Poppa Wan’s Simple Soy-Glazed Chicken – Gok Cooks Chinese recipes
Food has always been at the heart of my family, whether we were cooking it and eating it ourselves, or whether we were dishing-up for our customers in the restaurant. I have to say that my dad is the best Chinese chef in the entire world and this soy chicken recipe of his is based on a traditional old-school, Hong Kong–Chinese dish. His version is much quicker to make; it’s a little more Westernized and easy to knock up in a domestic kitchen. It goes amazingly with Spicy Cucumber and Spring Onion Salad.
SERVES 4
3 tablespoons groundnut oil
6 chicken thighs, on the bone, skin removed
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
a 2cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely sliced
3 spring onions: 2 finely sliced into rounds, 1 sliced into long diagonal pieces
6 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon honey
5 tablespoons light soy sauce
½ a fresh red chilli, finely sliced
PREPARATION TIME 5 MINUTES. COOKING TIME 15-20 MINUTES.
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large wok over a high heat. When hot, add the chicken thighs and brown them all over. This willtake approximately 4–5 minutes. Once browned, remove andset aside.
2. Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining oil. Oncewarmed through, add the garlic, ginger and the 2 finely slicedspring onions. Fry for 2–3 minutes, until just softening. Put thechicken back into the wok and toss to incorporate with the restof the ingredients.
3. Pour in the water, honey and soy sauce. Increase the heat andbring to the boil. Once boiling, put a lid on the wok (if you don’thave a lid big enough, cover it with foil) and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Remove the lid and turn the chicken thighs. They should benicely caramelized in the reduced liquid by now. Continue tocook for another 3 minutes, until the liquid has reduced to asticky glaze and the chicken thighs have become gloriouslydark and glossy. Remove the chicken from the pan and allowto rest for 3 minutes.
5. Place the chicken thighs on a serving plate and garnish withthe remaining spring onion and the red chilli.
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