauce to replicate the flavor of soy sauce.
• Chinese five spice powder: This spice blend typically contains star anise, cloves, cinnamon, and fennels seeds and gives the sauce its distinctive flavor.
• Ground ginger

How to make Char Siu Chicken

Heat oven and season the chicken

Heat the oven to 400°F on convection mode or 425°F conventional mode with the rack in the middle position. While the oven is heating, pat the chicken dry with paper towels and then sprinkle on Umami Stir-Fry Powder or Diamond Crystal kosher salt.

Pour in the avocado oil and toss well to season the chicken evenly.

Arrange the chicken in a single layer, smooth-side down, on a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. (Yes, you can line the baking pan with aluminum foil if you want to ensure an even easier clean-up.)

Bake the chicken

Pop the tray in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.

Make the Char Siu Sauce

While the chicken is baking, make the sauce. In a small bowl, combine the jam, coconut aminos, tomato paste, almond butter, fish sauce, five spice powder, and ground ginger.

Whisk until smooth.

Baste the chicken with the sauce

Once the chicken has baked for 15 minutes, flip the chicken smooth-side up and brush ⅔ of the sauce on top of the chicken.

Bake for 5 to 7 more minutes and rotate the tray 180° before basting the chicken with the remaining sauce.

If you prefer your chicken to be more browned, broil it for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. The Char Siu Chicken is ready when the sauce is browned in parts and an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reaches 170°F.

Cut up and serve!

Remove from the oven, transfer to a cutting board, and slice it all up!

How to cook Char Siu Chicken in the Air Fryer

Depending on the size of your air fryer basket, you’ll probably have to cook the thighs in a few batches. Lay the chicken smooth-side up in a single layer in the basket and air fry at 400°F for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes is finished, brush the sauce on top and air fry for 2 to 5 more minutes or until the sauce is browned in parts and an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reaches 170°F.

How do you save leftovers?

Store any leftover chicken in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can cut up the leftover chicken and throw it in soups, salads, fried cauliflower rice, stir-fries—you name it!

What do you serve with it?

• Simple Cauliflower Rice
• Asian Cauliflower Fried Rice
• Golden Cauliflower Fried Rice
• Chopped Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing
• Pineapple Coleslaw
• Smashed Cucumber and Carrot Salad
• Quick Sugar Snap Peas with Basil, Lime, and Mint

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Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).

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