Chinese Chicken and Potato Stew

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Here's a hearty Chinese chicken and potato stew that uses humble ingredients but tastes fantastic. In my opinion, the potatoes that have been pan fried in the residual chicken fat is the best part of this dish! Thanks to the frying, the potatoes actually hold up in the stew and don't disintegrate, so you can still poke the potatoes with a fork and mop up every last drop of sauce. Mmmmm!

Brown chicken skin side down first

Flip over and brown the other side

Transfer the chicken to a plate

To the chicken fat, add potatoes in one layer and brown

Turn the potatoes over so that they brown on at least 2 to 3 sides. Transfer to a plate

Discard any residual fat. Add broth, garlic, oyster & soy sauce, sugar & chicken to the pan

Braise chicken in the broth for 12-15 minutes with a lid on the pan. Then add the browned potatoes, and cover the pan with a lid and braise for another 10 min. Stir gently to mix, and taste to adjust seasonings. Garnish with chopped scallion and enjoy!

Yields 4-5 servings

Ingredients:

  • 7-8 bone-in chicken thighs with skin (~3 lbs)
  • ¾ t salt
  • 6 cloves garlic, rough chopped
  • chopped scallions for garnish
  • 4 medium russet potatoes, peeled, and cut to large dices (see photo)

Ingredients for sauce:

  • 2 T oyster sauce (Lee Kum Kee brand)*
  • 2 T cooking rice wine
  • 1 t dark soy sauce
  • 1 t sugar
  • 2 c low sodium chicken broth

1. Marinate chicken with ¾ t salt overnight in the fridge.

2. The next day, prepare the sauce in a bowl by mixing in the oyster sauce, cooking rice wine, soy sauce, sugar, and broth. Set aside. (* My favorite brand of oyster sauce is Lee Kum Kee. It's a bit pricier than other brands, but I find the oyster flavor more pronounced compared to the other brands.)

3. Heat a large pan and brown the chicken on both sides under medium high heat. About 3 to 4 minutes each. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.

4. You should have a lot of rendered chicken fat in the pan. Add the diced potatoes to the chicken fat in a single layer and allow the potatoes to brown on at least 2 to 3 of the sides. Be patient as it takes a while to brown the potatoes at medium heat. Once they are browned, transfer the potatoes from the pan to a dish and set aside. Pour off any excess chicken fat and discard.

5. Add the garlic to the pan and stir fry for about 15 to 30 seconds until fragrant. Then pour in the sauce. Return chicken to the pan and simmer covered for 12-15 minutes. Check on the chicken after 5 minutes, flipping chicken pieces over to ensure both sides have a chance to simmer in the sauce.

6. Add the potatoes to the pan of chicken and simmer covered for an additional10 minutes. Open the lid and give everything a gentle stir to mix. Taste and add more oyster sauce if needed.

7. Turn off the heat and garnish with chopped scallions. Serve hot.