Slow Braised Chicken In Spiced Soy Sauce and Mushroom

“A good braised chicken pulls rice” -that’s what my dad always say. Braising is not a hard but it’s time consuming. The longer you braise the meat, the tastier it gets and the sauce becomes richer. It’s advisable to use good ingredients for braising. 

So over the weekend, I decided to braise a whole chicken after passing the soy sauce isle at my favorite supermarket. For my braised chicken, I use Lee Kum Kee light soy sauce as it has light sweetness and not overly salty.

Slow Braised Chicken In Spiced Soy Sauce and Mushroom

Portion: 6-8

Prep Time: 3 hours

0.8 - 1.2kg whole chicken

4 star anises

6 cloves

2 cinnamon sticks

1 thumb size rock sugar

2 tbsp. oyster sauce

1 tbsp. dark soy sauce

100ml light soy sauce

3 inch old ginger - crushed

1 garlic bulb

5-6 pieces of white pepper – lightly crushed

3 cups of water

1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine

One handful medium sized dried mushroom – soaked

4 hard boiled eggs * optional

½ tsp five spice powder

The flow

1. Rub five spice powder mix on chicken. Leave for at least 3 hours or overnight

2. Lightly fry chicken until skin is golden brown. Dab away oil

3. In a deep pot, heat oil

4. Sauté ginger, star anise, cloves and cinnamon stick until fragrant

5. Reduce to medium heat, add in soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce and rock sugar and cook until sugar is fully dissolved.

6. Add in whole garlic bulb, crushed white pepper and water and bring mixture to a full boil

7. Submerge whole chicken, dried mushroom and hard boiled eggs in the sauce

8. Cook using low heat for 2 hours, turning the chicken occasionally. (once sauce reduced, it may not cover the whole chicken. You will need to turn the chicken)

9. After braising for two hours, add shaoxing wine and cook for another 5 minutes.

10. Lift chicken from the pot and strain liquid. Cut according to preference.

11.   Serve with braised mushroom, eggs and of course, the sauce.