Easy and delicious Asian whole chicken recipes for Chinese New Year, or Sunday lunch! Spanning various Asian cuisines from Chinese, Korean and Singaporean to Pakistani, these Asian recipes will please the whole family, picky eaters included.
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💭 Why Buy Whole Chicken
- Budget-friendly: You can save a lot of money if you buy whole chicken, instead of chicken cut into pieces! (It's generally cheaper per pound than chicken parts, although a bit more expensive than the offal.)
- You don't need to learn to butcher them yourself: whilst it's not difficult to learn to cut them up, these Asian chicken recipes save you the hassle as the chicken is cooked whole. They're also so delicious, you'll never have to head to the Chinese restaurant again. (And easy- unlike other chicken recipes, you don't have to fiddle about with corn starch slurry, which can backfire in an icky and gooey way!)
- Very versatile: Asian food is all about the mantra, waste not, want not. The next time you buy the entire chicken, save the neck and feet to make chicken soup. They're full of collagen and great for creating mouthwatering broths!
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
Tip #1: One of my favorite things about serving whole chicken is that you can carve the meat then save the bones to make chicken broth! Boiled with fresh ginger, there is a lot of flavor! Add some bean sprouts and rice noodles, and you have a full meal.
Tip #2: It can be tricky cooking whole chicken. You want to make sure all the meat is cooked but not leave it so long the white meat in the breast becomes dry! (I waaaay prefer dark meat.) Stick a meat thermometer into the thickest part (the breast) and make sure the internal temperature is 180F/ 82C. FYI, for chicken cuts, it's 165°F (74°C.) (If you don't have a food thermometer, pierce the breast and check that the juices run clear, not pink!)
Chinese
Ginseng Soup
Soy Sauce
This Soy Sauce Chinese Chicken recipe became the most popular post on my blog in just 1 day, and has consistently received rave reviews!
Even better, you don't need to brine this Chinese takeout classic but it's still a super juicy chicken AND it's mostly passive cooking, so you have time to prepare other dishes for your Chinese New Year table!
Note: if you find it too much work, here is an easy Cantonese chicken thighs recipe for you. Paired with a bowl of jasmine rice and some blanched bok choy, it's a filling meal!
Leftover meat can be turned into chicken lettuce wraps! The savory sauce can also be strained, frozen and reused to braise eggs, tofu, salmon or more!
Hainanese Chicken Rice
This is a popular Singaporean and Malaysian dish that was adapted by Hainanese immigrants.
Lathered with sesame oil and served with scrumptious white rice cooked in chicken fat, this is a must-eat dish if you are ever in South East Asia! If not, you can make it at home using this Hainanese Chicken Rice recipe. (I also have a porridge version of the recipe here.)
The chili garlic sauce can be batch made in advance to save you some stress! (Mix in the lime juice just before serving. Don't substitute with rice vinegar- it won't taste the same!)
Note: If you're serving this Asian chicken recipe for Chinese New Year (CNY)- a whole chicken, complete with feet, neck and heat, represents wholeness and prosperity, you may also be interested in:
- this Chinese New Year meal planning guide, with more information on traditional CNY foods
- golden Chinese New Year recipes to bring you lots of $$$
- vegan/ vegetarian CNY recipes for an inclusive New Year
- the ultimate collection of almost 80 easy but delicious Chinese New Year recipes
Chinese Roast
Chinese roast crispy chicken goes well with chow mein or 1 of these longevity noodle recipes on the side.
Note: Any roast chicken leftovers can be used in this rotisserie chicken porridge of 1 of these roast chicken leftover recipes!
Indian-style
Korean-style
Tip: if you can't get gochujang or sesame oil, you can always try these substitutes!
Pakistani-Style
Thai-Inspired
Doesn't this Asian chicken recipe look simply mouthwatering? With the lemongrass, ginger, garlic and coconut, it's simply brimming with Asian flavors.
Pair it with 1 of these pumpkin recipes and brown rice (or cauliflower rice to be even healthier!) for an Asian meal perfect for fall!
🍲 Soup
Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup
Samgyetang is 1 of the most famous Korean dishes, in which a whole chicken is stuffed with rice, jujubes and, of course, ginseng. (You'll need green onions too.)
Try this chicken dish recipe which has an average 5-star review from OVER 50,000 reviewers!!! (I'm envious :P) Maybe serve with 1 of these Korean banchan, a nice cup of Jujube tea or, the typical Korean summer drink, roasted barley tea on the side?
Fun fact: Although it's a hot steaming bowl of chicken soup, Koreans usually eat this in the hot summer, to give them more energy!
Traditional Chinese Soup
Chinese food is all about the soups! Growing up, I had soup at every meal as we believe that it helps keep you looking young.
Try this traditional Asian chicken recipe which is super warming and nutritious!
Chicken Shiitake Soup
If any of these delicious Asian whole chicken recipes for Chinese New Year make it to your dinner table, don't forget to tag me on social media (@greedygirlgourmet)- I love seeing what everyone makes!
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Madeeha says
Hi,
I am a blogger myself at bakecellence.com, and loved your post. I am from Pakistan and loved that you shared Lahori Chargha recipe 🙂
Mariam Sodawater says
Amazing round up, can’t wait to try all recipes. Thanks a lot for including my recipe as well.
Zen says
Thanks Mariam, I can't wait to try your steaming then frying method of cooking chicken!