With a juicy texture, an aromatic taste, and a hint of booze, drunken chicken is a traditional Chinese cold appetizer. If you’ve never had drunken chicken before, it’s a lot like a charcuterie cold cut with Chinese flavors. Ideally, you should make it in advance and serve it with beer.
It’s great for dinner parties, as well as just snacking on!
The chicken is steamed with plenty of aromatics and then marinated in a Shaoxing wine-based broth, which makes it incredibly fragrant and tasty.
As far as texture goes, it may be different from any chicken dish you’ve eaten before. It’s served cold for one thing, and the chicken is juicy but also slightly gelatinous. However, it is quite light, and you can definitely taste the aromatics and the booziness of the wine.
This brings out the flavor of the chicken!
In China, this dish is best enjoyed with beer and friends and family on the weekend. Although you can always make it ahead of time and enjoy it any night of the week.
Because it’s served cold, it lasts quite long in the fridge, so you can look forward to coming home to this delicious snack for a while.
Traditionally, chefs would use an entire carved chicken to make drunken chicken. But since that isn’t realistic for most home cooks, cooking the legs is much simpler.
In some recipes, the chicken isn’t rolled up. However, I believe a rolled recipe gives the best texture and is tastier.
The amount of Shaoxing wine is reduced in this recipe too, so the dish has a more balanced flavor that isn’t too boozy. While in some boozy Chinese recipes, dry sherry is a suitable replacement, for this dish I really recommend Shaoxing wine as it is the main ingredient.
Deboning a Chicken
To debone chicken legs you need to place the chicken leg skin-side down. Use a sharp knife to cut along the bone and then once the bones are exposed, carefully slice the chicken meat from all sides to detach it from the bone.
Towards the end of the drumstick, use a sawing motion to cut the tendon. Hold the bone in one hand and gradually cut off the meat from the two ends. Near the joints, keep sawing to break up any tough parts and tendons, until the bones are detached completely.
Then lay the chicken thigh meat flat, and use the back of your knife to gently pound the thick part to make the thickness of the meat as even as possible.
To halve the bones, carefully use a chopping motion. While you don’t need to halve the bones, it does release more flavor into the broth and reduces the braising time.
Ingredients
- 2 bone-in skin-on chicken leg quarters (with thighs)
- Marinade: 1 or 1.5 teaspoons of salt
- ¼ teaspoon of ground Sichuan peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons of Shaoxing wine
- 1 smashed green onion
- 3 slices of ginger
- Stock: 500 ml (2 cups) of water
- 1 inch (2.5cm) of sliced ginger
- 1 coarsely chopped green onion
- 1 star anise
- 3 dried jujubes (optional)
- 15 goji berries (optional)
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- Half a cup of Shaoxing wine
- Topping: Chopped green onion for garnish
- Prep time: 20 minutes
- Cook time: 30 minutes
- Marinating time: 1 day
- Servings: 4 to 6
Instructions
Marinate the chicken: Combine the salt and Sichuan peppers in a small pan. Toast over low-medium heat, and shake the pan occasionally until the aroma is released. This should happen after about 5 minutes. Transfer to a small plate and leave it cool.
Debone the chicken legs, and set the bones aside for the stock. Use the back of the knife to pound the thick part of the meat until you achieve an even thickness.
Sprinkle the toasted salt and Sichuan peppercorns over the chicken legs. Top with the Shaoxing wine, green onion, and ginger. Gently massage the seasonings and leave for 15 minutes.
Prepare the stock: Use a cleaver or strong knife to chop the leg bones in half (this is optional, but it does release more flavor). Add the bones to a small pot with water, ginger, green onion, star anise, and jujubes.
Heat over medium heat until it comes to a boil, then reduce to low-medium heat. Simmer for 30 minutes, occasionally skimming the foam from the top. Transfer the stock to a heat-proof container once done.
Add the goji berries, salt, sugar, and Shaoxing wine. Stir until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Place the stock in the fridge so it cools down completely.
Steam the chicken: After the chicken has marinated, roll each leg into a tight log with the skin side out.
Set up a steamer by adding the water to the pot and bring to boil over medium-high heat.
Place the chicken rolls on the steaming rack and steam over medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes. How long you steam the chicken legs will depend on their size.
After 15 minutes, check how cooked the chicken is by inserting a toothpick into the center of the chicken and see if the juices run clear. Cook for another 5 minutes if needed.
Prepare an icy bath by adding ice and water to a big bowl. Place the cooked chicken rolls in the bowl and let them completely.
Once the chicken rolls and brine are completely cooled, remove the chicken legs from the foil and place them into a deep container, making sure to collect the juices as well.
Place a mesh colander over the container, then strain and pour the brine over the chicken. Add the goji berries back to the chicken, and discard the rest of the solid ingredients. Seal the container and let the chicken marinate in the fridge overnight.
Slice the chicken into half an inch (1cm) pieces to serve. Drizzle a small amount of the brine, and then garnish with green onions and goji berries. You can serve cold or at room temperature as an appetizer.
