Simple but flavorful recipe.
First published on https://thewoksoflife.com/soy-sauce-chicken/
Image source: https://www.theflouredcamera.com/chinese-braised-soy-sauce-chicken/
Ingredients
Instructions
Make sure your chicken is washed and in room temperature before starting to cook
Using a stock pot; ideally a tall, narrow pot that will fit the chicken, since it should be totally submerged in the cooking liquid (if you use a larger pot, you'll need to increase all the ingredients proportionally to create more cooking liquid).Put it over medium low heat, and add the oil and ginger.
Caramelize the ginger for about 30 seconds. Then add the scallions and cook another 30 seconds.Add the star anise and wine (you can use Shaoxing rice wine, rose wine or a mix of both), and bring to a simmer to let some of the alcohol cook off.
Add the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, salt, and water. Bring to a simmer again and cook on low heat for another 20 minutes.
Increase the heat to bring the liquid to a slow boil (i.e. a little stronger than a simmer, but not a rolling boil).Use a large roasting fork inserted into the chicken cavity to lower the chicken slowly into the pot breast side up. Make sure the chicken is entirely submerged at this point.
Once the chicken goes in, the cooking liquid will cool down. Let it cook for about 5 minutes at medium high heat. Next, carefully lift the chicken out of the water and empty the liquid inside the cavity, which will be cooler than the liquid surrounding the chicken. Lower the chicken back into the pot, making sure once again that there aren't any air pockets in the cavity. If the chicken is not completely submerged, periodically baste the exposed area with cooking liquid.
Bring the liquid back up to a lazy simmer, which should take about 10 minutes. Keep it at this slow simmer (the liquid will be about 210 degrees F) for 25 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let the chicken sit in the pot for another 15 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board. If you like, you can use a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh to confirm it's reached 165 degrees F.
Use the sauce from the pot to occasionally baste the chicken and keep the skin moist as it cools. You can keep the liquid and re-use it another day