Soy Sauce Chicken Content

I remember making my dad’s version of Soy Sauce Chicken (Yao Gai) in college because it was easy—mostly just submerging and simmering. It’s a Cantonese favorite, and it’s often hanging in the front windows of barbecue shops. You can make this recipe using a whole chicken as they do, but I often use chicken pieces—they’re slightly easier to fit in a pot for simmering. Growing up, dad served this dish with a chunky ginger scallion sauce—very similar to the one that Momofuku Ssäm Bar makes for the Bo Ssäm. — Hua Situ, Director of Finance

Serves 2. 

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Heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium high heat and add scallion pieces and sliced ginger. Cook for 1 minute. 

Add ½ cup of Shaoxing wine, ½ cup Momofuku Soy Sauce, ¼ cup sugar, 2 star anise, and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Submerge chicken in the boiling liquid skin side–down. Lower heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. (The chicken should be mostly submerged. Add an additional 1 cup of water, if needed, to further submerge your chicken.) 

After 25 minutes, remove the cover, and check that the chicken has reached 165°F. If not, recover and continue simmering. When the chicken is ready, remove from the pot and raise the heat to high. Boil for 8–12 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Carefully transfer the chicken back to the pot and toss in the sauce. 

Slice and serve with ginger scallion sauce.