Chinese Braised Chicken with Mushroom (小鸡炖蘑菇)

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Chinese language braised hen with mushrooms is a traditional Northern Chinese language dish that’s comforting and satisfying. Bone-in hen items are braised in a savory broth with mushrooms to create a potent sauce that enhances them each. The mushrooms are the spotlight of the dish, meaty and juicy, and add an earthy umami to the tender hen.

Chinese braised chicken with mushroom close up

Chinese language braised hen with mushrooms (小鸡炖蘑菇) is a traditional northern Chinese language homestyle dish. When my mother makes it, she makes use of a cut-up complete free vary hen together with dried shiitake mushrooms and a soy sauce primarily based sauce. The hen is browned, then braised till tender. The sauce is lowered till it turns into a shiny sticky sauce that is stuffed with umami from the mushrooms. The mushrooms are so meaty in texture and take in tons of taste from the hen. It’s a winter dish however my household enjoys it 12 months spherical.

Rising up in Beijing, this kind of “pink braised stew” has at all times been a staple. I’ve posted a couple of recipes for pink braised dishes, together with braised pork ribs, braised lamb, and braised pork trotters. The braising sauces would possibly look similar to one another – a robust, savory brown sauce with soy sauce as its base. However the bottom line is the ratio and mixture of different spices.

By adjusting the spices in accordance with the kind of protein, the sauce will create a personalized umami that brings out the deliciousness of the elements. Plus, you received’t style the flavour of any single spice within the completed dish, as a result of all the pieces works collectively as components of a complete. 

Chinese braised chicken with mushroom in a wok
Chinese braised chicken over rice

Chinese language braised hen elements 

Which minimize of hen to make use of

In conventional Chinese language recipes, a cut-up complete hen is at all times the popular possibility. You need to attempt to decide a hen on the smaller aspect, about 3 lb (1.4 kg). The again and neck don’t have a lot meat, however the bones in them will make the sauce additional tasty. You may as well save the again and neck for making hen inventory, and solely use the meaty items on this dish.

Should you’re near a market that has a butcher station, you’ll be able to ask them to chop up the hen if you buy it. Inform the butcher that you’ll use the hen for braising, and ask them to cut the hen into bite-size items utilizing their cleaver.

For a a lot simpler method, think about using:

Rooster wings – drumettes and flats separated 

Bone-in leg – thigh and drumstick separated; if attainable (solely when you have got a cleaver that’s appropriate for slicing bones), minimize them into two items throughout the bone.

Boneless legs – minimize into giant bite-size items. You will have to make use of a lot much less liquid, as you solely have to cowl the hen items. And scale back the cooking time to twenty to 25 minutes.

Mise en place

If you’re able to prepare dinner, you should have:

  • Minimize up hen items
  • Inexperienced onion white half
  • Soy sauce (gentle and darkish soy)
  • Shaoxing wine
  • Rock sugar (or common sugar)
  • Salt
  • Star anise
  • Sliced ginger
  • Soaked shiitake mushrooms
Ingredients for Chinese braised chicken with mushroom
小鸡炖蘑菇

The way to make Chinese language braised hen with mushrooms

To make Chinese language braised hen with mushrooms, begin by browning the hen to develop taste. You in all probability want to do that in batches, so the hen won’t overcrowd the pan and can brown correctly.

Browning chicken in a wok

Saute the aromatics. Add again the hen and all of the seasonings. Deliver to a boil and skim the brown foam from the highest.

Skimming brown foam from stew
Adding spices and seasonings

Braise the hen with the pan coated, till the hen turns tender.

Reducing sauce
Finish up making Chinese braised chicken

Lastly, flip to excessive warmth, uncover the pan, and prepare dinner to scale back the sauce. Scoop the hen from the underside continuously to stop it from burning. It’s straightforward to scale back the sauce with the hen within the pan whereas utilizing a wok. However when you’re utilizing a dutch oven, it’s a lot simpler when you switch the hen to a serving bowl first. Then scale back the sauce till barely thickened. 

Finish up making Chinese braised chicken

A Few Issues To Be aware

  • Modify the braising time in accordance with the kind of hen. A free vary hen would possibly take greater than 1 hour to braise, whereas a typical younger hen will begin to collapse and dry out after 50 minutes. Test the doneness of the hen carefully after half-hour to keep away from overcooking.
  • Make the braising sauce a bit salty, as a result of the braising time is comparatively quick and the hen received’t have sufficient time to soak up all the flavour.
  • Scale back the sauce till it might coat the hen, so the style of the hen might be good.

The way to serve Chinese language braised hen with mushrooms

The seasoning on this dish is sort of balanced and the hen will style fairly savory and comforting. You may serve the braised hen as a predominant dish, together with veggies reminiscent of potato and inexperienced beans. The sauce from the hen works superbly with them.

And you can even serve this dish over steamed rice, identical to a Chinese language household would. Take into account serving different sides, soup or appetizers for a full Chinese language meal.

Dishes that go nicely with braised hen with mushrooms embrace:

Chinese language braised hen and mushrooms freeze very nicely and might be ready forward of time. It’s excellent for cooking on the weekend and having fun with through the subsequent week. It’s additionally a standard competition dish in northern China, and is usually served throughout Chinese language New Yr.

Chinese Braised Chicken with Mushroom (小鸡炖蘑菇)
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Chinese braised chicken with mushrooms is a classic Northern Chinese dish that is comforting and satisfying. Bone-in chicken pieces are braised in a savory broth with mushrooms to create a potent sauce that enhances them both. The mushrooms are the highlight of the dish, meaty and juicy, and add an earthy umami to the tender chicken.

Chinese language Braised Rooster with Mushroom (小鸡炖蘑菇)