The holidays season might be over but for those celebrating Lunar New Year, the festive season has just begun.
The year of Dragon falls on January 23, 2012 and marks the celebration of Lunar New Year.
Walk down the aisles of Asian grocery stores, especially Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese here in the United States, you’ll see lots of Lunar New Year goodies out on display.
This year, I’m going to share a series of delicious Chinese New Year recipes so you’ll be able to prepare a full course Chinese menu with my recipes!
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Chicken is a must-eat during Chinese New Year.
Whole chicken is especially auspicious and it’s prepared for prayers to the ancestors in traditional Chinese homes.
While regular boiled or steamed chicken is a common dish to serve, I’m partial to roast chicken, especially Cantonese BBQ style.
My roast chicken is the kind you would get at Chinatown.
There are certain techniques and secret ingredients involved to get to the desired taste and texture.
I marinated the chicken overnight, and then air dry it for a few hours before roasting.
I also created a special concoction for the skin to ensure crispiness.
The best part of the roast chicken is the juice seeping out during the roasting process; drizzle the juice on steamed rice while you sink your teeth into the moist and tender pieces of chicken.
This Chinese-style roast chicken is simply delicious and imparts the signature “烧腊” (Cantonese BBQ) aroma and flavors.
You definitely have to check out my secret Chinese roast chicken recipe.
Lunar New Year celebration lasts for 15 days, so below are more chicken recipes to whet your appetite.
Also, don’t forget that I have 80+ Chinese recipes in my cookbook “Easy Chinese Recipes.” Pick up a copy today and celebrate Dragon year with scrumptious and authentic Chinese food.
What Dishes to Serve with this Recipe?
This meal is best served as the main course.
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
How Many Calories Per Serving?
This recipe is only 494 calories per serving.
5 Secrets to 20 Min Dinners
Get tricks for quick & easy meals!
Chinese-style Roast Chicken Recipe
Chinese roast chicken recipe. Flavorful, juicy, and absolutely mouthwatering, and it's quick and easy to make for the entire family!
Ingredients
- 1 chicken, about 2 1/2 - 3 lbs
- 4 cloves garlic, lightly pounded
- 1- inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced
Marinade:
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinese rose wine (or Shaoxing wine)
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 dashes white pepper
Skin Coating:
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
Directions
- 1
Clean the chicken with water and pat dry inside and out. Truss the chicken. (I did only the legs part and not whole body.)
- 2
Mix the Marinade ingredients well in a small bowl and rub it generously on the skin of the chicken and also the cavity. Insert the garlic and ginger inside the cavity and then transfer it into a Ziploc bag. Pour the remaining Marinade into the bag and marinate the chicken overnight. You can turn the plastic bag to make sure that the chicken is evenly marinated.
- 3
Take the chicken out of the plastic bag, discard the garlic and ginger in the cavity. Air dry the chicken for about 30 minutes at room temperature or until the skin surface is no longer wet. You can turn on a fan. Mix the Skin Coating ingredients well in a small bowl. Set aside.
- 4
Heat up the oven to 400 Degrees F. Place the chicken in a roasting pan (at the lower rack) and roast for about 45 minutes. Check the chicken at 30 minutes point and if the skin is browned too soon, cover the chicken with a sheet of aluminum foil. Remove the chicken from the oven and turn it to the underside of the chicken and roast for 15 minutes. Remove it from the oven and brush the entire chicken with the Skin Coating mixture. Continue to roast the chicken for about 5-10 minutes on each side, or until both sides of the chicken become a golden-hued brown in color. Remove from the oven, let cool, chop up and serve immediately. Save the juice from the chicken and serve with steamed rice.
Aliah
Hi Bee,
What do you think would be a suitable non-alcoholic sub fro the wine? Thanks!
Rasa Malaysia
Skip it.
Judy
This recipe was so delicious! I couldn’t believe how juicy the chicken was. This recipe easily ranks among the best roast chickens I’ve ever made. I followed the ingredients exactly. I marinaded it overnight and the second night left it uncovered in the fridge to dry out. I didn’t truss the chicken but used the rack, sheet pan, and baking steel combo described on the Serious Eats website. I actually thought I overcooked the bird based on temp but the chicken was seriously juicy. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Judy, thanks so much for trying my Chinese roast chicken. Please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
Krisanne
Hi, Could I do this recipe in a Air Fryer ??
Cheers
Rasa Malaysia
Yes you can.
Cristina
I dont understand how the chicken burnt so fast I did follow the recipe very well.
Mary Bostow
Oh This looks so good. This is one of my favorite chinese takeout food. You’ve done a brilliant job. Pinning!
Julie
This seems reminiscent of the BBQ ducks and chickens hanging in shops in NYC Chinatown. I haven’t been home for years so I am anxious to try this recipe. I see people here have mentioned scalding the skin and you have responded but I don’t see this step in the recipe. Am I missing something? And, why would we scald after marinating…is it to rinse skin for uniform coloring while roasting? I once made a roast pork when I was a 12 and I hung it from string in my regular oven to roast. Could I do that with this recipe?
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Julie, please follow the recipe as is and don’t try to do something different. I can’t guarantee the same results if it’s not the way my recipe is. I think you can hang it in your oven if you can manage to hold the whole chicken in the oven.
Teo Ai Li
Hi! Is it top and bottom heating or is it just top cooking? Thanks!
Rasa Malaysia
All around heating.
Teo ai li
Hi! Can I roast the chicken in the oven on a turnspit? So is it still at 200C? Thanks
Rasa Malaysia
I think so. Let me know how it goes.
Sue
Air dry 30 min as per your recipe or 3 hours as per the comments ?