Drunken Chicken
Poached chicken steeped for a day in Shaoxing wine and its own jellied stock, then sliced cold. Shanghai in summer, and it needs no cooking on the day.
Photograph credit: Drunken Chicken and fixins by digitalprimate · CC BY 2.0 · Flickr
Photograph credit: Drunken Chicken by fra-NCIS · CC BY 2.0 · Flickr
Method
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Bring the water to the boil with the ginger, spring onions, salt and peppercorns.
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Lower in the chicken, simmer 5 minutes, then cover, take the pan off the heat and leave 30 minutes.
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Lift the chicken straight into a bowl of iced water and leave 10 minutes, until completely cold.
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Strain 300 ml of the poaching stock and cool it completely.
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Mix the cooled stock with the Shaoxing wine, sugar, salt, ginger, spring onion and goji berries. Do not heat it.
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Cut the chicken into large pieces, on the bone, and submerge them in the marinade.
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Refrigerate 24 hours, turning once.
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Lift the pieces out, slice them, and spoon a little of the jellied marinade over. Scatter with coriander.
Chef’s Tips
- Iced water straight after poaching. It sets the skin.
- Never heat the marinade. Heat takes the wine with it.
- A full day in the fridge, and the jelly is part of the dish.
Common Substitutions & Variations
- Out of spring onions? A small regular onion, finely sliced, or a few chives stirred in at the end both cover the job.
- A quarter-teaspoon of ground ginger per tablespoon of fresh is the standard ratio if you are working from the spice rack rather than a fresh root.
Pairing Suggestions
- A cold beer
- Smashed cucumber
- Steamed rice
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerated in its marinade for 4 days. Do not freeze.
Common questions
How long does Drunken Chicken take to make?
About 1 hour of hands-on work — 25 minutes of preparation and 35 minutes of cooking — plus 1 day 1 hour of steeping the chicken in the wine marinade, so allow 1 day 2 hours from start to finish. The recipe serves 6.
What are the key tips for making Drunken Chicken?
Iced water straight after poaching. It sets the skin. Never heat the marinade. Heat takes the wine with it. A full day in the fridge, and the jelly is part of the dish.
What should I serve with Drunken Chicken?
A cold beer; Smashed cucumber; Steamed rice.
Can Drunken Chicken be made ahead or frozen?
Refrigerated in its marinade for 4 days. Do not freeze.
Is Drunken Chicken suitable for a special diet?
This recipe is dairy-free, gluten-free, high-protein, low-carb and keto. Those labels are checked against the ingredient list, so a dish is only marked when nothing in it contradicts the claim.
How many calories are in Drunken Chicken?
About 340 kcal per serving, with 32 g protein, 8 g carbohydrate and 16 g fat. The figures are calculated from the ingredient list and are an estimate.
Nutritional Highlights
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.
Reader Reviews
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Written and tested by Turab
One person, one kitchen — no test kitchen, no team. How every recipe on this site is checked before it goes up.
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