Soy Sauce Chicken (Chǐyóu Jī/豉油雞)
By David YuPublished on October 9, 2023
Time
50 minutes, plus 1 hour resting
Yield
4 to 6
Ingredients
Before You Begin
While any chicken will work here, we prefer to use Buddhist-style chickens for their flavorful meat and rich, springy skin, which best absorbs the cooking liquid. They are typically sold at Asian supermarkets with their head and feet attached; you can ask the butcher to remove those for you (save them for broth). Other chickens will taste less rich, and the skin won’t be as plump. We prefer to use Chinese light and dark soy sauce here. Granulated sugar can be substituted for the rock sugar. If mei kuei lu chiew is unavailable, it can be omitted. Use a Dutch oven that holds 6 quarts or more. Serve with Ginger-Scallion Sauce, if desired. This recipe is from A Very Chinese Cookbook: 100 Recipes from China and Not China (But Still Really Chinese).
Instructions
- Bring 8 cups water, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, rock sugar, mei kuei lu chiew, scallions, ginger, star anise, cinnamon sticks, and bay leaves to simmer in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Place chicken breast side up into pot. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Off heat, let chicken sit for 15 minutes.
- Using tongs, gently flip chicken and continue to let sit, covered, until breasts register 160 degrees and thighs register at least 175 degrees, 15 to 30 minutes. Using tongs and spatula, transfer chicken to carving board and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Strain cooking liquid through fine-mesh strainer into bowl; discard solids. Transfer ½ cup cooking liquid to small saucepan; save remaining cooking liquid for another use or discard. Whisk cornstarch into reserved cooking liquid and bring to simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, until just thickened, about 30 seconds. Carve chicken and serve with sauce.
Time
50 minutes, plus 1 hour restingYield
4 to 6Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
The best part about poached chicken (which is also called Si Yau Gai) is the texture the cooking method yields: silky, succulent, fork-tender meat. Although this quality can be achieved just by poaching in plain water with a few slices of ginger and scallions, it turns out that poaching in a deeply spiced and intense sweet-savory marinade results in that same texture—with the bonus of the plump, glistening skin suffused with soy sauce flavor. This is one of the most crowd-pleasing ways of serving chicken to the Cantonese. It’s available at practically every corner takeout throughout Hong Kong. The chicken is endlessly versatile; it’s delicious on everything from plain rice to instant ramen.
Before You Begin
While any chicken will work here, we prefer to use Buddhist-style chickens for their flavorful meat and rich, springy skin, which best absorbs the cooking liquid. They are typically sold at Asian supermarkets with their head and feet attached; you can ask the butcher to remove those for you (save them for broth). Other chickens will taste less rich, and the skin won’t be as plump. We prefer to use Chinese light and dark soy sauce here. Granulated sugar can be substituted for the rock sugar. If mei kuei lu chiew is unavailable, it can be omitted. Use a Dutch oven that holds 6 quarts or more. Serve with Ginger-Scallion Sauce, if desired. This recipe is from A Very Chinese Cookbook: 100 Recipes from China and Not China (But Still Really Chinese).
Instructions
- Bring 8 cups water, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, rock sugar, mei kuei lu chiew, scallions, ginger, star anise, cinnamon sticks, and bay leaves to simmer in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Place chicken breast side up into pot. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Off heat, let chicken sit for 15 minutes.
- Using tongs, gently flip chicken and continue to let sit, covered, until breasts register 160 degrees and thighs register at least 175 degrees, 15 to 30 minutes. Using tongs and spatula, transfer chicken to carving board and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Strain cooking liquid through fine-mesh strainer into bowl; discard solids. Transfer ½ cup cooking liquid to small saucepan; save remaining cooking liquid for another use or discard. Whisk cornstarch into reserved cooking liquid and bring to simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, until just thickened, about 30 seconds. Carve chicken and serve with sauce.
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