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!
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Today, I’m introducing a type of Chinese braise known as 黄焖 huáng mēn, literally ‘yellow braised’, which uses yellow bean paste as the main flavor enhancer and has a yellow-toned appearance. It differs from another classic braising technique, 红烧 hóng shāo, meaning ‘red braised’, which mainly uses soy sauce to create an appetizing reddish shine (think of the iconic Red Braised Pork Belly).
Yellow braised chicken (黄焖鸡 huáng mēn jī) is a great example. Originated in Shandong cuisine (鲁菜 lǔ cài), it features chunks of chicken, mushrooms, potatoes and peppers, all seasoned with a highly aromatic, deeply savory sauce. What I love about this dish is that it requires little effort to cook and can be scaled up easily when feeding a crowd.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you need for this dish:
- Chicken. See below for cut options
- Potatoes. Choose floury varieties, such as Maris Piper or Russet
- Bell peppers, or chili peppers if you fancy a bit of heat
- Dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated (keep the soak water)
- Ginger & garlic
- Spices, such as star anise, bay leaves and dried chilies
- Yellow bean paste. See below to learn more about this key flavor-enhancer
- Light and dark soy sauce
- Sugar
Chicken cuts
The traditional recipes for this dish call for pieces cut from a whole chicken. This results in the best flavor and less waste. However, this is by no means a must-follow rule.
If, like me, you aren’t confident in dealing with a whole chicken or chopping through bones, feel free to use thighs or legs. Remove their bones with a sharp, pointed knife, then cut them into chunks. Ideally, keep the skin on as it lends great flavor to the dish.
About yellow bean sauce
Yellow bean sauce (黄豆酱 huáng dòu jiàng), also known as yellow soybean sauce or yellow bean paste, is a popular fermented condiment widely used in northern Chinese cuisines.
As the key ingredient that distinguishes this dish from other types of Chinese chicken braises, it adds a deep fermented taste and umami while lending a touch of sweetness. I highly recommend you get a jar if you haven’t got one.
Sichuan chili bean paste (辣豆瓣酱 spicy doubanjiang) can be used as a substitute (sometimes I mix them too). The dish would taste different from the original version, but will still be delicious.
Cooking process
Step 1: Sear the chicken
Use a little oil to sear the chicken over high heat. Spread the pieces out in a single layer and brown the skin side first. Once lightly golden, toss to briefly sear the other sides.
💡Tip: At this stage, the goal is to cook the surface of the chicken, so there is no need to prolong the process. As soon as most of the pink color disappears, you can move on to the next step.
Step 2: stir-fry with the aromatics and sauces
Stir in lightly crushed garlic cloves and sliced ginger, along with bay leaves, star anise and dried chilies. Then add yellow bean sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and sugar.
Toss to coat the chicken evenly with the seasoning and to release the fragrance of the aromatics and spices.
Step 3: braised the chicken
Pour in the mushroom soaking water and bring it to a full boil. Then cover with a lid and leave to braise for 5 minutes over medium heat.
💡Tip: The mushroom water is a great byproduct that people often neglect. It always makes a braised dish like this one extra tasty.
Step 4: add the potatoes
Stir in the potato chunks and let simmer, covered, for about 8 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes become tender (you should feel little resistance when poking a piece with a chopstick).
💡Tip: The cooking time required may vary depending on the size of the chicken and potato pieces. Also, if you leave the bones in, you’ll need about two more minutes.
Step 5: finish with the peppers
Add the peppers and cook for a further 3 minutes. Before dishing out, give everything a thorough toss so the softened potato on the surface blends into the sauce, making it a little thicker.
Serving ideas
Apart from being served as a centerpiece of a multi-dish meal, yellow braised chicken is a very popular topping for 盖浇饭 gài jiāo fàn in China. This refers to a type of humble one-plate/one-bowl meal that consists of steamed rice capped with a saucy, savory stir-fries or braises.
I also love serving it over noodles, particularly hand-pulled noodles. This is inspired by Big Plate Chicken (大盘鸡 dà pán jī), a famous Xinjiang dish featuring belt-wide noodles. I think you should give it a try!
Other popular chicken recipes
Looking for more ways to enjoy chicken? Try these classic dishes:
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Yellow Braised Chicken (黄焖鸡)
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
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
