Chinese soy sauce chicken is known as 豉油鸡 and it is a featured dish from Chinese Cantonese cuisine. I have been living in Guangdong province around 4 years and this soy sauce chicken is always on our dinner list. It should be as popular as char siu when steamed with steamed rice.
One of the essential key step for this easy and brilliant chicken recipe is to purchase high quality soy sauce. We combine light soy sauce (mainly for the flavor) and dark soy sauce (mainly for coloring). If you need more information about basic Chinese sauces and seasonings, check Chinese sauces.
Perfect soy sauce chicken has tense skins and super tender meat inside. The sauce remaining after well cooked is extremely yummy. So do not waste it. You can drizzle on the chicken, or mix with the rice or save it for a bowl of upper level of soy sauce noodles.
Cook’s Note
- Choose organic tender chicken under 1000kg is highly recommended for this recipe. Those young chicken is easy to cook and tender than older ones.
- Clay pot or other thick pot with brilliant heat preservation and heat conduction, so the tender chicken can be cooked with a very gentle heat. As a consequence, the meat can be more evenly done.
- It is ok when you feel the chicken is too tender and there might be some very light pink color in the bones. Gentle cooking can help use bringing back a degree of tenderness and when the inter temperature reaches around 160 degree F (70 degree C), the potential harmful bacteria can be killed.
- During the cooking process, cook the legs slightly for a longer time and the breast for a shorter time. Comparing with the thigh, breast is much tender and begins to getting dry when the temperature exceed 68 degree C. While the chicken thigh should be well cooked around 73 to 75 degree C.
Instructions
Firstly, remove the chicken feet (you can save it for a stock) and clean the main body. Add all of the marinating ingredients and massage the chicken for couple of minutes. Set aside for at least 3 hours. Turn over at least twice during the time.
After marinating, the chicken should be well colored all around.
Transfer the marinating juice to a pot (just enough to hold the chicken, do not use oversized pot with lots of empty spaces). Add around 1 cup of chicken stock or water. Bring it to a boiling.
Place the chicken in and keep spreading the sauce on the chicken with the help of a scoop. After adding the chicken, the temperature of the liquid will drop quickly. Use medium to slow fire and keep the liquid almost simmering but not strongly boiling. This is the key to keep the chicken tender.
Simmer one side for 10 to 12 minutes and then turn over, simmer the other side and the stomach for another 10 to 15 minutes until ¾ of the sauce are cooked off. Then cover the lid and let the chicken stay inside for 10 minutes (continue heating the chicken with the remaining heat of the pot).
Transfer out and then cut into large bite size pieces.
The best way is to serve it with steamed rice. In addition, you can spread the remaining liquid on the rice and make the dish ever better. Enjoy!
By the way, if you love to cook whole chicken, check salt baked chicken (盐焗鸡) and Chinese style braised chicken with spices and soy sauce (脱骨卤鸡) and Chinese roasted chicken (广式烧鸡). In summer time, you must try tender and milk white cut chicken and spicy Sichuan mouthwatering chicken.
Easy Chinese Soy Sauce Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 whole organic chicken ,800g
- steamed rice for serving
- 1 cup unsalted chicken stock or water
Marinating sauce
- ¾ cup light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp. dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp. rock sugar
- 1 inch root ginger ,smashed
- 3 scallions ,cut into small sections
- 4 garlic cloves ,smashed
- 2 star anises
- 1 small piece of cinnamon
- 1 small piece of sand ginger 沙姜，recommended to include it or you can use dried ones
- ⅓ cup rice wine
- 1 tbsp. sesame oil
Instructions
- Firstly, remove the chicken feet and clean the main body. Add all of the marinating ingredients and massage the chicken for couple of minutes. Set aside for at least 3 hours. Turn over at least twice during the time.
- Transfer the marinating juice to a pot (just enough to hold the chicken, do not use oversized pot). Add around 1 cup of chicken stock or water. Bring it to a boiling.
- Place the chicken in and keep spreading the sauce on the chicken with the help of a scoop. After adding the chicken, the temperature of the liquid will drop quickly. Use medium to slow fire and keep the liquid almost simmering but not boiling. This is the key to keep the chicken tender.
- Simmer one side for 10 to 12 minutes and then turn over, simmer the other side and the stomach for another 10 to 15 minutes until ¾ of the sauce are cooked off. Cover the lid and let the chicken stay inside for 10 minutes, with no heat and covered.
- Transfer out and then cut into large bite size pieces.
- The best way is to serve it with steamed rice. In addition, you can spread the remaining liquid on the rice and make the dish ever better.
Notes
Nutrition
Steven Effendi Halim
Does it really have to use the whole chicken? can I use just the thighs?
Elaine
You can use chicken thigh for sure. We use whole chicken because it provide the maximized area of skins.
Steven Effendi Halim
So does it mean that the flavor come from the skin?
Elaine
No, the skin obtain the best flavor and texture, not creating flavors.
Cindy
I don’t have a rating only a question. While eating at a Chinese restaurant in the Minneapolis area I had a wonderful seafood soup, do you have a recipe for it
Elaine
Cindy, I do want to help but cannot locate the special dish mentioned by you. Do you have a photo or more details about that delicious seafood soup?
Temak
Great recipe Elaine Luo.
This is exactly what I was looking.
Today I'll make this Chinese soy sauce chicken.
Elaine
Thank you, Temak. Happy cooking.
Diane
just made this and it smells heavenly in my house! I made some steamed white rice with sweet potato , some quickly-blanched spinach, and daikon/carrot pickes with facing heaven chiles to eat with it. the chicken looks so beautiful with its lacquered skin. thank you for the recipe and for constant inspiration!
Mark Tio
suggest a follow up on this recipe.
Hoping for a recipe for the remaining sauce/stock, suggest Soy Sauce Noodles soup?
Elaine
DO you mean master stock? Soy sauce master stock for the remaining stock?
Justme
I wonder can I use Mirin as cooking wine for this recipe? Help please.
Elaine
For this recipe, yes.
frank Menschel
tried recipe yesterday with a few adjustments and no longer have to go to Chinatown and look in shop windows.
the chicken turned out as good as the recipe was easy. I do not care for breast meat and this recipe changed my opinion as the meat was moist andtasteful.
Elaine
You got it Frank! This can be super easy to make at home. Happy cooking.
denisa diaconescu
Hi Elaine
Would the chicken be cooked under 32-35 minutes? (10-12 then 10-15 minutes as per recipe?)
Thx
Elaine
100% yes, Denisa! But you need to make sure the chicken is young chicken.
Denisa
That makes sense. Thank you!
Elaine
My pleasure! Denisa!