Star Anise and Ginger Braised Chicken Recipe

By PineyCook

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (whatever kind you please) or 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breast
• Sea salt
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin strips
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup Chinese rice wine (in a pinch you could use dry sherry or sake)
• 1/2 cup homemade chicken stock, low-sodium canned chicken broth, or water
• 1 tablespoon runny honey
• 1 star anise
• 1/4 cup light or low-sodium soy sauce (trust us you really want to use low-sodium soy sauce here)
• 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh clementine or orange juice, if desired
• 2 scallions (white and green parts), thinly sliced

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 15mins
Cooking time 40mins
Adapted from leitesculinaria.com

Preparation

Step 1

To make the Star Anise and Ginger Braised Chicken on your stovetop, heat the oil in a large saucepan. If desired, remove the skin from the chicken. Place the chicken in the pan, skin-side down, being careful not to crowd the pieces. (You may need to work in batches.) Cook until browned, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and season lightly with salt.

2. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the pan. Add the ginger, garlic, rice wine, stock or water, honey, star anise, and soy sauce to the pan and bring to a boil. Add the clementine juice and the chicken, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer very gently for 15 minutes. Then turn the chicken pieces and continue to simmer gently until cooked through, about 5 minutes more, depending on the size of the chicken pieces. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken to a plate.

3. Skim any fat from the surface of the sauce. Take a sip of the sauce and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Return the liquid to a simmer and reduce slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. (Be mindful that reducing it too much could cause the sauce to seem quite salty.) Remove and discard the star anise. Return the chicken to the pan and turn to coat it in the sauce. Sprinkle with the scallions.