There is nothing more satisfying than enjoying the perfect Chinese roast chicken with super crispy skin.

I know there is nothing simpler than roast chicken. However, you need to know certain tricks if you want this crispy skin chicken with tender meat underneath.

And it can be more satisfying to make a crispy roast chicken with golden brown skin, gleaming and juicy.

Update:

“I had posted the Chinese roasted chicken recipe two years ago. I spent the last few days in the kitchen revisiting the recipe and completely rewrote this article.
To my readers who have tried my recipe, I hope the tips help to bring your roast chicken skill to the next level.
To the first-timer, I will be thrilled if you inform me that you have picked up some technique and are happy with the result.”

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

The criteria for the best Chinese roast chicken

This Chinese-style roast chicken recipe is developed based on two other famous Chinese dishes, crispy fried chicken (琵琶鸡), which is a favorite Cantonese recipe, and Peking duck (北京鸭).

The skin is so crispy that it resembles crackers when it is fresh from the oven. The aroma that perfumed the kitchen will make everyone wanting for more.

The setback is, you need to know how the inside tricks. I have revealed all these tricks here so that you can enjoy making this Asian roast chicken at home.

What is the roast chicken standard that you need to measure up?

1. How to let the flavor penetrate to the deepest part beneath the skin

No matter what marinade you use, you must marinate the chicken for at least half a day, or 24 hours if you have sufficient time. The long marinating time will allow the flavor to penetrate to the deepest part of the meat beneath the skin.

The original Cantonese recipes include maltose, but honey is equally good. It is also readily available in any part of the world. Both ingredients add flavor to the meat and help to develop a golden color skin through caramelization.

Szechuan peppercorn has a unique flavor. You can use black pepper if you wish. Use a blender or mortar and pestle to grind the Szechuan peppercorn until it becomes a fine powder. Toast it in a pan for a while and cool it before using it.

Tips: Leave the chicken in the refrigerator overnight to get the best result.

2. How to create the crispy skin

Here is the most challenging part of the recipe

To ensure the skin of the chicken is crispy, you need to remove as much moisture as possible. It’s hard to crisp up the skin by relying solely on the high temperatures of the oven.

The best way to achieve this is to marinate it with a bit of liquid, which is only soy sauce and honey with no water is added. That is why we marinated the chicken in an upright position, uncovered and refrigerated it for at least 12 hours. The longer you do this, the crispier the skin will be when roasting.

Secondly, the fat beneath the skin must render and drain. That is why we separate the skin from the meat. By doing so, the fat will render and drip off from the skin and leave the skin dry and crisp during roasting. Carefully insert a small knife or use your fingers under the skin of the breasts and slowly working your way up to separate it from the breast. Be careful not to tear the skin.

Apply some additional salt and baking powder to the skin right before roasting. The extra salt is required because part of the salt from the marinade will not adhere to the chicken. In addition, baking powder weakens peptide bonds in the skin and helps create ultra-crisp and crackly skin.

The traditional method to make crispy roast chicken and duck is to roast it while hanging vertically in a wood-fired brick oven. The oil in between the skin and meat will render and drip out from the chicken. As a result, the skin will be crispy and crackly. This method is, of course, hard to replicate at home.

I did the following to replicate as close to the restaurant way with the limitation of the most home kitchen:

• Keep the chicken as dry as possible. That is why I use minimum liquid (no water) to constitute the marinade.
• Keep it vertically during marinating in the refrigerator to drip off any excess water. (I insert a can into the chicken cavity so that it stand vertically during marination.)
• Blow dry by using a fan before roasting. (Note: I am living in a country of high humidity, it is OK as long as the skin is dry and feel like leather when touching). I find it helpful to leave the bird in front of an air conditioner vent. The airflow will help dry the bird faster.
• Drain off the excess juice before turning the chicken over to roast the other side.

Tips 1: Marinade the chicken in an upright position, uncovered, and refrigerated it for at least 12 hours.
Tips 2: Carefully separate skin from breast meat by inserting fingers of a small knife

3. How to ensure the chicken is juicy and tender

Making a simple but perfect crispy roast chicken is a technique that should be in every home cook’s arsenal. But the reality is that perfection is difficult to achieve.

Here are my tips for roasting a tender and juicy chicken.

• Truss the chicken. Trusting the chicken means to tie the legs and wings close to the body. It helps to have a more even cooking as the extended legs and wings tend to cook faster and turn dry. It also results in a more attractive appearance. You can also wrap the tips of the chicken wings with aluminum foil to prevent over roasting.
• Roast the chicken at 220°C for the first 20 minutes to brown the chicken skin. Reduce the temperature to 160°C for another 90 minutes.
• Flip over the chicken at least once for even roasting.
• Baste the chicken with oil help to preserve the moisture of the chicken.
• Let the chicken cool down before cutting into pieces. Be sure that the chopping board is dry. Turn the skin side on top and not sticking to the chopping board, as it may affect the crispiness of the skin as well as its appearance if it is the other way.

Crispy Chinese Roast Chicken Recipe

Three simple steps to prepare the Szechuan peppercorn salt

1. Toast the peppercorns lightly over low heat in a pan for about ten minutes. Remove from the pan when it becomes totally dry, and the color turns darker slightly.
2. Place the Szechuan peppercorn and salt in a food processor or mortar and pestle.
3. Blend it until it becomes powdery. Sieve the salt and peppercorn mixture to remove the husk.

How is the original Cantonese crispy fried chicken prepared in restaurants?

It differs from the typical convenient and quick method of cooking many Chinese dishes. The quick process used in restaurants and many Chinese cooks first involves boiling the chicken in water and spices. These could include cinnamon, anise, pepper, and scallions, and other herbs and spices. After cooking, coated with a syrupy sauce of maltose, honey, and vinegar, and then deep-fried after the skin has been thoroughly dry.
Lifting the bird will improve the air circulation around it and help it cook a bit more evenly.

The origin of southern Chinese (Cantonese) cuisine

Pao (包) is the favorite Cantonese food for breakfast among the Chinese
Southern Chinese or Cantonese cuisine comes from the Guangdong province of China. It is one of eight culinary traditions of Chinese cooking, and many immigrants from this area spread the culture outside its home country. When many Americans think about Chinese food, they are thinking of Cantonese cuisine.

This province, Guangdong, is a busy trading port. Because of this, Cantonese cuisines incorporate both local and essential ingredients. Pork, chicken, and beef are common types of meat, but other examples include snakes, ducks, and snails. It is not likely that many Americans will find the snake on the menu at a local Cantonese restaurant.

Since this province of China is near the sea, seafood is also a big part of the cuisine. Chefs prefer very fresh seafood, and some restaurants even keep tanks on the premises to keep fish and shellfish alive until right before they are ready to be cooked. This tradition continues in the West, but many Chinese restaurants keep it with beautiful aquariums and not livestock tanks.

Restaurant dishes and street food

Southern China is one part of the world that made street food famous. Very commonly, street food dishes are noodle dishes. However, noodles are also served in homes and restaurants.

In Cantonese cuisine, noodles might either be boiled in soup or fried. Toppings for noodle dishes could include fish balls, shrimp balls, or slices of meat.

Chow mein is one of the most commonly recognized noodle dishes from Cantonese cooking. Typically, Hong Kong style chow mein is made with crispy deep-fried noodles, but other restaurants use soft noodles.

The roast chicken recipe can be found in most restaurant menus instead, as it involves a longer preparation time that is inconvenient for most hawkers.

How is Cantonese food usually prepared?

Typical additional ingredients in dishes include sesame oil, soy sauce, salt, sugar, and rice wine. More sparingly used are Chinese five-spice powder, hot peppers, star anise, and black pepper. You may notice that I use some of these ingredients in my Chinese Roast Chicken recipe.

Typical cooking methods include stir-frying and steaming. These methods are usually quick and convenient. However, some dishes from this region are sauteed (shallow fried), deep-fried, or braised. Most Chinese restaurants serve roast chicken and duck. Because of the significant number of ingredients and cooking methods used in this style of cuisine, menus at Cantonese restaurants might be very diverse. Conservative Cantonese chefs use spices, but they strive to produce very balanced dishes. They do not believe in adding too many spices that might overwhelm the flavor of the basic dishes. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule with dishes that make liberal use of garlic.

Other related recipes

Here are some of the recipes similar to this Chinese roast chicken that you will find interesting.

Hainanese Chicken Rice was listed as one of the “world’s 50 best foods” by CNN. Many chicken stores in Malaysian also serve the roast chicken with rice. Please find out how to prepare the chicken rice in my post.

The roast chicken legs recipe is my simple recipe if you do not intend to roast the whole chicken. This recipe shows you how to prepare the juiciest roast chicken legs we ever roasted. It is served with a unique Asian-inspired vegetable side dish compliment.