Yellow Braised Chicken (黄焖鸡)
A flavorful, warming dish using simple ingredients, yellow braised chicken is easy to make and pairs well with rice or noodles. A great large-batch option too!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 6 pieces dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1½ lb chicken skin-on legs or thighs (see note 1)
- 2 medium potatoes about 1 lb (450 g)
- ½ red bell pepper
- ½ green bell pepper
- 1 tbsp neutral cooking oil
- 6 cloves garlic crushed and left whole
- 6 slices ginger
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 star anise
- 3 dried chili
- 2 tbsp yellow bean paste see note 2
- ½ tbsp light soy sauce
- ½ tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
Instructions
Rehydrate
- Rinse the dried shiitake mushrooms under running water. Soak them in 1½ cups (350ml) of water for 30 minutes if using hot water or 6 hours if using cold water, until soft and plump. Trim off the stems and halve the mushrooms if they're large. Keep the soaking liquid for later use.
Cut
- Cut the chicken into chunks, around 1½ inches (4cm) across. You may keep the bones in or remove them out before cutting. Keep the skin intact in either case.
- Cut the potatoes (peeled) and bell peppers into irregular chunks of a slightly smaller size.
Sear
- Heat oil in a wok or a deep skillet. Spread the chicken out, skin side down. Leave to sear undisturbed over high heat.
- Once the underside becomes lightly golden and some of the fat has rendered out, toss the chicken to quickly sear the other sides until most of the pink color is gone.
Stir-fry
- Add garlic, ginger, bay leaves, star anise, dried chili, rehydrated mushrooms, yellow bean sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and sugar.
- Stir-fry until the chicken is evenly colored and the aromatics and spices start to release their fragrance.
Braise
- Pour in the mushroom soaking water. As soon as it begins to boil, cover with a lid and let the chicken braise for 5 minutes over medium heat.
- Add potato chunks. Cover again and leave to cook for 8 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked through (see note 3).
- Stir in the bell pepper and braise for a further 3 minutes with the lid on.
- Uncover and give everything a final toss so the softened starch on the surface of the potatoes blends into the sauce. Serve warm with rice or as a topping for noodles.
Notes
1. Chicken wings are a good option too. Cut a whole wing at the joints into three sections. Breasts are not recommended for this recipe.
2. Yellow bean paste is known as 黄豆酱 huáng dòu jiàng in Chinese. You may use Sichuan chili bean paste (辣豆瓣酱 spicy doubanjiang) as a substitute.
3. Cooking time may vary depending on the heat level and the size of the chicken and potato pieces. Adjust as needed.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 333kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 569mg | Potassium: 723mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 638IU | Vitamin C: 55mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 2mg
