Busy weeknights call for easy dinners, and Julie Goodwin’s char siu chicken is a fast fix with just five ingredients.
Julie’s version uses affordable and tender chicken thigh fillets in a flavour-packed char siu sauce, served with simple egg fried rice. Cook the rice up to a day ahead if you like, storing it in the fridge, or use pre-cooked microwave rice for a shortcut.
Looking for more family-friendly dinner ideas? Try Julie’s hearty 6-hour bolognese or batch-cook her Greek pastitsio (Greek pasta bake).
Ingredients
Method
Place rice and 3 cups of water in a microwave-safe container with a lid. Microwave on High power (100%) for 18 minutes. Remove and fluff with a fork.
Meanwhile, heat a wok over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil and pour in half the egg. Swirl to coat the wok and when just set, transfer to a chopping board. Repeat with more oil and remaining egg. Cut the omelettes into strips.
Heat another teaspoon of oil in the wok; stir-fry half the rice. Add 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce and stir to mix thoroughly. Transfer to a bowl and repeat. Stir in the omelette. Cover to keep warm.
Preheat oven grill to 200°C.
Pound chicken lightly until about 1cm thick. Combine the char siu sauce with remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce in a small bowl; add a teaspoon of cracked black pepper. Place the chicken on a wire rack over grill pan. Spread the sauce mixture generously over the chicken. Grill about 5 minutes or until blistered and lightly charred, spreading with a little more sauce as you go. Flip the fillets and repeat on the second side, spreading with sauce mixture.
Serve chicken with the rice.
Not suitable to freeze. Rice suitable to microwave.
Top with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds, if you like.
Julie’s notes
This recipe ran in The Australian Women’s Weekly in 2018 and was published online in 2024.
