Enjoying this cold dish always make me feel like I’m eating in a decent Shanghainese restaurants. I can’t properly explain why, perhaps because I believe this should be one of their signature dishes. Pale-looking though, I must say it does not give much hints about the taste.
Shaoxing wine is one of the most famous varieties of Chinese yellow wine fermented from rice. It originates from the region of Shaoxing, in the Zhejiang province adjacent to Shanghai. Yet, there are several types of Shaoxing wine. If you are looking one for preparing this recipe, I would recommend you to pick the Shaoxing Hua Diao which is said to be the best for making drunken chicken.
On Chinese menu, therefore this dish is often referred as Hua Diao Wine Chicken 花雕醉雞.
It takes a few simple steps. Get the chicken cooked then cooled, prepare a sauce and put the two together are all the tasks in brief. An effortless step I should also mention is that the chicken being steeped in the sauce has to be stored in fridge for at least four to five hours, preferably overnight, before serving. Then, you will be promised with a meaty and refreshing chilled dish, be it served directly from a bottle or on a plate.
I believe there are quite a number of ways to get the chicken wings cooked. The one with me here requires some patience but is worth doing because it helps get rid of the frozen smells while having the chicken JUST cooked.
After the chicken wings are blanched in hot water and rest enough in it, I plunge them in ice water like making hand-pulled chicken. So doing, the chicken skin will remain tender but no ruptures; the meat will become firm but not rough.
- Ingredients
- 8 medium sized chicken wings
- 1 tsp wolfberries (goji berries), steep in water for 5 minutes and drain dry
- 1/3 cup Shaoxing wine
- 1 cup chicken stock
1/2 1/4 cup fish sauce- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp salt, for marinading chicken wings
- 2 cups ice water plus some ice
- For boiling chicken
- 2 sprigs spring onions
- 3-4 slices ginger
- 1.5 liters water
Method
Thaw (if required), wash and drain dry chicken wings. Then marinade them with salt for about half an hour.
In a pot, add chicken stock, fish sauce, sugar, salt, wolfberries and bring to a simmer. Stir to make sure sugar and salt are dissolved, and remove from heat. Let cool, add wine and mix well. Sample taste, it will be fine if you find it somewhat saltier than a soup. But, add more wine to your liking.
Slightly crush the ginger slices and spring onions and put them into a pot with 1.5 liters water. Bring water to the boil.
Drop chicken wings into the boiling water and cover. Wait till the water boils up again when water bubbles grow really up to the top. With lid covered, turn flame to the lowest and keep boiling for another one minute. Then turn off heat. DO NOT open lid; but allow the chicken wings to sit in the hot water for 30 minutes (take a break, or continue surfing around).
Have the ice water and ice ready. Remove (and strain) chicken wings from the pot of hot water and submerge them in it for a couple of minutes or till they are cool.
Drain dry chicken wings from the ice water. Have them contained in a bottle or jar and fully submerged in the cool sauce. Chill in fridge overnight before serving.
Enjoy!
Note
If your pot cannot be seen through, just rest the lid ajar so that you may peep to check out when water boils and bubbles.
Make sure the level of sauce containing in the bottle, or in your selected container, will fully drown the chicken wings. And the container is wrapped or covered in fridge.
For added flavors, consider adding a spoonful of peppercorns into the sauce. Wolfberries do not add much flavors to this dish but they are good for garnishing.
A brief note about Hua Diao 花雕
The Shaoxing Hua Diao I bought is contained in a glass bottle. In earlier days of China, wines were often bottled in pottery. It was said that the pottery jar used for containing Hua Diao has a flowery carved decorator on it. Thus the name.
You Might also Like
- Steamed Chicken in Lotus Leaf
- Hand-Pulled Chicken with Cucumber
- Red Wine with Purple Onions
- Category: Chicken .
- 27 comments
To get immediate updates and new recipes from my blog, you may also SUBSCRIBE them via RSS feeds. See you there.
FAQs
Drunken chicken is a Chinese dish that is super popular as part of a Chinese banquet. It's normally served cold or at room temperature and makes for a super-refreshing appetiser. It consists of poached chicken that's soaked in Shaoxing wine, which is accompanied by fruity pops of goji berries.
Can you marinate with Shaoxing wine? ›
A shot of higher end yellow wine is a great way to end a heavy meal, but if you want to splurge, really old Shaoxing wine—like the bottle my husband gave me—is particularly good for long marinades. Like with grape wines, rice wines also get more complex with time.
What does Shaoxing wine do in cooking? ›
It is most often used as a meat marinade that refines and enhances flavors in the dish. It tenderizes the meat and balances the flavor to dispel any fishy, ducky, or gamey taste. It is commonly used across China and Taiwan in stir fry, braised meat, pickled eggs or vegetables, dumplings, and wontons.
What is the alcohol content of Shaoxing wine? ›
The alcohol content of Shaoxing wine is somewhere between 18 and 25 percent, making it a strong drink compared to beer (averaging 5 percent) and wine (coming in around 12 percent). There are many different types of rice wines, and in parts of South, Southeast, and East Asia, they are mainly enjoyed as a beverage.
What do Chinese soak their chicken in? ›
Velveting meat is a Chinese cooking technique used in Chinese restaurants. The process of velveting is one where you marinate raw meat in cornstarch and egg white or bicarbonate of soda to give it a soft, slippery, velvety texture.
What is the flavor of Shaoxing wine? ›
Shaoxing wine has a deep amber color and a slightly sweet, nutty flavor. It is used in Chinese cooking for that flavor, where it adds depth and complexity to dishes, but most importantly as a method to deodorize meat and seafood by evaporating those odors.
Do you refrigerate Shaoxing wine after opening? ›
How to store Shaoxing wine. Shaoxing wine does not need to be refrigerated once opened. Just keep it in your pantry – and it keeps for years! Check the expiry date on your bottle.
Is Shaoxing wine same as Chinese cooking wine? ›
There are two main versions of Shaoxing wine commonly available. One is called “cooking wine” and has salt added, so that it can be sold as a “non-alcoholic” product. One is simply Shaoxing wine and doesn't contain salt.
What is the difference between Chinese rice wine and Shaoxing wine? ›
In summary, Shaoxing rice wine is primarily intended for drinking, while Chinese cooking wine contains added salt and spices, making it unsuitable for direct consumption.
What is a substitute for Shaoxing wine in Chinese cooking? ›
Sherry wine is often considered the best substitute for Shaoxing wine since it has a similar nutty flavor profile and sweetness level, with a rich aroma and a hint of tang and acidity. This can be used in stews, sauces, and meat dishes.
Once opened, it lasts about 6 months to 1 year if stored in a cool, dark place but can last even longer if refrigerated. Freezing is not commonly done, but it doesn't adversely affect the wine and can actually extend its shelf life. How do you tell if shaoxing wine is bad?
Can I use balsamic vinegar instead of Shaoxing wine? ›
Balsamic vinegar makes a good substitute. Available from Chinese supermarkets. Shaohsing rice wine is made from rice, milet and yeast and aged for three five years.
What is another name for Shaoxing wine? ›
Shaoxing wine is also sometimes called hua diao wine (huādiāo jiǔ, 花雕酒), which translates to “carved flower wine” to describe the flower design carved into the clay jars once used to store and age it.
What does Shaoxing wine do to meat? ›
Sure, you could use dry sherry, but it will not provide the same depth of flavor to recipes as Shaoxing. This Chinese cooking wine helps enhance the taste of meat and other flavors within recipes. It's so popular in authentic Chinese cooking that it's likely used almost as often as soy sauce.
Do people drink Shaoxing rice wine? ›
Better quality Shaoxing wine can be drunk as a beverage and in place of rice at the beginning of a meal. This type of Shaoxing wine is generally of higher quality, do not contain salt, and are more expensive than the cooking grades seen in the supermarkets (which contain salt.)
Why is it called drunken chicken? ›
The dish is called “drunken chicken” because it is believed that the chicken becomes intoxicated from soaking in the wine-infused marinade.
What is drunken sauce made of? ›
Sauce ingredients: oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar, water, red chili sauce.
What does drunken chicken mean? ›
Drunken chicken (traditional Chinese: 醉雞; simplified Chinese: 醉鸡; pinyin: zuìjī) is a way of preparing chicken using alcoholic beverages.
Does drunken chicken make you drunk? ›
If you intend to eat something with alcohol in its ingredients, don't assume that alcohol won't affect you. Foods cooked in alcohol have the potential to make you drunk, just like drinking alcohol could. Shrimp scampi. Medallions in wine sauce.
