Soy Sauce Chicken (See Yao Gai)

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 3 Chicken Marylands
• 2 Tbsp Grapeseed Oil
• 5cm Knob Ginger, thickly sliced
• 2 Spring Onions, quartered
• ¼ cup Sugar
• ⅓ cup Dark Soy Sauce
• ¼ cup Light Soy Sauce
• ¼ cup Shaoxing Wine
• 3 Star Anise
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 2 cups Water

Method

1. Heat the oil in a wok or a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add the ginger and fry for 30 seconds, then add the spring onions and fry for a further minute.  Next add the sugar and dark soy sauce and cook until the sugar has dissolved.  Add the light soy sauce, shaoxing wine, star anise, bay leaves, water and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes (add another ½ cup of water if reducing too quickly).  Turn down the heat until sauce is barely simmering, then place the chicken skin-side down in the braising liquid.  Cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes, then turn the heat off and leave the chicken in the liquid for another 30 minutes to finish cooking.
   
   
2. Remove chicken from the wok and set aside.  Taste the braising liquid (which will be your sauce!).  If you want a more concentrated sauce, add a cup of braising liquid to a clean saucepan and reduce until your desired taste.  Prepare the chicken by cutting across the thigh in 3 cuts (leaving the drumstick whole).  Place cut chicken on a large plate, drizzle over some sauce and garnish with coriander.  Dig in - make sure you spoon the sauce over some rice too (it's heavenly)!

This recipe was created by Dan Dumbrell, check out Dan's Instagram here.