The folk saying goes, “Fluctuations eat only chicken, good health for a year.” Every year during the intense summer season’s three fu, there is a tradition of eating chicken among the people, with the most grandeur during the first fu. Eating roosters on the first fu day is in line with the Chinese medicine’s dietary regimen of “nourishing yang in spring and summer,” suitable for those with deficient constitution, and even children can grow taller after eating.
There are also particular ways to eat the fu chicken. It is said that it is best to close doors and windows when eating, wear long-sleeved clothes neatly put on shoes and socks, tie the pants tightly with a rope, not using paper or palm fans. Then pour a small cup of white wine, drink wine while eating chicken. The effect is better when eating to a good sweat.
There are many ways to eat chicken, such as clay pot chicken, spicy chicken, etc. Here are 6 common ways to cook chicken, let’s take a look together.
I. Kung Pao Chicken
Kung Pao Chicken, also known as Kung Pao Chicken, is said to have been improved and promoted based on the sauce-fried diced pork by Ding Baozhen, the governor of Sichuan. Kung Pao dishes should combine the tenderness of the meat and the crispness of the nuts, along with the hot, sour, and sweet taste, which is quite flavorful.
Ingredients: 1 chicken leg (about 400g), peeled peanuts 50g, 50g spring onion, 10g garlic, 10g ginger, several grams of dried chili, about ten grains of peppercorn, light soy sauce 25g, vinegar 15g, cooking wine 15g, dark soy sauce 5g, salt 2g, sugar 15g, a little white pepper, 20g starch.
Method:
1. Remove the bones and skin from the chicken leg and cut it into about 2 cm diced chicken. Slice the garlic, cut the spring onions into sections, wash and deseed the dried chili before cutting it, and cut the ginger into diamond-shaped slices.
2. Add cooking wine, 2g salt, 10g light soy sauce, and white pepper to the chicken leg, gradually add water while stirring until the chicken absorbs the water completely, then add starch and mix well. Prepare a bowl of starch mixture with 15g light soy sauce, 15g vinegar, 10g cooking wine, 5g dark soy sauce, 15g sugar, and 10g starch, mix well and set aside.
3. Fry the peanuts until golden brown and set aside, then fry the diced chicken in oil until about 80% cooked.
4. Heat the pan and add oil, add peppercorns to extract their fragrance, remove them, add dried chili to stir-fry, add garlic and ginger slices and stir-fry until fragrant before transferring the chicken. Stir-fry evenly, pour in the starch mixture, stir until the sauce thickens, add spring onion, stir-fry briefly, then add peanuts and stir-fry evenly before serving.
5. For meat, the general ratio for adding water is recommended at 1:3 meat to water ratio. Washing dried chili is essential to prevent burning, ensuring a better aroma. The traditional proportion of vinegar to sugar in the Kung Pao flavor is 1:1, but can be adjusted according to taste preferences.
II. Braised Chicken with Potatoes
Making this is not difficult, just prepare a bowl of sauce, very rich broth, very appetizing, both the rice and noodles with this broth are delicious!
Ingredients: chicken pieces, potatoes, mushrooms, green and red bell peppers, spring onions, ginger, dried chili.
Method:
1. Chop the chicken, potatoes, mushrooms, and bell peppers into chunks, cut the spring onions into sections, and slice the ginger.
2. Heat a pot of water, add a spoon of cooking wine, spring onions, and ginger, blanch the chicken in the water. Remove any foam that forms, then boil for three minutes before removing the chicken.
3. Heat a little oil in the pot, add a few pieces of rock sugar and slowly fry until it caramelizes and bubbles brown. Add the blanched chicken and stir-fry, then add a few dried chili and the spring onions and ginger, and stir-fry. Add the sauce mixture, stir well, then pour in boiling water just covering the chicken and simmer on low heat with the lid on for 15 minutes. Add the potatoes and mushrooms, a small spoon of salt, stir well, cover and simmer until the potatoes are softened.
4. Add the green and red bell peppers, stir-fry until cooked, and it’s ready! Adjust the cooking time for the chicken based on its age, do not use old chicken, you can use chicken legs, which take about ten minutes to simmer, and the chicken about 15-20 minutes.
III. Potato Braised Chicken
Ingredients: chicken meat (preferably rooster), potatoes, spring onions, ginger, garlic, dried chili, peppercorns, star anise.
Method:
1. Clean the chicken, peel and cut the potatoes into cubed pieces, chop the spring onions, ginger, garlic, and cut the dried chili, peppercorns, and star anise.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add the chicken and fry until it changes color, then add two spoons of cooking wine, dried chili, peppercorns, and star anise continues to stir-fry. When the chicken is slightly browned, add the spring onions, ginger, garlic, half a spoon of dark soy sauce, a spoon of vinegar, stir well. Add two spoons of doubanjiang, stir until the oil turns red.
3. Pour in water covering the chicken, bring to a boil, add salt and chicken essence, cover the pot and simmer for half an hour. Then add the potatoes and simmer for 20 minutes, sprinkle with some spring onions after removing from the heat. That’s how you make potato braised chicken.
IV. Green Pepper Spicy Chicken
Ingredients: four chicken thighs, green bell peppers, dried small chilies, spring onions, ginger, garlic, garlic sprouts, dried chili, peppercorns.
Method:
1. Wash the chicken thighs, remove the bones, and cut into cubes. Season with salt, pepper, cooking wine, and starch, marinate for at least ten minutes.
2. Chop the spring onions, ginger, and garlic, cut the small chilies and dried chili, prepare the peppercorns.
3. Heat oil in a pan, add the marinated chicken cubes and fry until golden brown and crispy. Remove from the oil and set aside.
4. Leave some oil in the pan, add the chopped spring onions, ginger, and garlic to stir-fry. Add the small chilies and dried chili, peppercorns, fry until fragrant. Then add the fried chicken cubes, continue sautéing. Add light soy sauce, a little dark soy sauce, five-spice powder, and adjust the seasoning with salt, chicken essence, and a bit of oyster sauce.
5. Stir-fry until the chicken is well marinated, add the chopped green bell peppers, continue sautéing until the peppers are just cooked. Finally, transfer the cooked green pepper spicy chicken to a plate, and it’s ready to be served!
V. Big Plate Chicken
Ingredients: 3 whole chicken legs, 2 medium-sized potatoes, 1 green bell pepper, 1 red bell pepper, 15 Xinjiang anise peppers, half a spring onion, 5 garlic cloves, 3 slices of ginger, 1 star anise, half a cinnamon stick, 6 peppercorns, 1 spoon Pixian doubanjiang.
Method:
1. Cut the chicken legs into pieces, blanch them, cool, and wash them under running water.
2. Rehydrate the Xinjiang peppers, cut the potatoes, green bell pepper, chop the spring onion, slice the ginger, and chop the garlic.
3. Heat oil in a pan, stir-fry the chicken until dry, add the spring onion, ginger, garlic, star anise, cinnamon stick, and doubanjiang, stir-fry, pour in light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, salt, mix well. Add water covering the ingredients, simmer with the lid on for 30 minutes.
4. When the chicken is nearly cooked, add the potatoes, simmer for about 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender. When the soup thickens, add the green and red bell peppers, stir-fry until cooked, adjust the seasoning with salt and MSG before serving.
5. In another pot, boil water and cook noodles (Xinjiang people eat wide belt noodles, others can use any noodles, then mix with the big plate chicken for an irresistible meal.
VI. Bamboo Shoots Braised Chicken
Tender chicken, fresh bamboo shoots, and chewy mushrooms dance on the taste buds with three different layers, you may end up eating another bowl of rice. Let’s all try it together!
Ingredients: bamboo shoots, chicken pieces, mushrooms, spring onions, ginger, garlic, 1 spoon cooking wine, 3 spoons light soy sauce, 1 spoon dark soy sauce, 1 spoon oyster sauce, some rock sugar.
Method:
1. Cut the bamboo shoots into chunks, dice the mushrooms, blanch the bamboo shoots and chicken pieces separately.
2. Pan-fry the chicken pieces until slightly golden (the high heat quickly locks in the juices, ensuring tender and smooth chicken meat).
3. Add the spring onions, ginger, garlic, and stir-fry until fragrant, then add: 1 spoon cooking wine, 3 spoons light soy sauce, 1 spoon dark soy sauce, 1 spoon oyster sauce, and some rock sugar.
4. Add the diced mushrooms and bamboo shoots, add water just covering the ingredients, simmer over medium heat for about 20 minutes (keep the sauce from drying out too much, as the broth is very flavorful and great for rice).
Dedicated to sharing the most delicious dishes with the simplest ingredients, the above 6 ways to cook chicken have you all learned them? Try making them at home and enjoy! Feel free to like, follow, share, and save; thank you for your support! Until next time.
