Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Cantonese Sizzling Claypot Chicken
啫啫雞煲
Recipe overview
Chicken thigh is seared, then covered in a claypot with shallots, ginger, garlic and spring onion until the sauce is thick and aromatic.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 700 g boneless chicken thigh
- 6 shallots
- 25 g ginger
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 spring onions
Chicken marinade
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
Chicken searing
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
Braising sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 60 ml water
02
Tools
- chopping board
- kitchen knife
- mixing bowl
- frying pan
- spatula
- lidded heatproof claypot
- food thermometer
03
Steps
Step 1
Cut the chicken
Pat the thigh dry, cut into roughly 4 cm pieces and wash the raw-chicken board immediately.
Step 2
Marinate
Mix with light soy, Shaoxing wine, sugar, cornstarch and white pepper; marinate for 15 minutes.
Step 3
Cut the aromatics
Peel and halve the shallots, slice the ginger, smash the garlic and cut spring onions into 5 cm lengths.
Step 4
Mix the sauce
Combine the oyster sauce, dark soy sauce and 60 ml water.
Step 5
Warm the claypot
Warm the claypot over low heat for 3 minutes; avoid sudden high heat that can crack it.
Step 6
Sear the first side
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a frying pan, add one layer of chicken and sear over medium heat for 3 minutes.
Step 7
Brown the other side
Turn and sear for 2 minutes until coloured, then lift out; the centre may still be undercooked.
Step 8
Fry the aromatics
Add shallots, ginger and garlic to the warm claypot and fry over medium heat for 2 minutes until lightly golden.
Step 9
Add the chicken
Add the chicken and its juices to the claypot and toss quickly with the aromatics.
Step 10
Cover and cook
Pour in the sauce, cover and cook over medium-low heat for 6 minutes.
Step 11
Check doneness
Turn the chicken and check the thickest piece reaches 74°C; cover and cook in 2-minute increments if needed.
Step 12
Reduce and serve
Add spring onions and toss over high heat for 30 seconds until glossy; set the claypot on a heatproof mat.
Common mistakes
- Searing wet chicken so it cannot brown.
- Putting a cold claypot over sudden high heat and cracking it.
- Crowding the chicken so it steams.
- Serving before confirming 74°C.
Tips
Sear in a roomy frying pan, then move the chicken to a gently preheated claypot for aroma without sticking. Use 74°C in the thickest piece as the safety check.
