This Sunday is Groundhog Day everyone! We are a few steps closer to spring! I can almost taste it!
Soy Sauce Chicken is a delicious comfort food that is so easy to make, you’ll be wondering why you don’t make it a couple of times a month. You have definitely walked by Chinatown restaurants that showcase their soy sauce chickens in the window – the caramelized colour of the chicken gleaming, just waiting to be chopped up and served on steamed rice with a side of scallion-ginger condiment. In honour of the Year of the Snake, I wanted to showcase a great recipe that you can easily do at home (perhaps with our Heritage Chickens that are on sale this week!). This recipe is slightly modified from the great food blog The Woks of Life. Check them out for all kinds of amazing Chinese recipes.
Soy Sauce Chicken
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
1 whole chicken, 3.5-4 lbs (heritage chickens work really well)
2 tbsp neutral oil (vegetable, avocado, grapeseed, etc)
8-10 slices of fresh ginger (no need to peel)
3 whole scallions, bruised with the back of a knife
3 pc star anise
1.5 cups Shaoxing cooking wine
1.5 cups light soy sauce
1.25 cups dark soy sauce
1 cup brown sugar
10 cups water
Method
1. Remove the chicken from the fridge to bring it closer to room temperature, about 30 minutes before you start the recipe.
2. Heat the oil in a tall stock pot over medium high heat. Add the ginger and fry to release the aroma – about one minute. Add the scallions and continue frying for another minute.
3. Add the star anise and the Shaoxing wine. Simmer for a minute to cook off the alcohol.
4. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes to create your cooking broth.
5. Increase the heat and bring the broth to a light boil. Using either a carving fork or a large, perforated spoon, slowly lower the chicken into the broth, breast side up, until it’s completely submerged. If it’s not submerged add some hot tap water to cover. Leave in the broth for five minutes
6. After five minutes, raise the chicken out of the broth and let the broth that was trapped in the cavity run back out into the pot. This step is to ensure the chicken is cooked evenly (otherwise the interior of the chicken would cook more slowly than the exterior, as the broth in the cavity would be cooler.
7. Lower the chicken back to the pot, and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes.
8. After 25 minutes, turn the heat off and place a lid on the pot. The chicken will continue cooking for an additional 15 minutes. Check the internal temperature after this time (it should be 165°F).
9. Remove the chicken form the pot and allow to rest for a few minutes before carving and serving on steamed rice.
Ginger Scallion Condiment
Ingredients
4 tbsp scallions, finely chopped
4 tbsp peeled ginger, finely chopped
to taste salt
1/3 cup neutral oil (vegetable, avocado, grapeseed, etc)
Method
Mix all ingredients together and let marinate for 30 minutes before serving.