A cross between a roasted chicken & peking duck, this peking chicken recipe is for days when you have that craving for peking duck but chicken is all you have to work with
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Chicken, love it to pieces! Whole chicken? Even better! Whole chickens around here means there’s plenty of leftovers for noodles, stir-fries, fried rice, nachos and the best part? No need for any complicated prep work with this five spice Peking chicken recipe -just marinate, stick it in the oven and away we go!
So you can imagine how often we have whole roasted chicken, typically it’s roasted with a bit of oil and some form of dry spice but today was different – I wanted peking duck, but lets be honest here, duck is not always easy to come by and who always has it laying around at home? I know I don’t.
I had a chicken, so that was what I was going to work with.
Time to play around to make a cross breed recipe 🙂
INGREDIENTS
For this Peking chicken recipe, most ingredients here should be easily found at your local grocery store.
A quick note about dark soy sauce as not everyone may have this in their pantry. It is a less salty than your average soy sauce with dark and syrupy in consistency. It gives meats that nice brown colour in Asian cooking. You can omit it but you might lose some of that nice golden brown colour that it gives the peking chicken skin.
GINGER SCALLION SAUCE (the only sauce you will ever need, seriously)
You can find detailed instructions on how to make it and what to use this sauce on here: Ginger Scallion Sauce.
Tip #1: When I use the leftover chicken for fried rice or noodles, there is usually a bit of ginger scallion sauce leftover as well. If you have extra sauce, toss it into the rice for some extra flavour. Fried rice is ALWAYS better with a bit of grated ginger. I told you this would be the only sauce you will ever need. 😛
PUTTING IT TOGETHER
The steps in this Peking chicken recipe are actually very similar to my ‘Sweet and Sticky Chinese BBQ Pork (aka Char Siu)‘ recipe, the only difference is one uses a grill\smoker and the other uses an oven.
An easy way for me to remember is to break it down into 4 simple steps:
- Marinate. There’s nothing to this. Dust 1/2 teaspoon of five spice inside the cavity of the chicken, then combine all the marinating ingredients into a ziplock or a large bowl with the chicken. You want to marinate the chicken for a minimum of 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- Cook the Chicken.
- Remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes before putting it in the oven. Stuff the ginger slices that you used for marinating into the chicken.
- Pre-heat the oven, and put the chicken in when it has come up to temperature. I highly suggest using a rack so that there is proper airflow to allow the chicken to crisp up a bit. If you don’t have a rack, you can crunch up foil into little balls to hold it up.
- Create the Basting Sauce. Cook the remaining marinade over the stovetop and add honey or maple syrup at the very end to sweeten and slightly thicken it.
- Basting. This is where the magic begins. In the first 20 minutes of the roasting the chicken will release its oil from the skin. Use a brush and baste the chicken with the drippings for the first hour, every 20 mins. After the hour mark baste with the basting sauce every 10 minutes, approximately 2-3 times.
Tip #2: If your chicken doesn’t have oil drippings, you can use a tablespoon of oil and baste it with that.
ERR…HOW DO I KNOW THE CHICKEN IS DONE?
Cooking time will always be different and vary for everyone depending on how the oven temperatures are and big the chicken is.
I highly recommend a digital meat thermometer to take the guessing game out of how long to cook meat. Insert the digital thermometer at the thickest part of the chicken, which is usually the thigh.
When I first started using the digital thermometer for chicken, I had a very hard time finding the right spot and I would always insert it between the drums and the thigh which is just…skin! doh! You want to make sure it is inserted into the meat – not the gap between the drum and the thigh. 🙂
I took it out of the oven when it reached 165F (74C). For me, it took about 1 hour and 30 minutes to reach that temperature at 350F (177C).
Let the chicken sit for an additional 10-15 minutes before carving into it to allow the juices to redistribute into the meat, and so you don’t burn your fingers. 🙂
The Kitchn has a great read on ‘Chicken Still Pink After Cooking? Don’t Panic‘ that explains the safety of the doneness of chicken.
Enjoy!
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A cross between a roasted chicken and peking duck, this recipe is for days when you have that craving for peking duck but chicken is all you have to work with.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken
- 1/2 teaspoon five spice powder (for dusting the cavity)
Marinade
- 1/4 cup light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce (for colour)
- 1 tablespoons sugar
- 5-6 slices ginger
- 1 teaspoon five spice powder (for marinade)
For Basting Sauce
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or honey)
Instructions
Preparations
- Lightly dust the inside of the chicken with 1/2 tsp of five spice powder
- In a large bowl or ziploc bag, combine the marinade and coat the chicken in it. Marinate for a minimum of 4 hours. (Preferably overnight)
Prepping the Chicken
- Remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking it and stuff the chicken with the ginger that it was marinating it.
- Setup a tray with a rack and set the chicken on it. (If you don’t have a rack, you can crunch up foil balls and set the chicken on it, you need airflow to roast the chicken optimally)
- If you are using a digital thermometer, insert it into the thickest part of the chicken, usually into the thigh without touching the bone. (Not between the drums and the thigh, but the thigh itself)
Making the Basting Sauce
- With the leftover marinade, cook it in a small pot over the stop top for 5-10 minutes and add in 2 tablespoons of maple syrup or honey at the end to sweeten and thicken it. Set this aside for basting at the end.
Roasting the Chicken
- Pre-heat the oven to 350F (177C)
- After 20 minutes, you should see oil drippings. Baste the chicken with the oil every 20 minutes for an hour. (If you don’t get any oil drippings, you can use 1-2 tablespoon of oil)
- For the last 30 minutes, start basting it every 10-15 minutes with the basting sauce.
- Remove chicken when the temperature hits 165F(74C), which is about 1 hour and 30 minutes of cooking. This may vary depending on the size of the chicken and the stove settings.
- Let the chicken rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting it.
- Enjoy! 🙂
Notes
This chicken pairs amazingly with Ginger Scallion Sauce
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Serving
- Calories: 1197 kcal
- Sugar: 13 g
- Sodium: 878 mg
- Fat: 71 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Protein: 127 g
Oh my that bird looks fantastic. I’ve made the mistake of roasting a sweet glazed chicken at a higher temperature and not been too happy with the results. I think 350F is just right. I am a big, big fan of asian flavoured roast chicken served with dipping sauces and the ginger scallion sauce looks perfect. Props on using an instant read thermometer as well. One thing – I am not a big fan of 5 spice (weird, I know). Is there something you think I could substitute?
I actually did the same thing a few times with putting the oven up to 400F, because logic says hotter means crispier! haha I got blacken chicken instead. A lot of people are actually not a fan of five spice, possibly the anise taste a little like licorice? Hrmmm I’d say just go for a pinch of cinnamon and that might work or omit it altogether, i’d probably even throw in a few whole cloves of garlic into the cavity with the ginger to give it some more flavour! but to be honest, I find it’s the sweet glaze is what makes the chicken 🙂
This chicken looks delicious, especially that flavorful skin. And I can’t wait to try that ginger scallion sauce. I agree on the thermometer recommendation – buying a meat thermometer has saved me from ever having a dry chicken again – definitely a must!
I don’t know how I survived before a meat thermometer. I swear I was blind cooking meat before it haha. *High-Five* for no more dry meat! Seriously one of the best purchases in my kitchen. If you make nothing else, I’d highly suggest the sauce. Wierd eh? That stuff is magic and goes on everything and takes 5 minutes to make. 🙂
There’s nothing in the world like a gorgeous roasted chicken and yours is BEYOND gorgeous! The color on it is spectacular– my mouth is watering already. Love the use of the five spice powder here and great tips on checking for chicken doneness (my worst fear in life is undercooked chicken– not even kidding) Can’t wait to try it!
Aww thanks Alyssa! 🙂 Terry has a fear of raw chicken as well haha so it’s not uncommon here to just see him nuking it in the microwave ‘just to be sure’
What a delicious looking recipe! You’re right, I always think about making peking duck, but am never motivated enough o hunt one down. Chicken on the other hand is so easy. Your chicken looks absolutely beautiful, I look forward to seeing if I can replicate it! Ginger scallion sauce is always one of my favorites. Especially for chicken dishes.
How I see is, chickens are easy to come by so why not use it right? and when you make it enough time, you will be well seasoned enough to tackle the duck! and yes the sauce is so so awesome even with just plain rice. 🙂 Thank you for your kind words Danielle!
These chicken pictures look absolutely gorgeous! I always roast my chicken the same way, and have been needing an exciting new method. I’d love to try this! With my big crew of kids here, I have to cook 2 chickens to feed everyone (and sadly no leftovers, haha!). Do you think this recipe would double well?
For some odd reason I always have a surplus of chickens laying around here haha and I myself always just go for the dry rubs as well. Auto-pilot haha. Yes this doubles well! 🙂 There’s nothing to this recipe, just the marinating and the basting and you won’t run out of baste – I had extra! 🙂
Even if I hadn’t read the recipe, I’d want to make this gorgeous chicken based on the photographs! This is the sexiest chicken I’ve ever seen and I want to eat it immediately! Thanks for sharing! Oh, and yes, I did read the recipe lol. Pinning for later!
Thanks for such kind words Erica! Sexy chicken! First time hearing that!
Oh ! This is one of my kind of delicious spicy (i.e. the 5-spice powder) yummy chicken and the ginger/onion dip. Your receipe is easy to make . Thanks Joyce
No worries, I am happy you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
The pictures are making me drool. I agree with the use of dark soy sauce too for the colour; it looks so tasty and I just want to reach through my computer screen and eat it! I need to try this recipe for sure! Thanks, Joyce!
haha Thanks so much Marie. It sucks you live so far away, I’d totally drop by with one just to share!! 🙂
Has anyone tried this with regular soy sauce instead of the lite? Thanks!
Hi April!
You can use regular soy sauce as well with no problems 🙂 When I’m out of light soy, I usually just use regular soy sauce instead. 🙂
Thank you! Going to try it tonight! 🙂
Awesome! 😀 Let me know how it goes and don’t hesitate to message me if you have any questions during your make! 🙂
That chicken looks absolutely incredible. I’m all about roasts this time of year (in theory if it is not 90 degrees) but I’ve never done a roast with Asian inspiration. I’ll try for sure.
Oh I hear ya, the oven seems to be a secondary source of heat in my house too haha x_X Hope you enjoy this! 🙂
WOW! What a gorgeous color on that skin! This looks and sounds amazing!
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😀 The colour on the skin comes from the dark soy! 🙂 Neat eh?
What an incredible looking chicken! Love these flavors. This would disappear in no time at our house!
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Means you need to make two! 😀 haha 🙂
I’ve been shy about making Peking Duck. You make it looks so easy. Thanks for sharing this and all of your beautiful photos:)
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You’re too kind. 🙂 It really is quite easy! 😀 Hope you enjoy it!
That is the most beautiful looking chicken I have ever laid eyes on I think! Man, this sounds absolutely amazing! I definitely need to try it!
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Hope you enjoy it as much as I do! It’s definitely my fave way to have chicken!
OMG this chicken looks divine! I cook whole chicken often too and I’m always on a look out for a new great recipe. I will be making this for sure!
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I know what you mean, I’m in the same boat! You can’t have too many whole chicken recipes right? 🙂
Wow, this may just be the most beautiful roast chicken I’ve ever come across! Pinning to try!
You are too kind. 🙂
Everyone from our family love to eat this ROASTED FIVE SPICE PEKING CHICKEN. Said yummy yummy. I just marinated the whole chicken following your ingredients. Then put into oven till done. Easy to make.
Will do it again some day. Thank you.
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Pleasure is mine! I love sharing recipes and I am so happy to hear your family loved it! 🙂
Hi Joyce! I’m actually VERY interested in trying this recipe – though I’ve never had an inkling to make or try Peking anything before lol
Question: I’ve read the recipe a few times and am trying to determine what you mean by use the rest of the marinade to heat and baste the chicken with. Are you putting all of the marinade on the chicken to marinate then using what’s left in the bowl to heat and add syrup to? OR do you set some of the marinade aside before marinating the chicken? If this is the case, how much do you set aside before you marinate?
I’m asking because I personally would not reuse leftover overnight marinade from raw chicken. But I’m not sure if that’s essential to making this recipe a success.
THANK YOU!!!! (:
Hi AC!
Don’t worry you are not alone, I would not directly use raw marinade to baste the chicken with as well, heehee!
So what I mean is pour the marinade (that used to marinade the chicken) into a pot, and heat it up and cook out the germs and while it is cooking, add some honey or maple syrup to thicken it up a little bit as well. Once it is slightly thickened, then you can use it to baste the chicken near the end. 🙂 You don’t need to set aside marinade aside. Hope that helps? Don’t hesitate to ask anymore questions.
That absolutely answered my question! Thank you so much for getting back to me! I’ll be making this wonderful recipe tomorrow <3
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Woohoo! 🙂 <3 Let me know if you have any more questions! 🙂
What is the difference between dark soy sauce and regular soy sauce I use kikkoman the oldest?
Hi Davey,
Dark soy is a syrupy, and usually less salty soy sauce that is mainly used to add a natural brown colour to the chicken (or any foods). Regular soy sauce is a lighter brown and has a more watery consistency but is a lot more saltier than dark soy. If you don’t have dark soy you can add half the amount in regular soy sauce (in this case instead of using 2 tablespoons of dark soy, you can use 1 tablespoon of regular soy sauce instead) the only difference is you might not get as much brown colour you see on the chicken skin 🙂
Hope that helps!
I’ve just found your lovely blog on Pinterest. The photo of the chicken certainly got my attention. Yum! I will be making this for sure. I must brag though. A couple of weeks ago I bought 7 frozen ducks! I couldn’t resist since they were half price. There was zero space left in my freezer 🙂 I’ve been using a Peking duck spice mix on them I found at the Asian supermarket. Lovely!
No way! I’m jealous haha! We just had frozen duck on sale recently too but my freezer is so full I couldn’t buy more than 1! haha and thank you for your kind words 🙂
Now I am craving duck! heehee
I have yet to make this recipe but I did get a recipe for crispy duck from a chinese neighbor from a old lady from china. I had to use a verticle roaster along with the recipe the duck came out restaraunt quality great crispy brown skin moist juicy meat I even made my own shrimp fried rice and egg rolls from scratch following Pinterest recipes. Yum when I can afford the side dishes I will try the chicken as posted will not use vertical roaster
I honestly think the recipes passed on are truly wonderful gems! You’re super lucky! 🙂 I haven’t had a duck recipe passed on to me yet so I’m definitely still experimenting with this poultry – I find the meat is a lot more tougher and harder to work with than chicken. Speaking of chicken, I think the vertical roaster would work very well with this chicken! I haven’t suggested it because not many people have it and to be honest – I didn’t think of it myself as well! 😀 heehee Your roast duck and shrimp fried rice with egg rolls sounds fantastic Davey – I wished I could have enjoyed that! 🙂
Thank you for your response BTW there is a special technique for making the duck skin crispy it takes a few days and air drying as well as seperating the still intact skin from the meat following this centuries old technique makes the duck easier to work with but I will put the chicken on the roaster without that trick the skin doesn’t need to be crackling crisp like in my recipe I will let you know what happens btw how did you slice up the chicken that way in the picture I would like to try that and did you put anything on the rice I don’t like it plain
Oh wow!! That is a very interesting technique! I had such a hard time separating the skin from the duck but slowly but surely right? 🙂 Thank you for these wonderful tips, I love learning about these things! To cut the chicken, I found the trickiest part was the thigh, I kept the chicken drum intact by the joint but for the thigh itself I usually use a very large cleaver and chop across quickly. If you want to keep everything pretty, there is a tough to cut but that you can only use a heavy cleaver with – remove that bone and it will be easier to cut. For the breast I removed the breast with my hand by ripping it without the bone (I do it when it’s slightly still warm so its easier to pull apart) then the knife will just cut through it easily since it’s all meat and no bone 🙂 Hope that helps?
I hate plain rice too haha, I use the ginger scallion recipe that comes along with this recipe – it is absolutely divine with rice 🙂 and you don’t need a lot.
Thanks for the quick response BTW to get the skin separate from the meat boil for ten minutes then dry for 24 hours I spend half the time outside the fridge it helps
Thanks Davey! 🙂 I’ll definitely try this out – I’m excited about it! 🙂
This was easy and unbelievably good. I roasted the chicken last night and am making the ginger/scallion sauce today. I realize I used regular soy sauce instead of the dark so mine isn’t as dark as yours. It was, however, perfectly (completely) done, tender, juicy, and delicious. I posted the picture on Pinterest. Thank you!
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YAY! I am SOOO happy that you enjoyed this Jane! You can definitely omit the dark soy and replace it with regular soy sauce 🙂 If you have any leftovers you can use them in stir fries, salads, fried rice or fried noodles as well! 🙂