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4.9 from 33 votes

Chinese Drunken Chicken

A traditional Chinese cold appetizer, this Chinese Drunken chicken recipe made with Shaoxing wine. It has amazing flavor and texture, and is simple to make.

Prep Time
1 d
Cook Time
1 hr mins
Total Time
1 d 1 hr 25 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 218 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese

Ingredients

For Stage 1: Preparing the Chicken & Stock
  • 2 chicken leg quarters
  • 2 ½ cups water
  • 2 large slices ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
For Stage 2: The Brine
  • 1 ½ cups of your homemade Chicken broth (at room temperature)
  • 1 1/2 cups shaoxing huadiao wine (绍兴花雕酒)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon dried goji berries/wolfberries

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Debone the chicken leg quarters, keeping the skin on. Keep the bones to make a homemade stock, which you’ll be using in this recipe. You might be able to ask your butcher to help you with this step!
  2. In a small pot, add your reserved chicken bones, 2 ½ cups water, and ginger. Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for at least 1 hour (or longer). We’ll need 1 ½ cups of chicken broth for the recipe. You can also eliminate this step if you want to use store-bought chicken stock.
  3. Rinse off your de-boned chicken and pat thoroughly dry with a paper towel. Grab 2 pieces of aluminum foil, each about 12” long. Lay each piece of chicken onto a piece of foil, and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt. Roll up the chicken lengthwise, and then wrap in the foil, twisting both sides to form a candy-like bundle.
  4. Steam the chicken in the foil over high heat for 20 minutes, covered. Turn off the heat and let the chicken sit in the steamer for another 5 minutes with the lid tightly closed.
  5. Transfer the foil wrapped chicken to an ice bath, and let it sit there for 10-15 minutes, until the chicken is completely cool. This step ensures that the juices remain locked in and improves the chicken’s overall texture.
  6. Now it’s time to make the brine. In a non-reactive container (I used a glass loaf pan. Anything narrow and deep, where the chicken can remain submerged, will work), add the 1 ½ cups chicken broth, 1 ½ cups shaoxing wine, sugar, salt, and goji berries. Once the chicken is cool, unwrap the chicken and place in the brine. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.v
  7. Slice and serve cold or at room temperature. This dish is usually served as a cold appetizer. Remember to store the chicken in the brine until serving and use clean utensil whenever coming contact with the brine and chicken. Consume the chicken within 3 days.
  8. Note: We did this dish with equal parts wine and broth. You can change the ratio according to your own tastes, whether you like a stronger or lighter wine taste. But beware…upping the ratio of wine can make the chicken bitter, so proceed with caution.

Nutrition Information

Calories 218kcal (11%) Carbohydrates 4g (1%) Protein 14g (28%) Fat 13g (20%) Saturated Fat 3g (15%) Cholesterol 71mg (24%) Potassium 224mg (6%) Sugar 2g (4%) Vitamin A 55IU (1%) Calcium 14mg (1%) Iron 0.7mg (4%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 218

% Daily Value*

Calories 218kcal 11%
Carbohydrates 4g 1%
Protein 14g 28%
Fat 13g 20%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Cholesterol 71mg 24%
Potassium 224mg 5%
Sugar 2g 4%
Vitamin A 55IU 1%
Calcium 14mg 1%
Iron 0.7mg 4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.