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Soy Sauce Chicken (See Yao Gai, 豉油鸡)

A classic Chinese dish, soy sauce chicken is flavourful & appetizing. This recipe introduces an approachable, less labour-intensive method to cook it at home.

Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
50 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 298 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese

Ingredients

  • 6 chicken thighs see note 1 for other options
  • ½ tablespoon cooking oil
  • 3 stalks scallions, cut in halves
  • 1 thumb-sized ginger, sliced
  • 3 star anise
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 cup light soy sauce 240ml
  • 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine or Chinese rose wine
  • 2 tablespoon dark brown sugar or 40g rock sugar
  • 2 cups water 480ml
  • ½ tablespoon cornstarch, mix with 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

Prepare the braising liquid
    Cup of Yum
  1. Add oil, scallions, ginger, star anise, and bay leaves to a wok/pot. Fry over low heat until fragrant and the scallions and ginger browns a little.
  2. Pour in light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, sugar and water. Turn the heat to high. Bring the liquid to a boil.
Cook the chicken
  1. Slide in the chicken thighs, skin side down (they should be in a single layer without overlapping). Adjust the water if necessary. The liquid should cover most parts of the chicken.
  2. When the cooking liquid comes back to a boil, turn the heat down to a gentle simmer. Cover and leave to simmer for 35 mins. Flip over all the thighs then cook for a further 10 mins (see note 1 if cooking other cuts of chicken).
Serve the chicken
  1. Take out the chicken. When cool enough to handle, remove the bones then slice into bite-sized pieces (see instructions in post content above).
  2. Keep about 120ml (½ cup) of the broth in the wok/pot then heat up. Right before it starts to boil, add the cornstarch mixture. Remove from the heat once the sauce reaches the desired thickness. Pour it over the sliced chicken, or serve it in a bowl on the side for dipping (see note 2 for serving ideas).
  3. The remaing broth can be reused. Pour it into a jar/container through a sieve and discard the spices.Use within 4 days if kept in the fridge or for 3 months in the freezer.

Notes

  • You may use other parts of a chicken for this recipe (breast isn’t recommended though). The same method applies but you may need to adjust the cooking time. Here is a general guidance:
  • If uncertain, insert a kitchen thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. The temperature should be above 74°C/165°F. Or, poke the thickest part with a chopstick. It should be able to go through without much resistance.
  • You may serve the sliced chicken as the centrepiece of a multi-course meal, or use it as a topping for rice or noodles along with some lightly-seasoned vegetables.
  • Chicken wings: 25 mins
  • Chicken drum sticks: 35 mins
  • Chicken legs or leg quarters: 45-50 mins

Nutrition Information

Serving 1serving Calories 298kcal (15%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 298

% Daily Value*

Serving 1serving
Calories 298kcal 15%

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