Best Chinese Drunken Chicken Recipes

CHINESE DRUNKEN CHICKEN

Steps:

• Debone the chicken leg quarters, keeping the skin on. Keep the bones to make a homemade stock, which you'll be using in this recipe. You might be able to ask your butcher to help you with this step!
• In a small pot, add your reserved chicken bones, 2 ½ cups water, and ginger. Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for at least 1 hour (or longer). We'll need 1 ½ cups of chicken broth for the recipe. You can also eliminate this step if you want to use store-bought chicken stock.
• Rinse off your de-boned chicken and pat thoroughly dry with a paper towel. Grab 2 pieces of aluminum foil, each about 12" long. Lay each piece of chicken onto a piece of foil, and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt. Roll up the chicken lengthwise, and then wrap in the foil, twisting both sides to form a candy-like bundle.
• Steam the chicken in the foil over high heat for 20 minutes, covered. Turn off the heat and let the chicken sit in the steamer for another 5 minutes with the lid tightly closed.
• Transfer the foil wrapped chicken to an ice bath, and let it sit there for 10-15 minutes, until the chicken is completely cool. This step ensures that the juices remain locked in and improves the chicken's overall texture.
• Now it's time to make the brine. In a non-reactive container (I used a glass loaf pan. Anything narrow and deep, where the chicken can remain submerged, will work), add the 1 ½ cups chicken broth, 1 ½ cups shaoxing wine, sugar, salt, and goji berries. Once the chicken is cool, unwrap the chicken and place in the brine. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.v
• Slice and serve cold or at room temperature. This dish is usually served as a cold appetizer. Remember to store the chicken in the brine until serving and use clean utensil whenever coming contact with the brine and chicken. Consume the chicken within 3 days.
• Note: We did this dish with equal parts wine and broth. You can change the ratio according to your own tastes, whether you like a stronger or lighter wine taste. But beware...upping the ratio of wine can make the chicken bitter, so proceed with caution.

DRUNKEN CHICKEN

Steps:

• Sprinkle 2 tablespoons salt on the chicken, making sure to season the inside of the cavity. Leave the chicken at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts of cold water to a boil over medium-high heat in a 7-quart Dutch oven. Add 2 tablespoons salt, the ginger and whole scallion. Slowly lower the chicken into the boiling water with the breast side up. Bring the water back up to a gentle boil.
• Carefully lift the chicken out using the handles of 2 wooden spoons or 2 pairs of chopsticks positioned under the wings; be careful not to tear the skin (do not use tongs as they can easily tear the skin). Lift the chicken just high enough and tilt it so all the water drains from the cavity into the pot; this allows cold water in the cavity to drain and ensures even cooking.
• Lower the chicken back into the water. Bring the water back to a gentle simmer and reduce the heat to low. Cook, covered, until the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced between the leg and thigh, 33 to 35 minutes. Right before the chicken is done, prepare a large bowl of ice water.
• Transfer the chicken to ice water breast-side down; reserve the liquid the chicken poached in. Let the chicken cool for about 10 minutes, flipping it once after about 5 minutes. (The ice bath prevents the chicken from overcooking, but also helps to firm the meat and tighten the skin.) Remove the chicken, letting the excess water drain off.
• Whisk together 2 cups of the reserved poaching liquid, the wine, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl until the sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
• Carve the chicken with a meat cleaver or chef's knife: Start by detaching both leg quarters (leg and thigh together) from the body. Chop the leg quarters through the bone into roughly 3/4-inch pieces. Cut off the wings and drumettes. Split the wing flat lengthwise to expose the meat. Cut the breast bone down the center to separate the two breast halves. Cut each half through the bone into 3/4-inch pieces. Lay the chicken pieces in a 2-quart casserole dish in a single layer.
• Sprinkle the goji berries if using around the chicken. Pour the wine mixture over the chicken making sure it's submerged; add a little more poaching liquid if it's not. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days.
• Serve cold, taking the chicken pieces out of the marinade and garnishing them with the goji berries and thinly sliced scallions if using.