Here the recipe for what we made during the above podcast episode: chicken “char siu” in an air fryer!
Use a fork to mash all of these together in a large bowl:
1/3 cup fermented red bean curd (in the U.S., look for it here.)
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar, preferably dark brown sugar (although we used light in the episode).
Then mix in these ingredients until uniform:
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons or 30 ml honey
2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry or unsweetened apple juice
1 teaspoon five-spice powder (in the U.S., look for it here)
A few drops of red food coloring, optional.
Trim the excess fat from 1 pound of boneless skinless chicken thighs. Add them to the bowl and stir well to coat.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours, stirring the thighs in the marinade once.
Heat an air fryer to 400F.
Set as many of the chicken thighs in the air fryer as will fit without touching when opened up. Refrigerate any remainders for a second or third batch.
Air-fry for 10 minutes, then turn the thighs over with nonstick-safe tongs or a nonstick-safe spatula. The edges may be starting to blacken—no worries.
Continue air-frying for about 10 more minutes or until cooked through. Cool on a rack for a few minutes, then slice into strips and serve warm.
