Soy Sauce Chicken/ Shoyu Chicken
I can't believe I never posted a recipe for soy sauce chicken because I make this probably once a month. It's not the prettiest dish because I don't use very much of the dark soy sauce, but it's super easy and the chicken always comes out really juicy and tasty.
You basically make a pot of sauce. Add the chicken thighs, and cover the pot. Bring the pot of liquid up to a boil and then turn off the heat.
Don't open the lid.
Just walk away. The chicken will continue to gently cook in the sauce, absorbing the flavors of the soy sauce, garlic, ginger and five spice. And 45 minutes later, the chicken is ready to serve with a bowl of steaming hot rice. Best part is that the leftovers taste even better the next day as it sits in the sauce.
Traditionally, for Chinese Soy Sauce chicken, you use a whole chicken, instead of chicken thighs; and there's also star anise in the stock sauce as well, but no one in my family likes the taste of star anise, so we leave it out. I was later told that without the distinct flavor of star anise, this recipe is actually very similar to the Hawaiian Shoyu chicken served at plate lunch joints.
Go figure. I was cooking "Hawaiian food" even before meeting my hubby!
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| Place all ingredients for sauce in a pot and bring to a boil. |
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| Add chicken. Close lid of pot, and bring back to a boil. Turn off the heat. After 45 min, check that the chicken is cooked through. Serve over rice and top with sauce. |
Yields 6 servings
Ingredients:
- 10 chicken thighs (about 4 lbs)
- 2 t salt
- 1/2 t five spice powder
- 1 t garlic powder
- 1 t ginger powder
- 1/3 c packed dark brown sugar
- 3/4 c light soy sauce
- ¼ c dark soy sauce*
- 1 T mirin
- 3 c water
Note: If you want the color of your soy sauce chicken to be darker and prettier, increase the dark soy sauce to 1/2 cup. I don't know of a brand of dark soy sauce that doesn't have added caramel coloring, so I tend to just use less of the dark soy sauce.
Procedures:
1. To a deep pot with a lid, add all the ingredients except the chicken thighs. (Make sure you use a deep pot that will fit both the liquids and all the chicken.) Give the mixture a stir, and cover the pot with a lid. Bring the liquid to a boil.
2. Once the liquid is at a boil, add in the chicken thighs, making sure that all the thighs are mostly submerged in the liquid. Cover the pot, and bring the liquid back up to a boil again.
3. Once the liquid is boiling again, turn off the heat. DO NOT OPEN the lid. Set a timer for 45 min. When the timer is up, the chicken should be cooked through, but check by piercing a piece of chicken and ensuring that the juices run clear. Serve over rice with plenty of the sauce. Garnish with green onions if desired.