RECIPE: I hadn't made this in awhile and it was delish! REC: Soy Simmered Chicken

RECIPE:
dawn_mo

dawn_mo

Well-known member
Soy Simmered Chicken

Ingredients

1 whole chicken -- skin removed

1 tablespoon oil

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon ketchup

1/4 cup sherry or apple juice

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes -- or more to taste

2 cloves garlic -- minced or pressed

1 bunch chopped cilantro

1 bunch green onions -- sliced

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon water

2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds -- to garnish

Preparation

Brown chicken on all sides, in a heavy Dutch oven. Dissolve cornstarch in 1 tablespoon water, and set aside. Mix all other ingredients together except sesame seeds. Pour soy sauce mixture over chicken. Turn down heat and cover. Simmer for 30-45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Set chicken on platter. Stir cornstarch mixture into Dutch oven and cook until sauce thickens, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in chopped fresh cilantro leaves. Pour over chicken and garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions. Serve with cooked rice.

Note:

You may use any chicken parts you desire, adjust the cooking time.

 
Yum, we like this one too and have made many times. Dawn, you were on my mind the other day when I

made Green Chili Chicken. I now omit the flour/water thickener, omit the sour cream, and add cilantro. We like it a lot!!!

Green Chili Chicken

1 whole chicken (Pat’s note: I use 3-1/2 to 4 lb.)
2 tsp chili powder
1/4 to 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1 4-oz. can diced green chilis
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp water
1/2 cup sour cream at room temperature

Rub outside of chicken with mixture of chili powder, cayenne, cumin and salt. Heat oil in dutch oven, brown chicken on all sides. Add garlic, onion, chiles and chicken broth. Cover, simmer 35 to 40 minutes. Remove chicken to platter, draining juices back into pan. Skim fat from sauce in pan. Blend together flour and water, stir in to sauce. Cook, stirring constantly until thickened. Stir in sour cream. Carve chicken and serve with sauce. Makes 4 servings.

Dawn/MO’s notes: I added about 1/4 cup each chopped cilantro leaves and green onions to the sauce before serving. I also removed the skin before browning. I serve this with steamed rice and a nice big salad.

Pat’s notes: Realllly like this chicken. Like Dawn, I also add cilantro. Sometimes I don’t do the flour and water to thicken, and don’t miss it. Once I was out of sour cream and omitted it and the sauce was fine. So I pretty much do it this way now: no flour/water thickener, no sour cream, and add cilantro toward the end of cooking. Yummy schtuff!

 
Now that's one thing I don't do ever ... smileys/wink.gif

any recipe that starts with "brown the chicken on all sides"

I run away as fast as I can! Just to think about the mess on the top of the stove leaves me paralyzed with fear

 
I hear you. My favorite cooking method is to braise meats, then slow cook in the oven

how do you get around the browning part on the stove first? I hate that mess, have to clean my stove up the very next morning.

I can't see how you brown a whole chicken, plus the skinning part is out of my scope. The recipe does sound delicious, however.

 
'xactly!

I could conceivably do it with chicken parts - although I hate it because I've never met a splatter screen that really works well. I end up having to clean the stove AND the screen (sigh)

there is just not a chance I will ever brown a whole chicken. WHich is kind of sad, the recipe sounds great.

Maybe I could take it to the backyard and torch it? I am sure the dogs will go nuts! smileys/wink.gif

 
Ahhhh, but browning anything adds yet another "layer of flavor" in addition

to other gifts it brings to the process. And what's a lil splatter among friends, lol. Certainly nothin' a lil ole kitchen sponge and a couple of cleaning moments wouldn't cure (while day-dreaming about the next cool recipe to cook) smileys/wink.gif

And, FYI, in both of the above chicken recipes you'll be browning in a higher sided vessel than a skillet, per se. A Dutch oven is great or a high sided stockpot is often my go-to for both of these dishes. The resulting splatter will be minimized by the high sides. But keep that sponge handy, just in case. smileys/wink.gif

 
I hate to disappoint you....

... but it's not happening. That is one thing I refuse to do in cooking. A six layer cake comes second smileys/wink.gif

I do brown for instance beef short ribs using a Dutch oven with high sides, but still splatters and makes a mess - in that case I think the browning is absolutely necessary - although the French daube is a classic that skips the browning and no one complains smileys/wink.gif

for some reason browning a whole chicken gives me shivers... no, not happening. I will use chicken thighs instead if I want to make that recipe

 
I agree about browning a whole bird--too time consuming and I don't think you

can really do it adequately. I'd use pieces for that recipe, if doing it. Don't know if I've seen another chicken recipe that needs it. Browning meat doesn't bother me--it's the size of a whole bird that is too hard to do, IMO.

 
I had the same reaction.

Surely you can't brown a whole chicken. And my mind boggles at the idea of a whole skinless chicken. Is there such a beast (I mean bird)?

My DH hates cilantro. Do you think it's essential to this recipe?

 
Neither of these chicken recipes would be the same without cilantro, Pam.

In my opinion, the outcome will be different if you omit the cilantro (it's actually one of the reasons I like these recipes so much for the flavor component cilantro contributes), though you have the potential to create a new and different recipe in the process. Give it a try with the components/ingredients/techniques that speak to you and let us know how your dish turns out.

Barb-b made the recipe without cilantro (her post at the link) and used parts. I too often use parts though have made both dishes many many times using a whole chicken....in some ways I find it easier to use a whole chicken than dealing with the individual parts. Your choice.

http://eat.at/swap/forum1/204846_This_was_really_good_Dawn's_posted_rec___Soy_simmered_chicken_w/_Pat

 
CI has often eliminated the browning step in many braised recipes by leaving..

half of the meat atop the liquid and oven braising uncovered.

The meat browns in the oven heat and little or no cleanup.

Haven't tried it yet, but sounds reasonable.

 
That is what happens in the recipe here of Five Ingredient Chicken--the portion above

the braising liquid gets REALLY nice and golden brown and crispy but these are chicken parts. I don't see how it would work with a whole bird--the part that got put on the bottom would be soggy.
I would mention that in a chinese restaurant, which this recipe could be from, they would use their big ole commercial and super hot woks to brown the bird--and that WOULD work!!

 
It is really simple to brown a whole chicken. I just use my Dutch oven

that has high sides. I brown it bottom side down first, then turn it over and brown the breast side. I add remaining ingredients and cover. Halfway through cooking time, I turn it over and finish cooking. I like to add some more cilantro and green onions at the very end. There is very little mess to clean up. I put the lid on and refrigerate leftovers. The next day I make sort of a hot and sour soup with the leftovers.
It's pretty easy to remove most of the skin using a paper towel and a little muscle. I don't get it all, but I do get most of it.

 
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