What cut of chicken works best for soy sauce chicken?

A whole 4 lb chicken or bone-in thighs and drumsticks work best—they stay moist during braising and the bones add flavor to the sauce.

Can I use low-sodium soy sauce?

Standard Kikkoman soy sauce is recommended for proper seasoning depth. Low-sodium versions will require salt adjustment and may lack the developed umami.

How do I know when the chicken is fully cooked?

The thickest part of the thigh should reach 165°F (74°C) internally, and meat should pull away easily from the bone.

Can I substitute tamari for the regular soy sauce?

No—tamari is a supporting ingredient here for additional depth. Use the full 12 oz Kikkoman soy sauce as the primary seasoning liquid.

How long does leftover soy sauce chicken keep?

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in a 350°F oven until warmed through.

Soy Sauce Chicken (Chinese Master Recipe)

Name: Soy Sauce Chicken (Chinese Master Recipe)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 5 servings
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 4 lb chicken; 3 piece star anise; 3 stalk green onion; 1 oz ginger; 2 shallot; 2 tbsp oil; 1 dash Kikkoman® Sesame Oil; 6 tbsp rice wine; 12 oz Kikkoman® Soy Sauce; 1 tbsp Kikkoman® Tamari Soy Sauce; 16 oz boiling water; 3 oz rock sugar; 2 tbsp cornstarch; 4 tbsp water; 2 gallon bags ice

CookOSBeta

Soy Sauce Chicken (Chinese Master Recipe) | CookOS

Ingredients

4 lb chicken
3 piece star anise
3 stalk green onion
1 oz ginger
2 shallot
2 tbsp oil
1 dash Kikkoman® Sesame Oil
6 tbsp rice wine
12 oz Kikkoman® Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Kikkoman® Tamari Soy Sauce
16 oz boiling water
3 oz rock sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
4 tbsp water
2 gallon bags ice

15 Ingredients

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Instructions

1
Daddy Lau likes to start by washing the chicken, but this step is optional! If you do wash your chicken, focus on rinsing inside the breast and getting debris out of the cavity. Afterwards, thoroughly wipe down and disinfect any surfaces that came into contact with the raw chicken, or may have had some water splash, to reduce the risk of cross-contamination.
2
Break the star anise into smaller pieces. To prevent pieces from flying everywhere, wrap the star anise in a paper towel, and then smack them with the side of a heavy knife.
3
Heat the wok on high heat. Add oil.
4
Transfer chicken to a larger pot. It should be deep enough so that the chicken will be at least half-submerged in the sauce. Pour the sauce carefully in, and bring it all to a simmer on low heat. Keep the chicken soaking in the simmering sauce for 15 minutes with the lid on.
5
When the chicken is fully cooked, it needs to cool down as fast as possible so that it doesn't keep cooking from its own residual heat. Prepare a large bowl with a bag of ice on the bottom. The bag prevents melting ice from diluting the chicken.
6
While waiting for the chicken to cool, bring the soy sauce to a boil. This will make it last longer and you can reuse it for other dishes, or to make more soy sauce chicken. We'll only be using 3 ladlefuls of it for this dish, so store the rest of it somewhere safe.
7
Get to carving! If you haven't taken a cooked chicken apart before, just take it section by section.
8
Add 3 ladlefuls of our soy sauce from earlier into the wok. Turn the heat on high and let it come to a boil.