Have you ever wondered what Peking chicken is while browsing a Chinese restaurant menu? I sure did! After diving deep into this delicious dish, I’m excited to share everything I’ve learned about this crispy, flavorful alternative to the famous Peking duck.
The Essence of Peking Chicken
Peking chicken is essentially a tasty Chinese dish created by roasting chicken until it achieves a golden brown, crispy exterior. At its heart, this dish consists of:
- Tender roasted chicken meat
- A sweet glaze coating
- Thin pancakes for wrapping
- Fresh accompaniments like scallions and cucumbers
- Hoisin or sweet bean sauce for extra flavor
What makes Peking chicken special is that it’s an adaptation of the more complex Peking duck designed to be more approachable and easier to prepare at home. The result? A harmonious balance of flavors and textures that creates a truly satisfying culinary experience.
Peking Chicken vs. Peking Duck: What’s the Difference?
While Peking chicken draws its inspiration from the famous Peking duck, there are several important distinctions between the two:
| Aspect | Peking Duck | Peking Chicken |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation | Requires multiple days to dry the skin and uses extensive inflating techniques | Focuses on brining, marinating, and roasting |
| Complexity | Very labor-intensive | Much simpler to make at home |
| Cost | More expensive with specialty ingredients | Uses easy-to-find ingredients |
| Flavor | Richer, gamier taste | Milder, benefits from bold seasoning |
| Fat Content | Thick layer of fat | Leaner with less fat to render |
As you can see, Peking chicken offers a more accessible way to enjoy similar flavors without the complex preparation process that traditional Peking duck demands.
The History Behind the Dish
While Peking duck boasts centuries of history in imperial Chinese cuisine dating back to Beijing’s royal kitchens, Peking chicken is a more recent adaptation. It likely emerged in the 20th century as a simpler option for less specialized restaurants and home cooks.
The creation of Peking chicken was driven by a desire to capture the essence of the beloved duck dish without requiring the difficult specialized preparation. Over time it has evolved into its own distinct dish rather than just being considered a substitute.
How to Make Amazing Peking Chicken at Home
I’ve tried making Peking chicken at home several times, and while it takes some attention to detail, it’s totally doable! Here’s my step-by-step approach:
-
Choose the right chicken – Use a whole chicken or chicken breasts/thighs with the skin still on. Free-range and organic birds offer better flavor.
-
Prep the skin – Pat the skin dry and let it air-dry uncovered in the fridge overnight. This helps dehydrate the skin for maximum crispiness. Salt and baking powder can also help draw out moisture.
-
Marinate overnight – Soak the chicken in a marinade of soy sauce, Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry), ginger, and spices for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
-
Use a two-stage roasting method – Start at a high temperature (450°F-500°F) to get the skin crispy, then lower the heat to about 350°F to finish cooking.
-
Apply the glaze – When the internal temperature reaches about 120°F, brush the chicken with a glaze of hoisin sauce, honey, and five-spice powder.
-
Let it rest – Allow the chicken to rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing to redistribute juices.
-
Slice and serve – Slice the chicken and serve with pancakes, hoisin sauce, cucumbers, and scallions.
The Key Components That Make Peking Chicken Special
The Chicken
- Skin-on chicken thighs or breast are ideal (skin is essential!)
- Dark meat holds up better to high heat
- Thoroughly dried skin before roasting is crucial
- Marinade adds flavor and tenderizes
- Two-stage roasting ensures juicy meat and crispy skin
The Glaze
- Typically contains hoisin sauce, honey, and five-spice powder
- Gets brushed on midway through roasting
- Helps crisp the skin and adds complex flavor
- Creates that beautiful lacquered, caramelized exterior
The Accompaniments
- Thin Chinese pancakes or small flour tortillas
- Julienned scallions and cucumbers
- Hoisin sauce for extra glazing
- These provide a refreshing contrast to the rich chicken
- Diners assemble their own portions for a customized experience
The Peking Chicken Experience: How to Serve and Eat
One of the things I love most about Peking chicken is that it’s an interactive dining experience! Here’s how we typically enjoy it:
- The chicken is sliced to showcase the crispy skin
- Each diner takes a pancake and spreads a bit of hoisin sauce on it
- Add chicken slices, scallions, and cucumbers
- Roll up the pancake and enjoy by hand
This hands-on process lets everyone customize each bite to their preference. The crispy chicken skin provides a satisfying crunch, the hoisin adds sweetness, the veggies offer brightness and texture, and the soft pancake brings it all together.
The Secret to That Perfect Crispy Skin
Getting that crispy skin is probably the trickiest part of making Peking chicken, but it’s so worth the effort! Here’s what works for me:
- Start by patting the chicken skin completely dry with paper towels
- Air-dry the chicken uncovered in the refrigerator overnight
- Use high heat (450°F-500°F) at the beginning of cooking
- The skin will start to bubble and crisp within 5-10 minutes
- Then reduce the heat to around 350°F to continue cooking without burning
- Apply the glaze when the internal temperature reaches 120°F
- Let the chicken rest before slicing to maintain crispiness
Frequently Asked Questions About Peking Chicken
Can I skip drying the skin?
You technically can, but your skin won’t be nearly as crispy. At minimum, pat it dry and salt it generously before cooking.
What if I can’t find Shaoxing wine?
Dry sherry makes a perfectly good substitute. In a pinch, you could use a dry white wine.
How long should I marinate the chicken?
At least 4 hours, but overnight is best for deeper flavor penetration.
What sides go well with Peking chicken?
Steamed rice, sautéed bok choy, egg rolls, and a light soup all make excellent accompaniments.
Can I make this vegetarian?
While traditional Peking chicken obviously contains meat, you can create a vegetarian version using crispy tofu or seitan marinated in similar flavors. You might call it “Peking Tofu” instead!
What type of chicken is best?
A whole chicken is traditional, but skin-on chicken thighs or breasts work well too. The key is having the skin attached.
How do I make the pancakes?
You can purchase pre-made Chinese pancakes at Asian grocery stores, or make them from scratch using a simple dough of flour, water, and a bit of oil. Some people substitute small flour tortillas in a pinch!
Wrap It Up (Just Like a Peking Chicken Pancake!)
Peking chicken offers a delicious, accessible way to enjoy the flavors and experience of traditional Peking duck. With its crispy skin, succulent meat, and array of fresh accompaniments, it’s a dish that’s sure to impress friends and family whether you order it at a restaurant or make it at home.
The next time you’re looking for a special Chinese dish to try, give Peking chicken a shot. The combination of crispy skin, tender meat, sweet hoisin sauce, and fresh veggies wrapped in a thin pancake creates a perfect bite that’s hard to beat.
Have you tried Peking chicken before? What was your experience like? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!
Skip the boiling water—and up the fat
Since chickens are smaller and leaner than ducks, I skip the boiling water bath entirely. Instead of rendering the fat, I increase the fat by rubbing vegetable oil on the outside of the bird and between the skin and flesh. As the chicken roasts, the oil will bubble up, stretching the skin and separating it from the meat so it becomes extra crisp—no beer can needed.
Instead of brushing the bird with a syrup, I dry-brine the bird with a savory, sweet, and slightly spiced mixture of dark brown sugar, kosher salt, and five-spice powder. Dry-brining ensures that the chicken will be seasoned throughout and helps to draw moisture out; as we all learned in Samin Nosrat’s Salt Fat Acid Heat, salting your meat in advance allows it to better retain moisture as it cooks and results in chicken that’s tender and juicy. After I rub the mixture all over the bird, I let it sit on a rack over a baking sheet in the fridge uncovered. I recommend dry-brining your bird for at least 48 hours to give the salt enough time to work its magic.
While five-spice isn’t traditionally used in Peking duck, duck has a gamier, stronger taste that chicken lacks, and a touch of spice helps to make the chicken more flavorful. The dark brown sugar in the brine caramelizes as the chicken roasts, and helps to crisp the skin even more. Though you may be accustomed to roasting chickens at 400ºF, don’t increase the oven temperature here: Doing so will burn the brown sugar in the dry brine. Go a little lower and cook this chicken at 375ºF instead.
The cooking doesn’t stop when you remove your Peking chicken from the oven. To avoid overcooking your bird, remove it from the oven when the internal temperature at the thickest part of the breast hits 155ºF, then allow the residual heat to take it up to 165ºF. Let the chicken hang out on your counter for 20 minutes to give it enough time to finish cooking and reabsorb the juices.