Soy Sauce Chicken

A typical Cantonese recipe.

Winter is around the corner.  Chinese believe the kidneys are the rulers over winter. The kidney and bladder are related and have to be treated together. Within the kidneys, "essence" is stored, and it governs all that is hidden and dormant and that is hoarded up. Here is the recipe good for the cold winter.

Ingredients: 

•3 to 3 1/2 pounds chicken 

•Sauce: 

•1 cup light soy sauce

•1 cup dark soy sauce

•1/2 cup Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

•1/2 cup brown sugar or 1/3 cup Chinese rock sugar 

•1 teaspoon fennel seeds

•3 whole star anise

•1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorn, roasted (see recipe directions for link to roasting peppercorn)

•1 thick slice fresh ginger, smashed

•1 cinnamon stick 

•4 cup water

Preparation: 

1. Rinse the chicken under cold water and pat dry with paper towel.

2. In a pot large enough to hold the chicken (I use an 8-quart pot) combine the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice wine or sherry, sugar, fennel seeds, star anise, roasted Szechuan peppercorn, ginger, cinnamon stick and water. Bring to the boil.

3. Add the chicken, breast side down. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook the chicken for 45 minutes, turning over once or twice and making sure it cooks for an even amount of time on both sides. Baste the chicken for a minute or more each time you turn it over.

4. After 45 minutes, turn off the heat and let chicken sit, covered, until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the breast reaches 170 degrees Fahrenheit (about 77 degrees Celsius).

5. Remove the chicken from the pot, cool and cut into bite-sized pieces. Serves 6 – 8 (or 1/2 chicken will serve 4).