Chicken Char Siu

Char siu translates literally as “fork burn/roast”, an ancient method of fire-roasting wild boar.  While most modern Chinese BBQ uses domestic pork (and lots of red food coloring), the flavors are  also well suited to chicken.  Here I have marinated chicken pieces in a mixture of fermented soy, sherry, hoisin, 5-spice, local raw honey, chili and red bean paste (with organic beet powder for color), then slow-roasted (3 hours at 15 degrees) them until fork-tender.  The sticky, hot, sweet and sour flavors play well with sesame-roasted asparagus on the side..

Chicken Char Siu