Chinese Soy Braised Chicken

Chinese soy-braised chicken (also known as “Hong Shao Ji”) is a classic comfort dish that originates from traditional Chinese cuisine, particularly in the southern regions. The dish is made by braising chicken in a rich, flavorful sauce of soy sauce, sugar, and spices, giving it a beautifully dark and caramelized appearance.

It’s a simple yet deeply satisfying recipe, often enjoyed in family meals and celebratory feasts. The dish is versatile, allowing for a wide range of flavors depending on regional variations and personal preferences.3

The cooking process:

1. Searing: Start by searing the chicken pieces until golden brown. This step locks in the juices and provides a base layer of flavor.
2. Braising: After searing, deglaze the pan with Shaoxing wine, then add soy sauces, sugar, spices, and enough water to cover the chicken.
3. Simmering: Cover the pot and simmer the chicken over low heat until it is tender and the sauce has reduced to a slightly thick, glossy consistency.

Soy braised chicken’s flavour profile:

Soy-braised chicken boasts a complex, well-rounded flavor profile, balancing the saltiness of soy sauce with the warmth of aromatic spices and the subtle sweetness of sugar. The slow braising process allows the chicken to absorb the richness of the sauce while maintaining a tender, juicy texture.

Types of Soy Sauce:

Soy sauce is the star of this dish, and using both light and dark soy sauce is essential to achieving its depth of flavor:

• Light soy sauce contributes to the savory, umami taste, acting as the primary seasoning.
• Dark soy sauce is thicker and less salty but adds a beautiful deep mahogany color to the dish, as well as a slightly sweet undertone.

How to serve soy braised chicken:

Traditionally, soy-braised chicken is served family-style, often presented in a large shallow bowl with the chicken pieces submerged in the sauce. It’s garnished with freshly chopped scallions or cilantro to add a fresh, herbal touch and a pop of color.

• Serve the soy-braised chicken with steamed jasmine rice to soak up the savory sauce.
• It pairs well with stir-fried greens like bok choy or gai lan (Chinese broccoli) for a balanced meal.
• Leftovers taste even better the next day as the flavors continue to meld.

This recipe calls for 2 to 4 serves, this is dependent on whether you have side dishes and what you consider a portion. If this is the only main dishes, I would recommend 2 chicken thighs per person and 1 per person if you have a couple of side dishes.

IMPORTANT TO NOTE: If you are planning to have this over a few days, I would reheat on a boil and add in the cornstarch slurry every time (can be a little time-consuming or you can just completely leave it out and have it as it is!). I find it difficult to reheat a sauce that has been thickened with cornstarch because it doesn’t give the same glossy finish as it would when made fresh.

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Ingredients:

Serves 2-4

• 4 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
• 1/2 litre of water
• 1/4 sugar
• 1/2 soy sauce
• 2 tblsp dark soy
• 2 tblsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 star anise
• Slices of ginger
• 2 stalks of spring onion
• 6 whole garlic cloves, smashed and skin off

Steps:

1. Pan fry chicken by placing it skin down, seasoning with salt and pepper, and turn the heat on to low-medium. The fat will render and the skin will get super crispy within 6-8 minutes (leave it undisturbed).
2. Combine the braising liquid ingredients while you wait for the chicken to cook.
3. Remove chicken from the pan, you can leave the skin on or remove it and reserve as garnish. (If you decide to remove the skin, pop it in the grill to get it extra crispy and to ensure it is fully cooked as only half the chicken will be cooked)
4. Saute ginger, chilli, spring onion and garlic on low heat until fragrant.
5. Add braising liquid and add chicken back into the pan. Pop the lid on and simmer for 45 minutes-1 hour.
6. Remove and slice chicken, remove aromatics but the garlic (optional) and add a cornstarch slurry to thicken up the sauce.
7. Serve with rice, drizzle the sauce over the chicken and garnish with coriander / spring onions.