Braised Chicken Pieces

When I was young, my mother would always make braised chicken pieces for me on holidays. Now I have also learned to make this delicious dish. Today, I will share this delicious recipe with everyone.

About Braised Chicken Pieces

Today, let me introduce braised chicken pieces to you. This is a classic Chinese dish. It is made with chicken pieces as the main raw material. After frying, seasonings such as soy sauce and sugar are added. After the chicken pieces fully absorb the seasonings, they have a soft and smooth texture, a bright red and attractive color, and a particularly good taste.

It is said that braised chicken pieces have a long history in China. They can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty or the Ming Dynasty at the earliest. After hundreds of years of evolution, they are now also regulars on every family's dining table. Many people like to eat them.

How can we make chicken pieces tender?

To make chicken tender, first of all, the choice of chicken is very important. It is recommended to choose relatively tender chicken as much as possible. For example, it is better to choose Sanhuang chicken or spring chicken. These chickens have a tender texture.

Secondly, when processing chicken, it is recommended to cut the chicken into smaller pieces so that the chicken can be more flavorful. When marinating chicken pieces, use cooking wine, light soy sauce, a little salt and pepper to mix well and marinate for about 15-20 minutes so that the chicken pieces can better absorb the flavor and lock in the juice.

Then note that when cooking chicken pieces, you need to put the chicken pieces in cold water first and blanch them with green onions and ginger to remove the fishy smell. When stir-frying chicken pieces, pay attention to the heat. Don't stir-fry with high heat. Stir-fry with medium and low heat. Let one side of the chicken pieces turn slightly yellow before turning over. This can form a protective film on the outer skin of the chicken pieces and lock in the internal moisture. When simmering, add an appropriate amount of boiling water. The amount of water should cover the chicken pieces. Then simmer slowly on low heat. Be careful not to let the soup dry up. Mastering these skills, the stewed chicken pieces will be very tender.

Ingredients Needed and Substitutions

Main ingredients

Whole chicken: The main raw material provides tender meat and rich protein.

Side dishes

Green onions, ginger, garlic: These three side dishes all have special aromas and tastes. They can not only remove the fishy smell but also help increase the flavor of chicken pieces.

Seasonings

Cooking wine: Mainly used to help remove the fishy smell of chicken and enhance the taste of chicken.

Dark soy sauce, light soy sauce: Mainly used for coloring and seasoning to make braised chicken pieces delicious and attractive.

Substitutions

Whole chicken: Can be replaced by chicken legs, chicken breasts, etc.

Green onions: Can be replaced by scallions, onions.

Ginger: Can be replaced by onions, dried ginger powder.

Cooking wine: If there is no cooking wine, it can be replaced by yellow rice wine, white liquor or wine.

Dark soy sauce: Can be replaced by soy sauce, light soy sauce.

Light soy sauce: Can be replaced by soy sauce.

Can we not fry the sugar color?

Sure. Today's braised chicken pieces can be made without frying the sugar color. Frying the sugar color is mainly to make the chicken pieces better colored.

You can achieve this by adding dark soy sauce. Dark soy sauce has a relatively deep color and can make the chicken pieces more colorful. Secondly, when stir-frying chicken pieces, fry the chicken pieces until golden yellow, and then add light soy sauce and other seasonings and simmer. In this way, you can also make delicious braised chicken pieces at restaurant level.

Tips for Success

1. When processing chicken, pay attention to cutting the cleaned chicken pieces into uniform pieces of 3-4 centimeters. This can ensure that the chicken is heated evenly during the cooking process. There will be no situation where the outside is cooked but the inside is not cooked, or the chicken is cooked and scattered because the pieces are too small.

2. When blanching chicken, put it in cold water. Putting it in hot water will cause the protein on the surface of the chicken to solidify instantly, and the blood and impurities will be wrapped inside and cannot come out, resulting in a worse taste of the chicken. The blanched chicken should be soaked in cold water once, so that the taste of the chicken will be more firm.

3. When stir-frying chicken pieces, first sauté ginger, garlic and green onions until fragrant. Stir-fry slowly over medium and low heat. Then add the chicken pieces and stir-fry. When stir-frying chicken pieces, do not turn them frequently. Wait until one side of the chicken pieces turns golden yellow before turning over to avoid the meat being turned rotten.

4. Whether braised chicken pieces are delicious or not, seasoning is the key. Pay attention to the proportion when using salt, dark soy sauce and light soy sauce for seasoning. Salt should be put in twice. Put it in for the first time when simmering so that the chicken can absorb some salt first. Put it in for the second time before leaving the pot.

5. The cooking time for braised chicken pieces is particular. Simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes to allow the chicken to fully absorb the flavor of the seasonings and become more flavorful. When collecting the juice at the end, use medium and low heat to prevent the soup from evaporating quickly, maintain the thickness of the soup, and let the chicken slowly become soft and rotten in the rich soup.