Try this traditional & delicious Cantonese Soy Sauce Chicken (豉油鸡) at home.
The preparation is easy and simple. All you need is a bottle of good soy sauce (best to use superior/premium/first draw soy sauce) and a big meaty chicken. The result, you will get a juicy and flavourful chicken braised in a bath of soy sauce, garlic, cinnamon, and star anise.
Ingredients: (serves 4)
1/2 Chicken (I used Kampung Chicken)
5pcs Ginger (sliced thinly)
2pcs Shallot (whole) - rinsed
3 cloves Garlic (whole) -rinsed
1pc Star Anise (Bunga Lawang)
1pc Cinnamon (Kayu Manis) - small piece
1 tbsp Cooking Oil
20ml Light Soy Sauce
1/2 tsp Dark Soy Sauce
1/2 tsp Sugar/ small piece of rock sugar
275ml Water
Ingredients:
1. Heat oil in the pan.
2. Saute ginger till fragrant, then add in shallot, garlic, star anise & cinnamon and saute for about 30 seconds.
3. Put in the chicken with the skin side facing downwards to lightly sear and lock the chicken juice in the meat. Let it sear for about 1-2 mins on each side.
4. Add in water, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, garlic, sugar/rock sugar and bring the sauce to a boil.
5. Reduce to low heat and use a ladle to slow scoop the soy sauce & pour the sauce over the chicken continuously for about 5 mins. Then flip the chicken on the other side & do the same for another 5 mins.
6. Then cover it and let it cook for another 20mins or until chicken is fully cooked. Flipping the chicken once in between cooking time.
7. Use a fork to poke to test whether chicken is fully cooked. If no more blood water oozing out means the chicken is cooked.
8. Turn off the heat and let the chicken sit in the covered pot for another 20 mins.
9. Remove chicken and put on a plate to let it cool down before cutting it. Taste the sauce, if you feel too salty, can add a little bit more water.
10. Once the chicken cool down, you can start cutting them into small piece.
11. Arrange cut chicken on the plate and reheat the sauce again before pouring onto the chicken.
12. Ready to serve.
* Extra cooked soy sauce can be kept in the freezer for next time usage. In fact the next soy sauce chicken dish will taste better & tastier.