Silky Chinese Chicken was inspired by a dish my dad once made when I was still living at home. I made it recently for our Chinese New Year family dinner and it was received with surprise and delight.
Well, to be perfectly frank, what my dad said was,”this is actually quite good” in tones of sheer amazement.
Being an Australian Born Chinese or ABC, my response to his lukewarm praise was, “well, thanks a lot, Dad. Glad I could make something edible for you.” 
Dad laughed and explained that he had to temper his praise because I’m his daughter. To the Chinese way of thinking, it would have been unseemly to praise me too much.
So him saying, “this is actually quite good” could be translated to mean, “wow, this is sensational! You’re a rockstar!” in Western terms.
Lessons in cultural differences aside, Silky Chinese Chicken dish is delicious and very easy to make. You poach a chicken gently until it is moist and succulent. Then you simply spoon over a sauce made from oyster sauce, chicken stock, soya sauce and sugar before garnishing with sauteed onions, deep-fried shallots and fresh coriander. And that’s it. Too easy.
This is Chinese comfort food, but comfort food that could equally hold its own as part of a dinner party menu. Serve it with plain rice and fried Asian greens for a simple, everyday feast.
Dining Down Under: Silky Chinese Chicken
- Total Time: 70 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
Description
A beautifully moist poached chicken topped with a savory oyster sauce, sautéed onions, crispy fried shallots, and fresh cilantro.
Ingredients
- 1 free-range chicken
- 1 quart (950 ml) water
- 1 4cm piece fresh ginger, peeled
- 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 6 whole cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and topped
- 3 red onions, peeled and sliced
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) chicken stock
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 cup deep-fried shallots
- Fresh cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- Wash chicken and cut off excess fat.
- Bring water to boil in large pot with ginger, one onion, six cloves garlic and carrot.
- Once water is boiling, drop in chicken and then bring back to a gentle simmer.
- Simmer chicken gently for 40 minutes until cooked through. Lift chicken out of pot (I find inserting a wooden spoon into the cavity the easiest but watch out for hot dripping soup) and place on chopping board to cool. Strain stock, removing onion, carrots, ginger and garlic and then set aside – you’ll need three quarters of a cup of stock for the sauce and you can use the rest as a basis for a soup.
- Meanwhile, get on with frying the onions. Heat up a tbsp of oil in a large fry pan and then add three sliced onions and three minced garlic cloves. Cook over a low-medium heat, stirring occasionally until soft and caramelising – around 15 minutes. Tip out onto a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb excess grease and set aside.
- Next, make the sauce by mixing three quarters of a cup of chicken stock from the pot with three tbsp oyster sauce, one tbsp soy sauce, one tsp sugar and one tbsp Shaoxing wine. Bring to boil and then cook for 8-10 minutes over medium heat until sauce has reduced slightly. Set aside.
- While the sauce is cooking you can start cutting up the chicken with a cleaver or heavy knife. Separate the wings and drumsticks from the body along the joints, then cut along the backbone and remove each breast. Remove skin if you wish and then cut into small pieces and arrange on serving plate. Make sure you choose a plate that is deep enough to accommodate the sauce as well.
- To serve, ladle sauce over chicken and then spoon over sauteed onions. Cover with fried shallots and then garnish with fresh coriander.
Notes
- For best results, use a free-range chicken for more flavor.
- This dish pairs well with plain rice and fried Asian greens.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- The sauce can be adjusted to taste by adding more soy sauce or sugar as preferred.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Chinese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 4
- Sodium: 800
- Fat: 20
- Carbohydrates: 12
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 30
- Cholesterol: 90
If You Liked This Recipe, You’ll Love These
- See Yao Gai: Cantonese Soy Sauce Chicken
- Kolkata-Style Spicy Chili Chicken
- Char Siu – Chinese BBQ Pork
- Homemade Egg Drop Soup
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes poached chicken “silky” compared to roasted or pan-fried chicken?
Gently simmering the whole chicken for 40 minutes in water with ginger, onion, garlic, and carrot keeps the meat moist and succulent rather than drying it out with high-heat cooking. The article describes the result as moist and succulent, and this poaching method is the entire technique the recipe is built around.
Can I use the poaching liquid for anything else?
Yes — the instructions say to strain the poaching liquid and set it aside after removing the chicken. Three-quarters of a cup is used for the oyster sauce glaze (with 2 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp soy sauce, and 1 tsp sugar), and the recipe explicitly notes you can use the remaining stock as the basis for a soup.
Why are the onions caramelised separately rather than going into the sauce?
The 3 red onions are sliced and cooked in oil over low-medium heat for about 15 minutes until soft and golden, then drained on kitchen paper to remove excess grease. They are spooned over the finished chicken as a garnish rather than cooked into the sauce, which keeps their caramelised flavour and texture distinct from the glossy oyster-sauce glaze.
What does this dish pair with?
The article and notes both suggest serving it with plain rice and fried Asian greens for a simple everyday meal. The notes add that leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
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