Chinese Braised Soy Sauce Chicken
October 08, 2024
Soy sauce chicken and rice is a simple, traditional, and, classic dish in every Chinese household.
It is a simple dish of chicken cooked with aromatics, over slow heat until the sauce is thickened and glossy.
There are many varieties of soy sauce chicken depending on which region (State or country) one is from.
Some will saute the aromatics, and others just bring everything to a boil.
Some will add mandarin peel and again this is optional.
I prefer my braised soy sauce chicken with mandarin peels.
Dried Chinese mushrooms or Shiitake mushrooms
Hard-boiled eggs
Cinnamon sticks
Star anise
Ginger
Garlic
Onion
Light soy sauce
Sweet soy sauce (Kicap manis)
Chinese dark caramel sauce
Chicken stock (optional)
Dried mandarin peels (optional)
Add cooking oil to a medium size pot.
Do note that I used a shallow frying pan to show the steps in my video, otherwise under normal circumstances, I would use a pot.
Add ginger and saute to release the aromatics.
Add garlic
Add cinnamon stick
Add star anise
Saute for a couple of minutes.
Add chopped onion.
Sweet soy sauce or kicap manis.
If you are not able to find this sweet soy sauce, just add sugar when the sauce has thickened.
Add water if there is little to no sauce.
Add light soy sauce.
Note that this sauce can be very salty, so add and adjust to your liking.
The final product should be sweet salty with a hint of citrus.
Add dark caramel sauce.
You can find this sauce in an Asian grocer.
This sauce is neither salty nor sweet.
It is used to darken the sauce (this sauce gives a dark brown to the dish).
Add shiitake mushrooms
Note: pre-soak the dried mushrooms at least 2 hours before cooking.
Add dried mandarin peels (optional)
Add chicken stock cube.
Add chicken pieces to the simmering sauce.
Bring to a quick boil, cover, and lower the heat to a simmer.
Note: I like to use either chicken thighs or drumsticks for this dish.
The meat from this part of the chicken does not break easily when cooked for a longer period of time!
Turn the chicken pieces to make sure that the chicken will cook on both sides.
Again simmer until chicken is cooked through.
Remove chicken to another dish.
Continue to simmer until the sauce has thickened.
This sauce-reducing step is optional.
You can omit and still have a nice silky smooth sauce by adding cornflour slurry (add 1 tablespoon corn flour with 3 tablespoons of water).
Add salt, and adjust to your liking.
Note: taste before adding salt!
Add sugar.
Return the cooked chicken to the simmering dish.
Add hard-boiled eggs to the soy sauce chicken.
Bring to a quick boil and turn off the heat.
I love cooking chicken feet this way.
Do note chicken feet take longer to cook.
The longer you keep them, the better they taste.
Can I cook braised chicken in a slow cooker?
I do that with chicken feet.
I skipped the saute-ing part, I put everything(except hard-boiled eggs) in a slow cooker.
For chicken pieces, cook on high for 4 to 6 hours, and for chicken feet, cook for 6 to 8 hours.
Add eggs in the last hour.
You may add cornflour slurry to make the sauce smooth and silky.
What is soy sauce chicken?
Soy sauce chicken is a staple dish for many Chinese families in Malaysia.It is a simple dish of chicken cooked with aromatics, over slow heat until the sauce is thickened and glossy.
There are many varieties of soy sauce chicken depending on which region (State or country) one is from.
Some will saute the aromatics, and others just bring everything to a boil.
Some will add mandarin peel and again this is optional.
I prefer my braised soy sauce chicken with mandarin peels.
Ingredients for soy sauce chicken?
These are the main ingredients for soy sauce chicken.
Chicken pieces (I prefer chicken thigh or drumsticks or both)Dried Chinese mushrooms or Shiitake mushrooms
Hard-boiled eggs
Cinnamon sticks
Star anise
Ginger
Garlic
Onion
Light soy sauce
Sweet soy sauce (Kicap manis)
Chinese dark caramel sauce
Chicken stock (optional)
Dried mandarin peels (optional)
How to cook soy sauce chicken?
Step 1: Saute the aromatics.
Add cooking oil to a medium size pot.
Do note that I used a shallow frying pan to show the steps in my video, otherwise under normal circumstances, I would use a pot.
Add ginger and saute to release the aromatics.
Add garlic
Add cinnamon stick
Add star anise
Saute for a couple of minutes.
Add chopped onion.
Step 2: Add soy sauces
There are 3 types of soy sauce that I used in this recipe, light soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, and dark caramel sauce.
Sweet soy sauce or kicap manis.
If you are not able to find this sweet soy sauce, just add sugar when the sauce has thickened.
Add water if there is little to no sauce.
Add light soy sauce.
Note that this sauce can be very salty, so add and adjust to your liking.
The final product should be sweet salty with a hint of citrus.
Add dark caramel sauce.
You can find this sauce in an Asian grocer.
This sauce is neither salty nor sweet.
It is used to darken the sauce (this sauce gives a dark brown to the dish).
Step 3: Add mushrooms and chicken stock
Add shiitake mushrooms
Note: pre-soak the dried mushrooms at least 2 hours before cooking.
Add dried mandarin peels (optional)
Add chicken stock cube.
Step 4: Chicken
Add chicken pieces to the simmering sauce.
Bring to a quick boil, cover, and lower the heat to a simmer.
Note: I like to use either chicken thighs or drumsticks for this dish.
The meat from this part of the chicken does not break easily when cooked for a longer period of time!
Turn the chicken pieces to make sure that the chicken will cook on both sides.
Again simmer until chicken is cooked through.
Remove chicken to another dish.
Continue to simmer until the sauce has thickened.
This sauce-reducing step is optional.
You can omit and still have a nice silky smooth sauce by adding cornflour slurry (add 1 tablespoon corn flour with 3 tablespoons of water).
Add salt, and adjust to your liking.
Note: taste before adding salt!
Add sugar.
Return the cooked chicken to the simmering dish.
Step 6: Add hard-boiled eggs
Add hard-boiled eggs to the soy sauce chicken.
Bring to a quick boil and turn off the heat.
FAQ on soy sauce chicken
Can I use a whole chicken?
Yes, you can.I love cooking chicken feet this way.
Do note chicken feet take longer to cook.
How do I keep any leftovers?
You can keep any leftovers in the fridge.How long can I keep the food for?
It is best to consume on the day, however, you can still keep the leftovers and eat for the next 3 to 4 days.The longer you keep them, the better they taste.
How do I serve this soy sauce chicken?
I serve soy sauce chicken with hot rice and eat it with pickled hot chili (like jalapeno) or sambal belacan.Can I cook braised chicken in a slow cooker?
I do that with chicken feet.
I skipped the saute-ing part, I put everything(except hard-boiled eggs) in a slow cooker.
For chicken pieces, cook on high for 4 to 6 hours, and for chicken feet, cook for 6 to 8 hours.
Add eggs in the last hour.
Can I make this dish vegetarian?
Yes, just omit chicken stock, and chicken pieces, and add firm beancurd (tofu)You may add cornflour slurry to make the sauce smooth and silky.
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