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Soy Sauce Chicken or “See Yao Gai” – a classic Cantonese favorite and takeout snack. In Chinatown, you can find it under heat lamps in many restaurant windows, hanging from hooks by the dozens. This dish has a strong umami flavor that pairs well with rice or noodles.
This is a hands down favorite for us. The flavor of this chicken is something special, it creates a craving that you can’t stop.
The very reason I set this blog up is this particular dish. I attempted several tries in putting into words how this dish convinced me in writing dishes we grew up with. Soy sauce chicken reminds me of good old memories with uncles and relatives during parties and get-togethers. It is a staple that doesn’t need any planning, it’s a must!
At an early age, we were exposed to countless Chinese dishes prepared in restaurants and special occasions through our grandfather, father and uncles. But this is a standout. All of our guests would talk about it and ask for the recipe. Our uncles happily oblige. Though, the recipe is out from multiple sources, the secret lies on how it is prepared. Only the freshest ingredients get the cut. It is a dish that relies on experience and not of those measuring cups.
This soy sauce chicken is a Cantonese-style recipe that offers a more complex taste than most other classic Chinese dishes. The cooking method is similar to the ones used in the Cantonese Poached Chicken w/ Ginger Scallion Oil (bai qie ji), recipe, but the similarities end there. Stewed soy sauce, aromatics and spices are the essence of this dish.
In Chinese cooking, chicken dish must have all its parts. The head, down to its feet. Freshly slaughtered chicken is advised.
Our style adopted to Filipino ingredients since it’s quite hard to look for those that they use in China or in Hongkong. Liquor added is from the Cordillera-favorite San Miguel 2X2 gin. Yup! We are replacing Chinese wine with 2X2 gin.
You’re going to use a stock pot for this dish, so make sure it’s tall and narrow. You’ll want it to just fit the chicken (with space on top) so that it has room to bubble up and float in its own cooking liquid.
Add ginger and scallions and cook for at least 30 seconds. Add 3 to 4 pieces of star anise (easy on this, others don’t like star anise too much). Pour your soy sauce, dark soy sauce (optional), few drops of sesame oil and the gin. Bring it to a simmer and cook over low heat for 15 minutes to let some of the alcohol cook off.
Submerge the whole chicken into the pot (make sure it is covered by the sauce completely). You’ll need to flip it after 10 minutes on one side so it’s cooked equally. Don’t cook it completely.
If it’s already half-cooked, take it to a rest, and coat it with the sauce until the chicken gets that brown and shining skin.
While the chicken is resting, work on your sauce. We are replacing the traditional sugar crystals with brown sugar. Add the sugar into the sauce and mix it until it thickens. Then bring back the chicken into the sauce and let it cook completely. To give it a more interesting look and sweet taste, you may want to add jujube to it.
Check if the chicken is cooked perfectly and that the sauce is thick (avoid overcooked sauce, it tastes bitter-sweet – a no no!) Slice it into bite sizes and arrange them into a plate, then pour over some of the sauce from the pot. You may want to preserve the excess sauce for other dishes.
We offered this dish with Chao fan (We call it Chow Fun) on a takeaway box during the 1st Little Chinatown at Session Road in celebration of the Spring Festival 2023: Year of the Water Rabbit through Chow N’ Go. This recipe is also heading its way to the surfing capital of the North this Summer!
very interesting! take my money! gimme Chow Fun!
G! ahahaha 🙂