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Cantonese · Chinese

Cantonese soy sauce chicken

Non-vegetarian

豉油雞 · chǐ yóu jī

Chicken gently poached in a fragrant master stock of soy sauce, rock sugar, star anise and ginger until the skin is glossy mahogany and the meat silky.

Cantonese soy sauce chicken is a Cantonese main course from China, ready in about 1 hour 5 minutes and made with chicken pieces, skin-on and soy sauce. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Sliced Cantonese soy sauce chicken on a plate in glossy sauce
Photo: Dennis Wong from Hong Kong, Hong Kong / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-2.0
Prep
10 min
Cook
40 min
Rest
15 min
Total
1 h 5 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
466

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    In a pot just large enough for the chicken, bring the soy sauce (opens in a new tab), wine, sugar (opens in a new tab), water, ginger, spring onion (opens in a new tab), star anise (opens in a new tab) and cinnamon (opens in a new tab) to a simmer for 5 minutes.

    • 5 min
    • medium heat
    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Lower in the chicken skin-side down, return to a bare simmer and cook for 15 minutes, spooning liquid over the exposed parts.

  3. Step 3

    Turn the chicken, cover and simmer very gently for another 15 minutes.

    • 15 min
    • low heat

    Food safety: The thickest part should reach 74 °C; juices near the bone should run clear.

  4. Step 4

    Turn off the heat and leave the chicken in the covered pot for 15 minutes to finish cooking and take on colour, until the juices at the thickest part of the thigh run clear (74 °C).

    • 15 min

  5. Step 5

    Lift out, brush with sesame oil (opens in a new tab), chop into pieces and serve with a few spoonfuls of the sauce.

    • 5 min
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Guangdong, China · Well documentedAlso popular in Malaysia, SingaporeMore food from China
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Main courses
Cooking method
Poached, Braised
Taste
sweet & savoury, aromatic / warmly spiced, umami
Diet
Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Chicken pieces, skin-on · Soy sauce · Shaoxing wine · Sugar · Fresh ginger · Spring onion
Techniques
Simmering · Poaching · Braising

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Wheatfrom soy sauce, shaoxing wine
  • Contains, can be adapted: Glutenfrom soy sauce, shaoxing wine
  • Contains: Soyfrom soy sauce
  • Contains: Sesamefrom toasted sesame oil

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

466 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 264 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 33%
  • Carbohydrate 7%
  • Fat 60%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy466 kcal177 kcal
Protein37.2 g14.1 g
Carbohydrate8.2 g3.1 g
Net carbohydrate7.2 g2.7 g
Sugars4.9 g1.9 g
Added sugars4.5 g1.7 g
Fibre1 g0.4 g
Fat30.3 g11.5 g
Saturated fat8.5 g3.2 g
Trans fat0.2 g0.1 g
Cholesterol144 mg55 mg
Sodium756 mg287 mg
Salt equivalent1.9 g0.7 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
485 mg
Calcium
47 mg
Iron
2.3 mg
Magnesium
54 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
85 µg
Vitamin C
6 mg
Vitamin D
0.4 µg
Vitamin B12
0.6 µg
Folate (DFE)
21 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Shaoxing wine: Sake (FDC 167723) used as a stand-in for Chinese rice cooking wine.
  • Star anise / anise: Anise seed (FDC 171316) used as a stand-in for star anise.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Strain and freeze the leftover braising liquid — it becomes a richer 'master stock' each time you use it.

Common mistakes

  • Boiling hard, which tightens the meat and tears the skin.

Serve with

  • Serve with rice, blanched greens and a drizzle of the sauce.

Storage

  • Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Reheating

  • Serve at room temperature or warm gently in some of the sauce.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in step 2

Reviews & corrections

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