Anna Louise Hoisin sauce is one of the most useful condiments in the kitchen — a thick, slightly sweet, deeply savoury Chinese sauce made from fermented soy beans, garlic, and spices that gives whatever it coats a lacquered, sticky, deeply flavoured character in remarkably little time.
Hoisin chicken is the weeknight dinner that looks and tastes as if you spent considerably more time on it than you did. The chicken is coated in a marinade of hoisin, soy, garlic, ginger, honey, and rice wine vinegar, roasted at high heat until the glaze has caramelised to a deeply sticky, slightly charred, lacquered coating, and served with rice and spring onions. The whole process takes thirty-five minutes.
The result tastes like the best Chinese-style roast chicken you have ever eaten — which, for a weeknight dinner prepared in under forty minutes, is exactly what this is.
Ingredients for Mary Berry Hoisin Chicken
For the Hoisin Chicken
- 8 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- 4 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp runny honey
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 2cm fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp five-spice powder
- ½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)
To Serve
- Steamed jasmine rice
- Sliced spring onions
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Cucumber ribbons — made with a peeler
- Extra hoisin sauce for dipping
- Lime wedges
How to Make Mary Berry Hoisin Chicken
Step 1 — Make the Hoisin Marinade
Combine the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar, grated garlic, grated ginger, sesame oil, five-spice powder, and chilli flakes if using in a small bowl. Whisk together until smooth. Taste — it should be deeply savoury, slightly sweet, slightly sharp, and fragrant with ginger and garlic.
Step 2 — Score and Marinate the Chicken
Score each chicken thigh with two to three deep cuts through the skin and into the flesh going down to the bone. This allows the marinade to penetrate deeply and the glaze to caramelise into the cut surfaces during roasting.
Place the chicken thighs in a large bowl or on a lined baking tray. Spoon the hoisin marinade generously over every surface — into the score marks, over the skin, and on the underside. Every surface should be coated.
For best results, cover and refrigerate for two to four hours. If cooking immediately, thirty minutes at room temperature is the minimum.
Step 3 — Roast
Preheat your oven to 210°C / 190°C fan / Gas 7. Line a large roasting tin with foil — the hoisin glaze caramelises and sticks to an unlined tin almost permanently.
Place the chicken thighs skin-side up in the tin, spaced apart. Spoon any remaining marinade from the bowl over each thigh.
Roast for 30 to 35 minutes until the glaze is deeply caramelised and slightly charred at the edges, the skin is lacquered and glossy, and the juices run completely clear when the thickest part is pierced.
If the glaze is caramelising very fast before the chicken is cooked through, cover loosely with foil for the final ten minutes.
Step 4 — Rest and Serve
Rest for five minutes. The caramelised glaze firms slightly and the juices redistribute.
Serve over steamed jasmine rice. Scatter spring onions and sesame seeds over each portion. Arrange cucumber ribbons alongside. Serve with extra hoisin sauce for dipping and lime wedges.
My Top Tips For Perfect Hoisin Chicken
Line the roasting tin with foil. Hoisin sauce caramelises intensely during roasting and bonds to an unlined tin almost permanently. Foil makes the washing up entirely straightforward.
Score the chicken deeply. Two to three deep cuts to the bone give the marinade channels to penetrate and give the caramelised glaze extra surface area to develop on the cut surfaces. Unscored chicken thighs give a glaze that is only on the skin rather than throughout.
Roast at 210°C — high heat gives the lacquered finish. The high temperature caramelises the sugars in the hoisin and honey glaze quickly, giving the characteristic dark, glossy, slightly charred coating. A lower temperature gives a paler, less dramatic result.
Spoon extra marinade over the chicken before it goes into the oven. Any marinade remaining in the bowl after coating the chicken is flavour. Use it all by spooning it over the chicken in the tin before roasting.
Five-spice powder is the detail that makes this distinctly Chinese in character. A small amount — half a teaspoon — gives the warm, complex spice note that distinguishes Chinese-style chicken from simply hoisin-glazed chicken. Do not omit it.
Serving Suggestions
With steamed jasmine rice — the most natural pairing. With egg fried rice for something more substantial. With soba noodles tossed in sesame oil. As part of a homemade Chinese-style spread alongside spring rolls and stir-fried vegetables.
How to Store
In the fridge: Store covered for up to 3 days. Reheat on a foil-lined tray at 190°C for 15 minutes. The glaze crisps again beautifully on reheating.
In the freezer: Freeze marinated raw chicken for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and roast as directed.
Mary Berry Hoisin Chicken
Ingredients
Method
- Combine hoisin, soy sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, five-spice, and chilli flakes — whisk until smooth. Taste.
- Score each thigh 2–3 times to the bone. Coat every surface generously with marinade — into score marks, over skin, on underside. Marinate 30 minutes minimum — 2–4 hours ideally.
- Preheat oven to 210°C / 190°C fan / Gas 7. Line a large roasting tin with foil. Place chicken skin-side up — spaced apart. Spoon all remaining marinade over.
- Roast 30–35 minutes until glaze is deeply caramelised and juices run clear. Cover loosely with foil in the final 10 minutes if the glaze is caramelising too quickly.
- Rest 5 minutes. Serve over jasmine rice with spring onions, sesame seeds, cucumber ribbons, extra hoisin, and lime wedges.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use chicken drumsticks instead of thighs?
Yes — drumsticks roast in the same time and the hoisin glaze is equally spectacular on them. Score as directed.
Can I use boneless thighs?
Yes — reduce the roasting time to 22 to 26 minutes. The glaze is equally good but the bone-in version gives slightly more flavour from the bone during roasting.
Can I make this on the barbecue?
Yes — cook skin-side down over medium-high heat for six to eight minutes until the glaze is deeply caramelised. Turn and cook for twelve to fifteen more minutes. Brush with extra marinade during cooking.
Can I use shop-bought hoisin sauce?
Yes — this recipe is designed around shop-bought hoisin sauce. The brand matters slightly — Lee Kum Kee and Amoy both give excellent results. Avoid very sweet, very thin versions.
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