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    Home » Meat » Chicken

    Published: Jan 20, 2022 · Modified: Jan 20, 2022 by Zen

    Easy Chinese Braised Soy Sauce Chicken Thighs

    This recipe is a simplified but still delicious version of the most popular recipe on my website (Chinatown soya sauce chicken): made in one-pot, this easy Chinese braised soy sauce chicken thighs recipe is simple to make. It's mostly passive cooking as the chicken thighs are left to simmer on the stove and done in ⅓ the time!

    Simple Chinese soy sauce chicken on rice
    In Singapore and Malaysia, people eat Cantonese soy sauce chicken with rice and spicy sambal chilli- very different from how it's eaten in Hong Kong!
    Jump to Recipe
    Jump to:
    • Why make this
    • Ingredients & Substitutes
    • How to tell if cooked
    • Other cuts
    • How to eat
    • Tips
    • How to reheat
    • Leftover sauce = master stock
    • Other Chicken Recipes
    • Easy Chinese Braised Soy Sauce Chicken Thighs

    My Cantonese Chinatown soy sauce whole chicken recipe- developed after eating soy sauce chicken for weeks and dissecting 4 other recipes in a test kitchen approach- was so popular it became the top visited post on my blot after just ONE DAY! As most of us- myself included- don't often have the time to prepare a dish 2.5 or so hours (1.5 hour cooking time + 1 hour just leaving the chicken in the hot soya sauce) in advance, I decided to make this easy Cantonese Soy Sauce Chicken Thighs recipe for busy weekday dinners!

    Note: this cooking method was inspired by Red House Spice (but my ingredient ratios and the final taste is totally different- the final dish is SUPER fragrant thanks to the liberal usage of Chinese rose wine. I'm normally not a huge fan of chicken skin if it's not fried but I couldn't help downing this one as it was so smooth and aromatic!)

    Why make this

    1. Fuss free: made in one-pot and no need to constantly fiddle with the stove setting
    2. No risk of burns: gets rid of the need to lift the bird in and out of the boiling sauce, so no risk of the pieces falling and splashing you
    3. Relatively quick: only takes 50 minutes in comparison to the 2.5 hours my traditional soy sauce chicken recipe does (i.e. ⅓ the time!)
    4. Delicious: the higher concentration of Chinese wine makes it more fragrant than the usual soy sauce chicken

    Note: the texture can never compare to a properly poached chicken as done in my original recipe but these chicken thighs are nonetheless very silky and tender!

    Ingredients & Substitutes

    • Ginger
    • Star anise and bay leaves
      • If you don't have star anise, use a pinch of 5-spice powder instead (not too much as the key flavour is the rose wine and we don't want to overwhelm it- for keen cooks, here's a recipe for homemade 5 spice powder)
      • Don't use Indian bay leaf- it's not the same thing! If you shop at an ethnic grocery, Indian bay leaf is sometimes simply labelled bay leaf so it's easy to get confused. Check the veins on the leaf- regular bay leaves have their veins running to the main central vein, forming a Y-shape whilst Indian bay leaves have all the veins parallel to the central one
    • Light and dark soy sauce
      • Use good brands such as Lee Kum Kee
      • You may have noticed that the color of my whole soy sauce chicken and these chicken thighs are different. It's because slightly less dark soy was used here and also because I used different brands (they don't have the same formulation and thus are different in color/ taste -> so remember to taste first!)
    • Granulated white sugar: if you want, you can use rock sugar instead but that takes more time as you have to pound down the huge clumps
    • Chinese rose wine (meikweilu)
      • you can use Shaoxing wine instead but it won't give that beautiful aromatic fragrance to the chicken that this rose wine does!
      • I've made this recipe with a mix of rose and shaoxing wines (in the ratio of 7:1 and it worked very well)
    • Chicken thighs: fresh tastes better than frozen (better texture) but I'll be the 1st to own up and say 99.9% of the time, I cook with frozen (what with COVID, I make much fewer trips to the grocery store!)

    For more recipes where soy sauce is the star, try these butter and soy king oyster mushrooms.

    How to tell if cooked

    To test if the chicken is done, insert a thermometer into the thickest part, near the bone and it should measure 74C (165F). However, to be honest, most Asian families don't keep cooking thermometer! Instead, as slice into the thickest part and check the colour of the juices- they should be clear and not pink. If pin, return the thighs to the pot for a bit longer as you don't want food poisoning!

    Other cuts

    I've made this with a small whole chicken before (700g) and it was done in the 45-minute time frame.

    Red House Spice has also kindly provided timings for other parts, though note I've not tested them:

    • Wings: 25 mins
    • Drumsticks: 35 mins
    • Whole legs or leg quarters: 45-50 mins

    How to eat

    • The sauce is so good, it's terrific eaten with rice or noodles, and maybe some stir-fried kailan or bok choy on the side. Note that the sauce is a little salty- the chicken is perfect though- so taste first and drizzle sparingly.
      • If you don't want such a salty sauce, add some water, stir and bring to a boil AFTER you take the chicken out. (Taste and see before you add water as everyone has a different salt tolerance.)
      • It's quite a thin sauce and totally reminded me of eating Cantonese Soy Sauce Chicken with rice at hawker centres
      • If you want a thicker sauce, add in chicken feet/ wings to simmer with the sauce (they add gelatin) OR add a bit of cornstarch at the end.
      • Depending on how fat your meat is, there may be quite a bit of oil floating on the sauce so give it a stir before spooning it out. (Fat is a flavour carrier, so don't hate it!)
    • Soy Sauce Chicken Thighs can also be eaten with some baked or grilled vegetables at the side. (aka Western style)

    Soy Sauce Chicken Thigh on a plate, with oily sauce around it
    See the layer of oil around the soy sauce chicken? That's because I didn't stir first and scooped the sauce straight from the top of the pot!

    Tips

    • Let your chicken come to room temperature (about 15-30 minutes) and don't cook it right out of the fridge! (This improves the texture of the final dish.)
    • If you're picky about meat texture, don't leave extra thighs in the hot soy sauce mixture after you switch off the fire, as they'll continue cooking and become less tender.
    • If possible, use thighs that are about the same size, if not they'll cook at different rates and the meat of some will be a bit less moist than the others. (Mine weighed about 125g-175g per thigh)
    • Glazing: if you want an extra attractive chicken, you can glaze the cooked thigh with some neutral vegetable oil to make the skin glossier, but I honestly don't think it needs it!
    • You can add some extras to braise in the sauce, such as hard boiled eggs and tofu. Just don't add too much and overcrowd the pot. Also remember that the chickens should be immersed in the sauce, so these extra ingredients should be on top of the chicken and not below!

    How to reheat

    The Unique Selling Point of Chinese soy sauce chicken is its smooth and silky texture so you never want to cook it with harsh high heat. When reheating, steaming is the best way to keep the meat tender.

    Leftover sauce = master stock

    Sieve the leftover sauce and store it in the fridge for 3 days. If you want to store it longer, freeze it (it freezes well.) This sauce can then be used to:

    • stir fry vegetables or other meats
    • fry noodles or rice
    • to simmer or poach a 2nd round of chicken legs- they'll only taste better! (Add fresh aromatics and spices though)
    • thickened into gravy
    • to poach fish or vegetables (carrots would taste great)
    • stirred into a risotto- you may need to add some butter or cream here
    • Melt some butter, stir in some of this sauce, then thicken to make a meat sauce- great with roast potatoes!
    • Add a bit to stock to make ramen soup!

    Note: remember to taste for saltiness before doing the above- you may need to water down in some cases

    Other Chicken Recipes


    If you're a poultry fan, other chicken recipes that you may be interested in include:

    • Hainanese Chicken Jook
    • Fish Sauce Baked Chicken
    • Leftover roast chicken ideas -you could substitute roast chicken for this braised soy sauce chicken!
    • 11 Asian Chicken Wing Recipes
    A plate of soy sauce chicken with hard boiled egg and spicy sambal

    Easy Chinese Braised Soy Sauce Chicken Thighs

    A simplified but still delicious version of the most popular recipe on my website (Chinatown soya sauce chicken): this easy Chinese braised soy sauce chicken thighs recipe is simple to make in one pot and done in ⅓ the time!
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 3 mins
    Cook Time 45 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Cantonese, Chinese
    Servings 4 people

    Equipment

    • Pot I used a Le Creuset stainless steel pasta pot
    • sieve Optional, only if you plan to store the leftover sauce for future use

    Ingredients
      

    • 2.2 lb chicken thighs (1kg) Try to use ones that are about the same weight so all the thighs will poach at the same rate. Take out 15-30 min before cooking so it's at room temperature.
    • 2 thumbs ginger, slice but no need to peel
    • 3 star anise Substitute with a pinch of 5 spice powder if you're out. Don't over do it.
    • 2 bay leaves Don't use Indian bay leaves- not the same thing!
    • 1⅓ C light soy sauce Not to be confused with sweet soy sauce or kicap manis
    • ¾ C Chinese rose wine, meikweilu Sub with Chinese shaoxing, sake or dry sherry but note the final chicken will be nowhere as fragrant (still tasty though!) The rose wine notes are really the star of this recipe- if you prefer to have the light soy sauce dominant, reduce the wine used to ⅜C instead. I highly recommend trying the recipe as it is first though. I don't even drink much and I love this sauce!)
    • ¾ C granulated white sugar Feel free to use rock sugar instead but pounding it down to size isn't quick
    • 2 T dark soy sauce Not to be confused with sweet soy sauce or kicap manis
    • 1.5 C Water I add the water last to wash out any of the sauces that are stuck to the cups- dark soy sauce is particularly sticky!
    • Neutral oil to glaze Very optional- I personally don't think it needs it.
    • Sambal chilli, to serve Optional: this is South East Asian style not traditional Cantonese Hong Kong style
    • Rice or noodles, to serve Optional. See post above on how to eat this dish.

    Instructions
     

    • Add all the ingredients to the pot. Make sure that at least ¾ of each chicken thigh is submerged in the sauce. If not, your pot is too large.
    • Bring to the boil on medium or medium-high heat, stirring for the sugar to dissolve. Don't use high heat as you don't want to shock your chicken and make the meat contract and be tough. (I used heat of 7 on a Bosch induction stove with a maximum fire of 9)
    • Once it's boiling, turn down to medium or low heat so that the sauce is at a simmer, uncovered i.e. you see tiny bubbles rising to the top of the sauce. Let it simmer for 35 minutes. Note after some time, the sauce may end up hot enough and start boiling, so you may want to adjust the heat down. I started with the fire at 5 (Bosch induction stove, maximum 9) and eventually reduced to 2.5-3.
    • After 35 minutes have passed, flip the chicken and simmer for 10 minutes more then test for doneness- juices should run clear when the thickest part is sliced. I like to slice from underneath so the skin isn't cut and the thighs remain presentable.
    • If not done, return to the pot to simmer a bit more.
    • If done, remove all the thighs from the pot even if you're not eating them immediately (you don't want them to continue cooking in the pot). Optional glazing with a little oil if you want a glossier skin. Serve with rice or noodles. Stir the sauce before ladling a bit over the rice or noodles. (Taste first as the sauce can be salty though the chicken is perfectly seasoned.)
    • I recommend keeping the braising sauce as master sauce- sieve and store in fridge for 3 days or freeze it. There are recipes ideas in the post regarding what to do with the sauce!

    Notes

    The star of the recipe is the soft and fragrant chicken skin, so don't discard it!
    If you want a thicker sauce, add some chicken wings or feet to braise with the thighs OR add some cornstarch at the end. (Mix 1T of corn starch with 3-4T of the braising sauce so that no clumps remain, then add little by little into the sauce, stirring and tasting after each addition. It's VERY easy for cornstarch to turn everything into a gooey mess, which is not nice. Personally I find the sauce perfect with rice but thicken it a bit when eaten with noodles.
    You can add hard boiled eggs and tofu to braise with the chicken legs but don't add too much and overcrowd the pot. Also remember that the chicken should be immersed in the sauce, so these extras should be on top of the thighs and not below (they'll end up pushing the chicken out of the sauce and they won't cook properly).
     

    If you made this, do tag me on social media (@greedygirlgourmet) and let me know what you think! In the meantime, why not follow this with some dessert (the yuzu jelly was the most popular post on my blog pre-soya sauce chicken recipe!):

    • Dried Chinese Sour Plum Tea Drink with ice (SuanMeiTang)
    • Traditional Japanese konjac jelly with fruits (vegan dessert) (GF)
    • Champagne lychee konnyaku jellies recipe (naturally vegan) (GF)
    • Yuzu konnyaku jelly recipe (15 minutes)
    « Easy Vegan Asian Wonton Rice Noodle Soup For Colds (GF)
    Golden Salted Egg Yolk Cornflakes Crunch (Easy CNY Snack) »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Evangelin says

      March 01, 2022 at 5:09 am

      5 stars
      So the first time I made this recipe was 8 Feb. I kept the leftover braising sauce in the freezer and took it out to cook a 2nd round about 2 weeks later (diluted with a bit of water to braise more chicken). Was as awesome as the first time! And then, since I had leftover sauce again, I strained it and popped it back in the freezer! Today, I used about 2 Tbsp of the frozen sauce plus about 3 Tbsp of water and cooked some sliced salmon, shiitake, asparagus and carrots in it. Super delicious! This sauce is literally the gift that keeps giving. Thanks so much for this recipe, Zen!!

      Reply
      • Zen says

        March 19, 2022 at 1:41 pm

        Thanks for coming back and reviewing again Evangelin! So happy you kept the sauce as a master stock and that it's working well for you. Would never have thought of using it with salmon but can see how it would be super delicious, must try your tip! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Evangelin says

      February 08, 2022 at 5:10 am

      5 stars
      This recipe is my dream come true! Just one-pot (I am a one-pot girl anytime), but tastes and looks super fancy, like what you would get in a restaurant.. Minimum effort for maximum results! I didn't have rose wine or Bay leaves, so I subbed with shao xing and some Thai basil (lol). It tasted great still! Oh, and I boiled my egg in the sauce with the chicken (in true one-pot style). Was hoping some of the sauce would leak in through the shell but alas. I guess that's a good thing or my egg would be rotten? Haha. It cooked perfectly btw .

      The husband was super impressed with his lunch. This is definitely going into my regular recipe repertoire. Gonna save the Gravy and try out some of the other recommended recipes!

      Reply
      • Zen says

        February 10, 2022 at 2:25 pm

        Thanks Evangelin! So happy you tried and liked the recipe (and helped me test that it works with Thai basil! :P) Great idea to boil the egg in the broth! YOu could always fish them out around the 20 min mark and roll them to crack the shell (like in tea eggs) so some sauce can seep in! Glad the other half liked it!

        Reply
    3. May says

      January 25, 2022 at 6:22 pm

      5 stars
      Made this a couple of days ago. Perfect! No rose wine (I live in Norway) but had some smuggled shao xing that did the trick. I’m Malaysian, missing home like crazy in these times. This went some way to fixing it! Thanks for the recipe 🙂

      Reply
      • Zen says

        January 26, 2022 at 6:44 am

        Thank you for your kind comment, May, it literally made my week! I am so happy the recipe worked for you and brought you some comfort in Norway. Hopefully, you'll get to travel back soon (My Dad lives in Malaysia too, so I haven't seen him in 2 years, as I'm in Singapore, but the border controls have eased recently.) I used to live in a small village in Scotland so I know how difficult it can be to find Asian ingredients in the West! Another easy recipe to make, since u have shaoxing, is 12345 pork ribs I'll work hard to share more of these easy no fancy ingredient type recipes! 🙂 PS I've always wanted to visit Norway!!

        Reply
    4. Giangi Townsend says

      January 25, 2022 at 1:24 pm

      5 stars
      Looks amazing and with Chinese New Year, what a perfect recipe to try in celebration.

      Reply
      • Zen says

        January 28, 2022 at 5:03 am

        Thanks Giangi, will you be celebrating this year?

        Reply
    5. nancy says

      January 24, 2022 at 10:37 pm

      5 stars
      love this classic cantonese dish! thanks

      Reply
      • Zen says

        January 25, 2022 at 8:07 am

        Thanks for stopping by Nancy, glad to have shared a recipe you like!

        Reply
    6. Dawn Conklin says

      January 24, 2022 at 4:17 pm

      5 stars
      These chicken thighs are so delicious and easy to make! The family loved them. And the skin is delicious - I never throw the skin away, it's one of my favorite parts of the chicken.

      Reply
      • Zen says

        January 25, 2022 at 8:07 am

        Great to hear, Dawn, thank you! So glad your family liked them- haha I must confess I usually only eat chicken skin when fried, or in this recipe!!

        Reply
    7. Mel says

      January 21, 2022 at 4:19 pm

      5 stars
      So delicious and easy. U r right about how fragrant the skin is! Must try your other soy sauce whole chicken recipe to compare

      Reply
      • Zen says

        January 22, 2022 at 2:47 am

        yay glad u like it, Mel! the other soy chicken is more tender but i find this one more fragrant, so u could technically scale up this sauce and use it with the cooking method of the other recipe

        Reply

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    Greedygirlgourmet eating 2 sandwiches in Scotland

    Hi I'm Zhen! I couldn't boil water till I was 18 but after living abroad (in St. Andrews then London) for 11 years and having to cook for myself, I now love having friends and families over, and cooking for them. I tend to be slightly obsessive-compulsive, so I like to try many different versions of a recipe before coming up with my own "ultimate" version. Check out www.greedygirlgourmet.com every week for new tried-and-tested (on my guinea pigs aka guests!) Asian recipes which are full of flavour!

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