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Crispy Soy Chicken is the ultimate chicken dish the whole family will love. With super crispy skin and the perfect medley of sweet and savory flavors, it’s delicious nashville filipino food with steamed rice!
Chowking is one of my favorite places for Asian-inspired eats. My weekly grocery trips to Seafood City, more often than not, mean a stopover at the restaurant, which happens to be inside the supermarket, for a bowl of mami and a piece (or two) of siopao asado.
Although noodle bowls and dim sum are the regular staples, they add seasonal offerings to their menu. I am a creature of habit and almost always order the same thing every time, but the photo of their new crispy soy chicken plate looked good I was tempted away from my usual mami and siopao combo.
A choice I didn’t regret as the soy sauce chicken far exceeded my expectations with its skin golden and crisp and meat tasty and flavorful. I enjoyed it so much; I wanted to replicate the delicious nashville filipino food experience at home.
Guided by my taste buds, I set forth to create my own crispy soy chicken a la Chowking. Infusing the chicken with my desired soy sauce flavors was easy enough but how to crisp the skin? I remembered my crispy pata and following its principles, I refrigerated the cooked chicken overnight to chill and dry before deep-frying in sizzling oil.
Woot hoot! S-U-C-C-E-S-S! Just look at that beautiful golden skin and that moist, fork-tender meat below.
How to Make Crispy Soy Chicken
- The recipe calls for leg quarters but you can use a whole chicken or your choice of cut-up parts. Please adjust cook times accordingly and use a thermometer to ensure the meat is fully cooked.
- The amount of liquid should be enough to cover the chicken pieces fully. If not, regularly baste exposed areas with the liquid while simmering.
- The chicken is cooked and ready to enjoy after cooking in the soy sauce mixture. Make sure the oil is very hot but not smoking so the skin will crisp up quickly without overcooking the meat.
- I usually serve this soy sauce chicken with atchara but feel free to save the poaching liquid and serve as a sauce.
Crispy Soy Chicken
Ingredients
- 4chicken leg quarters
- 2cupschicken stock or water
- 1/2cuplight soy sauce
- 1/4cupdark soy sauce
- 1/4cupChinese rice wine
- 1/4cupbrown sugar
- 3whole star anise
- 1cinnamon stick
- 4clovesgarlic, peeled and smashed
- 1thumb-sized ginger, peeled and smashed
- 1/4teaspoonpepper
- canola oil
Instructions
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Wash chicken and pat dry.
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In a deep, narrow pot over medium heat, combine chicken stock, soy sauce, rice wine, brown sugar, star anise, cinnamon, garlic, ginger, and pepper. Bring to a boil for about 5 minutes or until sugar is dissolved.
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Add chicken and boil for about 10 minutes, occasionally basting with liquid. Lower heat and simmer chicken for about 25 to 35 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part reads 165 F.
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Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let the chicken sit in the liquid for about 15 minutes.
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Drain chicken from liquid and pat dry. Arrange in a single layer on a platter and keep uncovered in the refrigerator for 2 hours or up to overnight to completely dry.
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In a wide skillet over medium heat, heat about 3 inches deep of oil to 350 F.
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Add chicken and deep-fry, turning once or twice for about 3 to 5 minutes on each side or until heated through and skin is golden and crisp.
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Using tongs, remove chicken from pan and drain on a wire rack. Serve hot.
