Best Chinese Simmer Chicken Recipes

THREE CUP CHICKEN (SAN BEI JI)

Steps:

• Start by putting the sesame oil, vegetable oil, ginger, garlic, and red chili into your wok over medium heat. Let the aromatics infuse the oil for a couple minutes.
• Then turn up the heat to high, and add the chicken wings to the wok all in one layer. Sear the chicken until golden brown on both sides. Then add 1/4 cup warm water, ¼ cup Shaoxing wine, dark soy sauce (2-5 teaspoons, depending on how dark you'd like the dish to be), 1 1/2 tablespoons light soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons sugar.
• Stir and cover the wok. Turn the heat down to medium and simmer for 15 minutes to cook the chicken through (cook for 20 minutes if you want the chicken to be more tender).
• Then remove the cover and turn up the heat to rapidly reduce the sauce for a few minutes until it clings to the chicken and gives it a rich, dark color. Make sure to stir the chicken during this process to prevent burning.
• Throw in your Thai basil and/or scallions and fry another minute until it's wilted. Serve!

CANTONESE POACHED CHICKEN (BAI QIE JI)

Steps:

• Make sure your chicken is at room temperature (trying to poach a cold chicken right out of the refrigerator will result in uneven cooking or undercooking). Clean the chicken by rinsing it under cold water, paying special attention to the cavity. Any giblets should already be removed but there may still be organs on the inside that should be removed or sometimes stray feathers that need to be plucked. Experts recommend that it's not necessary to wash your chicken before cutting and cooking but in this case for a whole chicken (especially if you get it from a live poultry place or even from Asian markets), it's a step that shouldn't be skipped, in my opinion. When washing and prepping the whole chicken, be very careful about splashing water and contaminating surfaces with unwanted bacteria. Be careful not to break or trim away any of the skin on the chicken, as you don't want the meat exposed to the boiling water as it cooks. This will ensure a moist, silky texture in the final product.
• Fill a large stock pot with water, just enough to submerge the chicken completely. You can determine this by putting the entire chicken in the pot, filling it with water until the chicken is submerged, and then removing the chicken. Do not turn on the heat while the chicken is still in the pot! This method of ensuring you have just enough water to submerge the chicken (and avoiding any extra) will ensure you have a more flavorful stock to save at the end. We used about 18 cups of water to submerge a 4 pound chicken in a deep stock pot.
• Once you have your water properly measured into the pot, add 2 scallions and 5 slices of ginger, and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, slowly lower the chicken into the pot, legs down and head up. It's ok if the breast is peeking out of the water a bit. The water will cool down and stop boiling when you add the chicken, so bring it up to a boil once again, and do not walk away from the pot.
• Once the water boils again, IMMEDIATELY lift the chicken out of the water very carefully. You can carefully hook two wooden spoons under the wings to lift the chicken up. The goal is to empty any colder water that may be trapped inside the cavity. Once you've released that water, lower the chicken back into the pot, and bring to a boil again.
• When the water is JUST starting to boil, turn the heat down. Keep it at barely a simmer. There should be very little movement in the water, but it also shouldn't be still. Cover the pot, and keep the heat around the lowest setting so the liquid continues to simmer slowly. Cook for about 35-40 minutes, roughly 10-11 minutes per pound. Depending on the size of your chicken, it may take more or less time to cook it through. You can check to make sure the water is bubbling slowly/gently and not boiling too vigorously, but try to avoid uncovering the pot while it's cooking.
• Poke a chopstick or skewer into the thigh to check for doneness. If the juices run clear, it's done. Carefully lift the chicken out of the pot and transfer it to a large bowl of ice water. Cool completely.
• While the chicken is cooling, make the sauce. You have the option to make two versions-one with just scallions, ginger, oil and salt, and one with soy sauce. The plain version is more traditional, as it really lets the flavors of chicken, ginger, and scallion shine through. Judy loves to add soy sauce, and it's also a tasty option! Start with the plain version, and then scoop some of it out into another bowl and add soy sauce. Try both and see which your loved ones like best!
• When the chicken is out of the ice water, you can brush it lightly with oil or some of the fat floating atop the poaching liquid to give it that enticing, shiny look!
• To serve, carve your chicken into pieces that you can easily grab with chopsticks. Serve with your sauce(s) and some steamed rice.

SIMMERED CHINESE CHICKEN

Steps:

• Rinse the chicken and remove"the goodies" from the inside, pat dry with papertowels.
• Heat the oil in a large dutch oven or soup pan.
• Brown the chicken on all sides.
• Mix soy sauce, brown sugar, 1/2 c water, catsup, sherry, red pepper, garlic and green onion together.
• Pour mixture over chicken.
• Cover and simmer 45 minutes.
• Remove the chicken to a serving platter.
• Dissolve the 2 T of cornstarch in 1 T of water.
• Add to the sauce in the pan, over low heat, to thicken.
• Pour sauce over chicken.
• We serve this with rice and pour the sauce over the rice as well.

SIMMERED CHINESE CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat oil in big pot, and brown chicken on all sides.
• Mix soy sauce, brown sugar, water, catsup, apple juice, red pepper flakes, garlic and green onion.
• Pour mixture over chicken in pot.
• Heat to boiling, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 35-45 minutes.
• Remove chicken to platter (debone, if desired, and cut into bite sized pieces.).
• Skim fat off top of sauce.
• Blend together cold water and cornstarch and stir into sauce.
• Cook, stirring constantly, until thick.
• Spoon sauce over chicken and sprinkle with sesame seeds and more sliced green onion.
• Serve with rice and sauce.

CHEESY CHICKEN SIMMER

Steps:

• Heat oil in large skillet on med-high heat.
• Add chicken, cook 7 minutes. turning after 3 1/2 minutes. Add broccoli, stir. Stir in soup and velveeta until well blended. Reduce heat to med low and simmer 7 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Serve over rice.