Fast and Easy Chinese Soya Sauce Chicken

Fast and Easy Chinese Soya Sauce Chicken

• May 22, 2023

The third recipe in this blog series "Chinese Food on a Budget: 5 Family Meals for £16.50" is this fast and simplified version of Chinese soya sauce chicken. This was my favourite meal out of the 5, and it only cost £2.71 to make, one of the cheaper recipes in this series that will feed a young family of 4 and with leftovers too. Rice is not included in the cost of this recipe, so you'll need to factor this in. 

I forgot to include the ginger in the main pic, but 5 simple ingredients is all you need.

In a bowl, mix together the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, brown sugar and five-spice powder.

Pour boiling water over the chicken legs to tighten up the skin and melt away some of the fats. This also helps the colouring from the soya sauce look more even on the chicken once cooked. 

4 chicken legs for £2 is amazing value to make family meals with.

In a pot or pan, turn the heat on high and add in the marinade mixture along with half a cup of water. Bring it to a boil, then lay the chicken in, skin side down. Baste the rest of chicken with soya liquid. Add in whole garlic cloves, chopped spring onion and slices of ginger on the sides around the chicken. 

Cover with lid and braise on medium-low heat for 15 minutes. After 15minutes, open lid and flip the chicken to the other side and braise for another 15 minutes.

Whilst the chicken is braising, chop half of the sweetheart cabbage and boil. The soya sauce chicken will be quite saucy, so it's great paired with a plainer vegetable side. 

Dinner is served for our family of 4. 

These were the leftovers we had which were saved for lunch the next day. 

Ingredients:

4 chicken legs 

3 spring onion, chopped

3 slices of ginger 

4 garlic cloves

1/2 of a sweetheart cabbage

4 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp Shaoxing wine

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp five-spice

1/2 cup water

Directions:

1) In a bowl, mix together the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, brown sugar and five-spice powder

2) Pour boiling water over the chicken legs to tighten up the skin and melt away some of the fats. This also helps the colouring from the soya sauce look more even on the chicken once cooked

3) In a pot or pan, turn the heat on high and add in the marinade mixture along with half a cup of water. Bring it to a boil, then lay the chicken in, skin side down. Baste the rest of chicken with soya liquid. Add in whole garlic cloves, chopped spring onion and slices of ginger on the sides around the chicken 

4) Cover with lid and braise on medium-low heat for 15 minutes. After 15minutes, open lid and flip the chicken to the other side and braise for another 15 minutes 

5) Whilst the chicken is braising, chop the sweetheart cabbage and boil. The soya sauce chicken will be quite saucy, so it's great paired with a plainer vegetable side

6) Serve soya sauce chicken along with rice and cabbage

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