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May 25, 2014

Crispy Soy Chicken

Crispy Soy Chicken

This Crispy Soy Chicken is first poached in a rice wine, soy sauce, and brown sugar liquid that is flavored with cinnamon, star anise, garlic, ginger and orange peel.

Next, it is roasted in a hot oven to crisp up the skin. The result is a delicious juicy chicken with a beautiful and flavorful skin. It's delicious served with Asian inspired side dishes such as rice and stir-fried vegetables such as this Baby Bok Choy. I think it would be the perfect pairing for this Thai Cabbage Salad.

Crispy Soy Chicken

The key ingredient to achieve this beautiful mahogany color is dark soy sauce. It can be difficult to find unless you have access to Asian markets. My favorite brand is Pearl River Bridge.

The recipe also calls for Shaoxing Rice Wine, but if you can't find it, you can substitute dry sherry.

Crispy Soy Chicken

It's Secret Recipe Club reveal day! Each month we are assigned a member's blog from which to make a recipe. This month I was assigned Couscous & Consciousness, beautifully written and photographed by Nelson. She lives in New Zealand where she teaches yoga and tries as much as possible to eat locally grown, organic, and seasonal foods.

Other recipes that I intend to try include this amazing looking Gnocchi with Chorizo, Gorgonzola & Spinach, and these Vietnamese inspired Summer Rolls, a perfect vehicle for using up any leftover soy chicken. Check out her blog for gorgeous healthy food.

For another chicken and soy sauce recipe, be sure to try my honey soy chicken legs too! 

Crispy Soy Chicken

Slightly adapted from Couscous & Consciousness, slightly adapted from Seasons, by Donna Hay.

Ingredients


3 C Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
8 C water
3/4 C dark soy sauce
1 C brown sugar
1 stick cinnamon
4 star anise
4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
2 inch piece of ginger, thinly sliced 
4 strips of orange, tangerine, or grapefruit peel
3 1/2 pound whole roasting chicken

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. In a large pot, add the wine, water, soy sauce, and sugar and heat until the sugar melts.
  3. Add the cinnamon, star anise, garlic, ginger, peel, and the chicken.
  4. Bring to a boil and then lower to simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
  5. Move the chicken to a rack in a roasting pan and roast in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the skin is crispy.
  6. Remove from the oven and tent the chicken with foil for about 20 minutes.
  7. Cut into pieces and serve. 

Would you like to comment?

  1. Oh wow, this looks SOOOOO crispy and amazing!!! I want to eat it off my screen!

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  2. That crispy skin is probably the best part.. at least it would be my favorite :D

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    1. Is there a substitute for the alchohol? Instead of using alchohol what else can i use?

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    2. Here's a possible source. I've never tried a substitute. https://www.gourmetsleuth.com/articles/detail/alcohol-substitutes

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  3. This is simply the best looking chicken ever! What amazing color, and the skin must be addictive!

    Great pick.... I am pinning your post right away!

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    1. It was Sally. The chicken itself is so good too.

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  4. Oh my gosh, that looks amazing. I am definitely going to try this recipe. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thanks Wendy! Let me know what you think!

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  5. This chicken looks absolutely delicious! Great pick this month :)

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    1. Thanks Melissa. It was such an impulsive choice. I had to make it the minute I saw it.

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  6. What a great technique! Lovely choice for SRC :)

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  7. That looks fantastic! Happy Reveal Day :)

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  8. We both made chicken this month, and boy does YOURS look lacquered! Great SRC pick!

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  9. Yum, this looks amazing! I am definitely going to try this!

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  10. This chicken looks and sounds absolutely delicious. Great SRC post

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  11. I love the look of the skin! It looks delicious!!

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  12. Can I come over for dinner? This chicken looks sooooo good! Happy Reveal Day!

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  13. Ooh, this chicken looks wonderful - totally different than how I normally prepare my whole chicken, but in the best possible way. YUM! Great choice for the SRC!

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    1. Thanks Amy. I rarely cook a whole chicken what with the rotisserie chickens available now, but this has inspired me.

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  14. Thank you so much for your kind words, Karen. I'm so pleased you chose this dish - it's become one of our favourite ways to enjoy chicken, and leftovers nearly always end up in Vietnamese summer rolls. Beautiful photos.
    Sue x

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    1. Thanks Sue! I love your blog and am so excited to have discovered it. xo

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  15. That chicken looks GORGEOUS!! I am drooling... fantastic choice this month!!

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  16. Hi Karen, this chicken looks amazing, the skin looks so flavorful and crispy. These are the flavors my family enjoys. Love the blog couscous and consciousness.

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  17. I'll have to echo everyone here and say that it looks absolutely amazing and I honestly wish I could have a taste of it. It looks like it's going to be crispy and succulent and very tasty. Great SRC pick!

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  18. That looks so juicy and flavorful!

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  19. I think I have all these ingredients in my pantry! I've never cooked a whole chicken but yours looks quite tasty~

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  20. This looks gorgeous. I'm going to try it out on New Years Day but crisp it up in the airfryer instead

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    1. That sounds like a good idea! You must have a good sized air fryer.

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