Description
Savory, homey, and comforting, this Chinese Braised Chicken was one of the first Chinese dishes I learned to cook. It remains one of my favorites and is great over rice or noodles.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the Chicken:
- 1.5 lbs chicken thighs, cut into 1” pieces
- 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
For the Braise:
- 4 small gold potatoes
- 1 green pepper
- 1 red pepper
- 2 carrots
- Scallions
- Neutral oil
- 2 tablespoons broad bean sauce (doubanjang)
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 6 slices of ginger
- 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
- 6 Whole dried chilis
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 star anise
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Instructions
- Cube the chicken thighs into 1” pieces.
- Season the cubed chicken in a large bowl with 1.5 tsp salt, black pepper, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, and 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. Let this marinate while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Prepare the vegetables and aromatics – chop the bell peppers into 1” pieces, thinly slice the carrots, and eighth the potatoes (quarter, then cut each quarter in half). Thinly slice the scallions to use for garnish as well.
- Smash the garlic, slice the ginger, and place all the remaining spices on a plate or bowl.
- Heat a large pot on medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of neutral oil, then add the marinated chicken. Cook until one side is browned, about 3-4 minutes.
- Give everything a stir, then add the plate of aromatics and broad bean sauce. Toast everything for 30 seconds, then add the broth and potatoes. Make sure everything is covered with liquid – if needed, you can add more water.
- To the broth, add the light and dark soy sauces. Cook the potatoes on medium heat (do not let them rapidly boil) for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes or when the potatoes are tender (you can stick the tip of a knife into the potato easily), add the chopped bell peppers and carrot. Increase the heat to medium high and cook for another 3-5 minutes, reducing the heat if the pot begins to rapidly boil.
- Taste, adjust seasoning as desired, then serve over rice or noodles.
Equipment
Notes
- Keep the skin on the gold potatoes
- If you’re using bone-in chicken, cook the chicken in the broth for 15 minutes before adding the potatoes.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Asian
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian