One of the easiest ways to cook chicken, this Sha Cha chicken recipe calls for simple preparation but delivers a delectable result.
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What is Sha Cha chicken
Chicken recipes have always been popular with my blog readers. Today, I’m sharing a super simple dish, Sha Cha Chicken (Shā Chá Jī/沙茶鸡), which has a short ingredient list, requires minimum culinary skills and can be cooked quickly.
This quick dish features chicken pieces seasoned with an umami-rich marinade, pan-fried with aromatics, and then briefly braised to achieve a tender texture and a mouthwatering appearance. Its key flavor comes from Sha Cha sauce, a unique paste that offers multiple layers of exciting taste.
If you’ve enjoyed my simple recipes for Ginger Chicken, Black Bean Chicken, or Steamed Chicken, I’m sure you’ll fall in love with this one too. Scroll down to learn the details.
Readers’ feedback
- “Made recipe as stated. It looked perfect and tasted perfect! Super fast and easy!” – Michael
- “Such a simple, easy, and delicious recipe!! I’ve made this a couple of times and it never disappoints!” – Sierra
🌟 NOTE: I also have a recipe for Sha Cha Beef which shares the same flavor profile.
Ingredients
Sha Cha chicken calls for a few ingredients, and you’ve probably got most of them at hand if you’re familiar with Chinese cooking.
- Chicken. I prefer boneless, skinless drums or thighs for this recipe. Wings and breasts are good options too.
- Sha Cha Sauce, the key flavor contributor to the dish (more on this in the next section)
- Light soy sauce
- Cornstarch
- Salt and sugar
- Aromatics: ginger, garlic, and scallions
- Neutral cooking oil
About Sha Cha sauce
Sha Cha sauce (Shā Chá Jiàng/沙茶酱), also spelled as Shacha or Sacha sauce, is a multi-purpose condiment made of fish, shrimp, aromatics, and spices. Popular in the cuisines of Chaozhou (Teochew), Fujian, and Taiwan, it has a distinctive umami and savory taste that lends deliciousness to many dishes.
It is commonly used in five ways: Zhàn/蘸, for dipping (e.g., hot pot sauce); Chǎo/炒, for stir-frying; Lǔ/卤, for braising (e.g., today’s recipe); Bàn/拌, for dressing; Kǎo/烤, for grilling.
This sauce comes in tins or jars, with the thick, brown paste sitting at the bottom, covered by a good amount of golden-reddish oil. You need to stir these two components before spooning the mixture out for recipes. The most popular and easily accessible brand is Bull Head/牛頭牌 (shown in the image above).
Although Sha Cha sauce is labeled as “Barbecue Sauce” in English, don’t confuse it with Char Siu sauce/叉烧酱, the key ingredient for Char Siu (aka Chinese BBQ pork). Also, don’t mistake it for Satay sauce/沙爹酱, which is a peanut-based condiment with a sweet undertone.
🌟 Substitutes: It’s hard to find other condiments that share the same flavor profile. The closest is probably XO sauce, which is also seafood-based and umami-rich.
Cooking workflow
To prepare this dish, it takes three simple steps and less than 10 minutes of active time (plus 10 minutes for marinating). Here is the workflow:
Step 1: Marinate the chicken
Cut the chicken into big chunks. If using boneless drums, halve them. If using thighs, cut them into quarters. For wings, chop on the joints to separate three sections.
In a large bowl, mix chicken pieces with Sha Cha sauce, light soy sauce, cornstarch, salt, and sugar. Then, coat the seasoned chicken with a little oil to lock in the moisture.
Leave to marinate for 10 minutes, or up to 2 hours for a richer taste.
Step 2: Pan-fry the chicken
Use a large skillet or frying pan. First, heat oil that’s just enough to thinly cover the surface of the cookware. Lay the marinated chicken pieces in a single layer. Scatter sliced ginger and halved garlic cloves all around.
Leave to fry over medium heat until the bottom side of the chicken browns. Flip to fry the other side.
Step 3: Braise the chicken
Once both sides of the chicken become golden, add about ½ cup of water.
Cover the skillet with a lid and leave to braise for about 4 minutes over high heat, until the chicken is fully cooked (extend it to 6 minutes if using bone-in pieces).
Finally, add chopped scallions. Let it cook a little further, without the lid, to boil down the cooking liquid.
How to serve
Scoop your freshly cooked Sha Cha chicken over a bowl of steamed rice and enjoy! Alternatively, use these flavorsome chicken pieces to stuff freshly steamed bao buns.
Why not prepare a simple vegetable dish to complement the meal? The quickest option would be making a Smashed Cucumber Salad while waiting for the chicken to marinate. Or, try Steamed Eggplant Salad which takes under 10 minutes to prepare.
Other simple recipes
Looking for more quick & easy dishes to try? Have a look at these popular ones:
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Love this recipe? Please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating and a comment. Thank you!
Sha Cha Chicken (沙茶鸡)
Video
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken drums, or thighs, see note 1
- 2 tablespoon Sha Cha sauce, see note 2
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2½ tablespoon neutral cooking oil, divided
- 6 slices ginger
- 8 cloves garlic, halved
- 2 stalks scallions, cut into sections
Instructions
Marinate
- Cut chicken drums, or thighs, into chunks. Put them in a bowl and add Sha Cha sauce, light soy sauce, cornstarch, salt, and sugar.
- Mix well, then pour in ½ tablespoon of oil and stir to coat the chicken evenly. Leave to marinate for 10 minutes, or up to 2 hours.
Pan-fry
- Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet/frying pan. Place in the marinated chicken pieces without overlapping, along with ginger and garlic.
- Let them fry over medium heat until the first side of the chicken turns golden. Flip to brown the other side.
Braise
- Add about ½ cup of water to the skillet. Cover with a lid and leave to braise over high heat for about 4 minutes.
- Remove the lid and stir in scallions. Cook further until the cooking liquid is reduced to a minimum. Dish out and serve immediately with steamed rice.
Notes
Your Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thank you for this – I cook many of your recipes on a regular basis, this one is probably my favorite (so far). I make this once a week and I love it every time!
Thank you so much for your kind words, Walter! I really appreciate your support.
Easy and delicious! I’d never had nor heard of Sha Cha Chicken (or Beef) before, but I saw the sauce on sale at the Asian market and decided to give it a go. Truly just minutes to prepare, didn’t expect something so simple and fast to be so good!
So glad you enjoyed it, Will!
I have eaten Sha Cha Chicken at Chinese Restaurants in the past, but I rarely see it on menus anymore. I ordered the Sha Cha Sauce online just to make this recipe, and I was not disappointed. It was very easy to make, and the results were delicious. Since I have plenty of sauce still, I am going to try the Sha Cha Beef recipe, too.
So glad it turned out delicious for you. Hope you enjoy the beef version just as much! BTW, you may also like my recipe for Fried Noodles with Sha Cha Sauce.
Made recipe as stated. It looked perfect and tasted perfect! Super fast and easy!
Thank you, Michael! I’m so glad it turned out well and that you found it quick and easy. Really appreciate you leaving a feedback.
Followed the recipe to the letter. Very fast, very flavourful (I used chicken thighs) and the chicken was extremely tender. My girls like spice (a lot) so next time might add a few dried chili peppers. I accompanied this with rice and your stir fried cabbage recipe. The stir fried cabbage added the spiciness so perhaps the chicken doesn’t need it!. I fortunately have a very good Chinese grocery store near me which has all of the ingredients needed including the Sa Cha sauce. Would certainly make again
So happy you enjoyed it, Lesley! Pairing it with the stir-fried cabbage sounds perfect. Dried chilies next time will be a fun twist. Thanks for sharing your experience!