Red Braised Chicken (Hong Shao Ji)

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Total time: 45 minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Country of Origin

China (Nationwide / Jiangnan style)

Description

A comforting cornerstone of Chinese home cooking. Bone-in chicken pieces are slow-cooked in a caramelized master sauce of light and dark soy sauces, Shaoxing wine, sugar, and warm spices. The sugar caramelizes against the oils to create a gorgeous, deep mahogany glaze (Hong Shao).

Presentation & How It's Eaten

Served hot in a shallow bowl, heavily coated in a sticky, glossy reduction with caramelized cloves of garlic and ginger slices tucked throughout. It is eaten family-style alongside steamed greens and plenty of rice to catch the rich sauce.

Ingredients

• 700g (1.5 lbs) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or drumsticks (chopped into bite-sized chunks)

• 40g yellow rock sugar (or granulated sugar)

• 5 slices fresh ginger

• 4 cloves garlic (smashed)

• 2 scallions (cut into 2-inch pieces)

• 1 whole star anise

• 1 small stick cinnamon or cassia bark

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

• 1.5 cups water or chicken stock

The Red Braising Liquids:

• 2 tbsp light soy sauce

• 1.5 tbsp dark soy sauce (crucial for the deep mahogany color)

• 1.5 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine

Step-by-Step Directions

1. Blanch Chicken: Place the chopped chicken pieces in a pot of cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes to remove impurities. Drain and pat the chicken pieces dry with a paper towel.

2. Caramelize Sugar (The Master Technique): Heat the vegetable oil and rock sugar in a wok or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Stir constantly as the sugar melts. Watch closely; as soon as it turns a deep translucent amber color and begins to foam slightly, immediately add the chicken.

3. Sear Chicken: Toss the chicken rapidly in the melted sugar for 2 minutes over medium-high heat until every piece is coated in a light golden glaze.

4. Add Aromatics: Add the ginger slices, smashed garlic cloves, scallion pieces, star anise, and cinnamon stick directly to the pan. Stir-fry for 1 minute until the spices become highly aromatic.

5. Simmer: Pour in the Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and water. Bring the liquid to a hard boil, then cover with a tight lid, lower the heat to medium-low, and let simmer gently for 20 minutes until the chicken is completely tender.

6. Reduce & Glaze: Remove the lid and turn the heat up to high. Boil the remaining liquid rapidly for about 5–7 minutes, stirring continuously, until the thin broth reduces into a thick, sticky, syrupy glaze that clings beautifully to the chicken pieces.

Cooking Tips

• Controlling the Caramel: When melting the sugar in Step 2, do not walk away. Sugar transforms from perfectly caramelized to burnt and bitter in a matter of seconds. If it turns black, it's best to wipe out the pan and start over.

Nutrition Facts

(Estimated per serving)

• Calories: ~340 kcal

• Total Fat: 18g

• Saturated Fat: 4.5g

• Cholesterol: 110mg

• Sodium: ~690mg

• Total Carbohydrates: 14g

• Dietary Fiber: 0.5g

• Sugars: 11g

• Protein: 26g