Easy Chinese Soy-Braised Chicken

blucoat's Note:

This is a quick Cantonese recipe for succulent, melt-off-the-bone tender chicken from Diana Kuan's excellent blog, "Appetite for China". The liquid should cover at 3/4 of the chicken; if you need more liquid maintain the 2 parts soy sauce to 3 parts water ratio.

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 2 cups soy sauce , more if needed (500 mL)
• 3 cups water , more if needed (750 mL)
• 1 piece ginger , peeled and sliced
• 3 tablespoons sugar (45 mL)
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon (10 mL)
• 1 teaspoon star anise (5 mL)
• 4 pieces chicken thighs (or a combination of the two) or 4 pieces chicken wings (or a combination of the two)
• 1 scallion , roughly chopped

Directions:

1. Begin heating soy sauce and water over medium flame. Add ginger, sugar, cinnamon, and star anise.
2. Bring mixture to simmer and add chicken. Reduce heat to very low and cover casserole dish/pot. Make sure heat is as low as can be without turning off; simmering soy sauce can easily become rapidly boiling soy sauce, which can easily become a big mess to clean up.
3. Cook chicken for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces. Cut one open to check for doneness. Ladle chicken from sauce mixture and serve as is. Or if you're handy with a cleaver, chop up those thighs into smaller pieces. Garnish with scallions.