Chinese Barbeque Chicken or ‘Char Siew Gai’ as it is called in Chinese, is an elaborately prepared Barbeque Chicken made in the Chinese style. In order to give the dish a totally new dimension typically Chinese ingredients are used to flavor it.
Ingredients
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are needed.
Seasonings include-
Hoisin sauce, garlic powder, soy sauce, sugar, rose wine or dry sherry, Chinese spice powder, salt and a dash of pepper.
For the Glaze-
Dark soya sauce, honey or maltose and sesame oil
Method
All the seasoning ingredients are combined well in a bowl. The chicken pieces are placed in this mixture, and marinated for at least 2 hours but preferably overnight. A baking dish is prepared by lining it with foil; the chicken and marinade are transferred into it; covered well with another foil and then placed in the pre-heated grill. Chicken is allowed to cook for about half an hour, turning over once after half the time. Foil is removed but grilling continued till the sauce thickens and caramelizes.
Ingredients for the Glaze i.e. Dark soya sauce, honey and sesame oil are combined together. The chicken is brushed thoroughly with the glaze on all surfaces, before it is returned, directly to the grill this time. Chicken pieces are removed from the grill once the glaze caramelizes and leaves behind a rich sheen and lustre on the chicken.
The Chinese Barbeque Chicken may be served as a main dish along with rice or noodles.
Nutrition Information
A serving size of ~ 280 g of the Chinese Barbeque Chicken provides-
• 581.0 calories with 328 calories from fat
• 34.6 g total fat with 10.8 g saturated fat
• 178.7 mg cholesterol
• 2150.5 mg sodium
• 12.9 g of total carbohydrates with 7.7 g of sugar and 0.7 g of dietary fibre
• 44.6 g of protein
Chicken is a good protein source and there are studies that have indicated how lean protein in chicken protects against bone loss in the elderly. Chicken is one of the best sources of cancer-protective B-vitamin, Niacin. Selenium is an important trace mineral that plays a fundamental role in major metabolic pathways such as thyroid metabolism, energy production, immune system functions and antioxidant defence mechanisms. Selenium is an essential component of antioxidant enzyme - glutathione peroxidise that aids in detoxification and cancer protection.
Chicken is an excellent source of amino acid tryptophan, Vitamins B3 and B6 and a good source of phosphorus and choline.
Nutritional Improvement
Freshly crushed or minced garlic may be added in plenty to the seasoning mix apart from garlic powder. This is because garlic and its products have been studied to lower total cholesterol and triglyceride levels. More importantly, the sulphur-containing compounds in garlic protect blood cells and fine blood vessels from inflammatory and oxidative damage which result in plaque formation and blockages in the arteries, the consequence of which may be heart attack or stroke. Garlic is also rich in selenium and manganese which form part of vital antioxidant defence systems.
Freshly ground pepper and lemon juice along with the garlic may be used in lowering the prohibitively high salt/sodium content of this dish.