Soy Sauce Chicken

Steps

▶ Tap a timecode to jump to roughly that moment in the video.

1. 1
   Wash the chicken thoroughly, paying special attention to cleaning the cavity. Season the inside of the cavity with 2 tsp salt, rubbing it evenly.
   ▶ ≈0:58
2. 2
   Pour 10 tbsp of premium dark soy sauce over the chicken and rub it all over with your hands, ensuring even coverage on all sides including under the wings, thighs and legs.
   ▶ ≈1:33
3. 3
   Place 15g of thinly sliced young ginger and one spring onion tied in a knot into the cavity. Fold the chicken legs into the cavity and turn the chicken a few more times to ensure good contact with the soy sauce.
   ▶ ≈2:23
4. 4
   Refrigerate the marinated chicken for about 2 hours. Remove it from the fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking to bring it to room temperature.
   ▶ ≈2:56
5. 5
   Heat a pot over medium heat with a little oil. Add 60g rock sugar and slowly fry, stirring constantly, until melted and beautifully caramelized to a dark red-brown colour without burning.
   ▶ ≈3:10
6. 6
   Carefully add 2.5L of water (1.5L hot water first, then 1L cold water) to the caramelized sugar. Be very careful as the sugar is extremely hot. The mixture will form a beautiful dark-coloured sauce.
   ▶ ≈4:13
7. 7
   Add one cinnamon stick, two star anise, two garlic bulbs, 2 tbsp salt, and all of the reserved dark soy sauce from the marinated chicken. Stir well.
   ▶ ≈4:55
8. 8
   Add 100ml Chinese rice wine (optional) and stir gently. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, continue cooking for 10 minutes to extract the flavour of the spices.
   ▶ ≈5:31
9. 9
   After 10 minutes, hold the chicken by the neck and slowly place it breast-side down into the boiling sauce. Gently roll it around to ensure the hot liquid flows through the entire chicken. Keep it breast-side down, which is important for even cooking.
   ▶ ≈6:00
10. 10
    Pour in any remaining marinade from the bowl. Wait for the sauce to return to a boil, then cover the pot, reduce heat to low, and continue cooking for 20 minutes.
    ▶ ≈6:33
11. 11
    After 20 minutes, turn off the heat. Do not remove the cover or peek. Let the chicken rest in the hot sauce for another 20 minutes.
    ▶ ≈6:57
12. 12
    After the resting period, carefully remove the chicken from the sauce, handling it by the wings. Coat the chicken with a light layer of sesame oil to prevent the skin from drying out as it cools.
    ▶ ≈7:17
13. 13
    Take 300ml of the cooking sauce and taste it. Add 1 tsp salt to adjust the salinity and 2 tsp sugar to add sweetness. Slowly add cornstarch solution to thicken the sauce to your preferred consistency.
    ▶ ≈8:08
14. 14
    The remaining sauce can be frozen and kept for one to two months, ready to use whenever you want to braise pork or chicken.
    ▶ ≈8:47