Hong Kong Soy Sauce Chicken

About This Recipe

Soy sauce chicken is a Hong Kong street-food icon and the soul of dim sum breakfasts. The chicken is poached in a fragrant master stock infused with ginger, star anise, and soy sauce, then cooled and chopped into bite-sized pieces. The silky meat is paired with a pungent ginger-scallion oil and a drizzle of soy gravy, creating a perfectly balanced, umami-rich dish.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 wholechicken (1.5 kg), cleaned
• 1 cupsoy sauce
• 1/4 cupdark soy sauce
• 3 inchginger, sliced
• 5 piecesstar anise
• 2 stalksscallions, chopped
• 3 tbspvegetable oil

Instructions

1. 1

   Blanch chicken

   Bring a large pot of water to boil. Blanch chicken for 2 minutes, then remove and rinse.

2. 2

   Make stock

   In the same pot, combine soy sauces, ginger, star anise, and water to cover. Bring to a boil.

3. 3

   Poach chicken

   Return chicken to pot and simmer 30–35 minutes until cooked through. Cool slightly, then refrigerate in stock.

4. 4

   Make ginger oil

   Heat oil with ginger and scallions for 1 minute. Chop chilled chicken and serve with oil and reserved soy gravy.

Variations

• •

  Make with duck for Peking-style variation

• •

  Add mushrooms to the stock

• •

  Shred chicken for congee topping

Storage

Refrigerate up to 5 days in stock. The stock freezes for 2 months.

Frequently Asked Questions