With a rich, savory sauce and tender chicken, this Chinese Braised Chicken recipe is a cozy, comforting weeknight dinner. Serve it with rice and you've got a restaurant quality dish that you can make easily in the comfort of your own home.
It's the sauce that really makes this Chinese Braised Chicken dish stand out.
Rich with umami flavors, the sauce coats the chicken and infuses flavor into the tender meat as it braises on the stove.
And it's truly simple enough to make at home.
So put down that delivery ordering app, and get ready to make this mouthwatering, comforting, hearty Chinese chicken dish for dinner.
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🌟 Why this recipe works
This is a truly special chicken dinner the whole family will love, for so many reasons.
- Rich, deep flavors - slow braising infuses the chicken with a savory, slightly sweet, and aromatic sauce that's simply irresistible.
- Tender, juicy texture - the slow-cooking process ensures that the chicken remains moist and falls off the bone effortlessly.
- Easy one-pot meal - everything simmers together in a single pot, for easy cleanup and stress-free cooking.
- Versatile and customizable - You can add ingredients like mushrooms or tofu, use different cuts of chicken, and adjust the sauce to your personal taste preference.
- Better than takeout - making braised chicken at home allows you to use high-quality ingredients and no unnecessary additives, making it a healthier option than takeout.
🛒 Ingredient notes
- Cooking oil - Use any neutral cooking oil, like vegetable oil, to sear the chicken.
- Chicken - I prefer the flavor and the tender texture of chicken thighs. You can use boneless, skinless thighs or bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. You can also use a mix of chicken thighs and drumsticks. While you can use chicken breast instead, it won't give you the same rich results.
- Onions, garlic, ginger - We're using three aromatics to give this a rich flavor base. I prefer to slice the onions and ginger and mince the garlic, but you can also grate the ginger, dice the onions, and use sliced garlic if you prefer.
- Soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, oyster sauce - These three together in a sauce create a rich depth of flavor that makes this dish really shine. You can find all three in most local grocery stores. The only one that you might have trouble finding in smaller towns might be the Shaoxing wine; if your local grocery store doesn't carry it, you can always find it in Asian supermarkets or buy it online.
- Brown sugar - Light brown sugar helps balance out the acidity of the sauce.
- Bay leaves, star anise - These both add depth of flavor and the star anise adds a lovely hint of licorice to the sauce. Be sure to remember to take both the bay leaves and the star anise out before serving, as they are unpleasant to bite into.
- Green onions - I like to add sliced green onions at the end of cooking to add some bright freshness to the dish. You can substitute chopped cilantro or parsley.
✅ Step-by-step instructions
Here are some step-by-step photos to help you make this better-than-takeout Chinese dish. You'll find the full list of ingredients with measurements, and more detailed cooking instructions, in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet.
- Add the chicken and cook for about 5-7 minutes, until browned on all sides.
- Remove the chicken and transfer to a plate. Set it aside.
4. Add the onions and ginger, and saute for about a minute.
5. Add the garlic and saute for another minute.
6. In a large bowl, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients.
7. Add the sauce to the skillet and stir.
8. Return the chicken to the skillet.
9. Add the bay leaves and star anise to the skillet and bring the sauce to a low boil.
10. Lower the heat and cover the pan, allowing the chicken to cook for about 30 minutes. Turn the chicken over halfway through that time.
11. Uncover, and remove the bay leaves and star anise.
12. Add the green onions, stir and cook for another minute before serving.
👩🏻🍳 Recipe FAQs
Braising is when you cook meat on high heat to sear it, then lower heat and allow the meat to simmer in liquids in the pan, covered, for a period of time.
Yes! I personally prefer using bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, but you can also use skinless, boneless chicken thighs to get that same rich chicken meat. You can also use a combination of chicken thighs and chicken legs (drumsticks). While you could use chicken breast, the results will not be as flavorful and the chicken will not be as tender as if you used chicken thighs or drumsticks.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
🍽 Serving ideas
We always serve Chinese braised chicken over white rice. You could serve this over cilantro lime brown rice, quinoa, or couscous.
For vegetable side dishes, try serving this with Instant Pot green beans, an Asian carrot cucumber salad, or cucumber mint salad.
🍷 🥂 Wine pairings
This Chinese dish is delicious when paired with a crisp white wine, like a dry or off dry Riesling.
It's also wonderful paired with sparkling wine or a dry rosé wine.
🍳 Kitchen tools and equipment
Ready to make this recipe? Here are the kitchen tools and equipment you'll need:
- Large skillet or Dutch oven - I always make this in my enamel cast iron casserole pan. A 12" skillet or larger is best, as you want to make sure the chicken isn't overcrowded.
- Large mixing bowl and whisk - to mix the sauce.
- Wooden spoon - to use while cooking.
- Kitchen tongs - to flip the chicken and transfer the chicken to and from the pan and plate.
More Chinese food recipes
Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Chinese Braised Chicken
Equipment
- 1 large braiser or wide Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 slices fresh ginger
- ½ cup sliced onion
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
Sauce
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup Shaoxing wine
- 2 Tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 Tablespoon light brown sugar
Finishing ingredients
- 2 star anise
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 green onion stalks, sliced into 1" pieces
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
- In a large braising pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the vegetable oil. Once hot, add the chicken to the pan and brown on all sides, about 4 minutes per side. Once browned, transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add the ginger and onions to the pan, and sauté for 2-3 minutes, until softened.
- Then add the garlic and sauté for another 1-2 minutes, just until the garlic is softened and fragrant. Be careful not to let the garlic burn, or it will add a bitter taste to the sauce.
- In a medium or large bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients, and pour it into the pan, using a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan by scraping up the browned bits at the bottom of the pan.
- Return the chicken to the pan and add the star anise and bay leaves. Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower the heat to low-medium, cover the pan, and simmer for 30 minutes. Flip the chicken over halfway through this time.
- At 30 minutes, check the chicken for doneness. Chicken is fully cooked when an internal thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken meat reads 165°F. If it's not quite done, return the cover and return simmering for up to 10 more minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked.
- Once the chicken is fully cooked, remove the star anise and bay leaves and discard. Note: sometimes a star anise will break apart during the cooking time. If this happens, do your best to find all of the separated parts of the star anise so that no one accidentally eats it.
- Add the sliced green onions to the pan, stir, and serve.
Notes
- You can substitute boneless, skinless chicken thighs and check for doneness starting at 25 minutes. You can also use a mix of chicken thighs and drumsticks. I do not recommend using chicken breasts; trust me: it just won't taste as good.
- If you don't have star anise, you can substitute 1 teaspoon of Chinese Five Spice powder. You can also try to use ½ teaspoon of ground cloves plus ½ teaspoon of all spice. Neither substitution will give you the same rich depth of flavor, but will be somewhat close.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is a general estimate. Actual nutrition details may vary depending on the exact foods & brands you use to make this recipe. It does not take into account any substitutions, toppings, or optional ingredients.
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