Chinese Soy Sauce Chicken Recipe
Chǐ Yóu Jī
Chinese Soy Sauce Chicken
Submitted By: Taz


Ingredients:

1 Whole Chicken [apx 4 lbs] (Jī) - thawed if frozen
8 Cups Chinese Master Stock (Lǔshuǐ)
2 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Stock (Jītāng) - can substitute vegetable stock if desired
4 cloves Fresh Garlic (Dàsuàn) - crushed
1 inch piece Fresh Ginger (Jiāng) - sliced
4 Green Onions (Cōng Bào) - cut into 3 inch pieces and smashed flat
½ Cup Shao Xing Rice Wine (Liàojiǔ)
½ Cup Light Soy Sauce (Shēng Chōu)
½ Cup Mushroom Flavored Soy Sauce (Cǎogū Lǎo Chōu)
6 oz. Chinese Brown Sugar (Piàn Táng) -OR- Yellow Rock Sugar (Huáng Bīngtáng)
3 Star Anise Pods (Bājiǎo)
1 3inch Cinnamon Stick (Guìpí)
2 tsp Peanut Oil (Huāshēngyóu)

Preparation:
  1. About 1 hour before you are ready to cook, remove the giblets from the chicken if present and thoroughly rinse inside and out - Loosely cover and allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour
  2. Heat the peanut oil in a stock pot or large pot (you are looking for a tall, narrow pot that ideally just fits the chicken while allowing it to be completely submerged in all of the liquid) until shimmering over medium-low heat - Once the oil is hot, add the ginger and stir fry for 30 seconds - Add the garlic and green onions and stir fry for another 30 seconds to a minute
  3. Add the star anise, cinnamon stick, and the shao xing rice wine and bring to a simmer - Once a simmer has been achieved, allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes
  4. Add the Chinese master stock, chicken/vegetable stock, soy sauces, and sugar - Bring back to a simmer and allow to cook for 10 minutes - Increase heat to medium/medium-high and bring liquid to a low boil (you are looking for slightly stronger than a simmer but not a rolling boil)
  5. Gently submerge the chicken in the liquid breast side up making sure that the chicken is fully submerged and that the cavity is filled with no air pockets
  6. Bring back to a simmer - Once the liquid is simmering again, you need to lift the chicken out of the liquid and drain the cavity (the liquid inside will be cooler than the surrounding liquid so you need to do this to ensure even and proper cooking) - Return the chicken breast side up to the liquid, again making sure that the cavity is filled, there are no air pockets, and the chicken is fully submerged
  7. Bring back to a low simmer and adjust heat to maintain the low simmer
  8. Allow chicken to cook at the low simmer for 25 minutes - After 25 minutes, remove from heat, cover, and allow to sit for 15 minutes (at this point, a meat thermometer is the best judge to confirm that the chicken is fully cooked - Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh without touching the bone (internal temperature should be 165ºF) - If not fully cooked, allow to sit in the hot liquid until temperature is reached (if absolutely necessary, return to a simmer until fully cooked)
  9. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board (make sure you drain the cavity when removing) - Allow to cool until easily handled with bare hands - Carve and serve warm over rice with a drizzle of the braising liquid or cold as an appetizer with some of the braising liquid for dipping
Be sure and allow the remaining braising liquid (Lǔshuǐ) to cool to room temperature, strain it through a fine mesh sieve, and place in an airtight container for future use! - Lǔshuǐ can be refrigerated for up to 5 days between usage or kept frozen almost indefinitely

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