Cantonese Soy Sauce Chicken Legs
Published
Tender, juicy whole chicken legs gently simmered in a sweet and savoury soy sauce, then coated in a rich, glossy reduction. Perfect served over steamed rice.
- Cooking Time: 35–40 minutes
- Serves: 2–3
Ingredients
- 2 large whole chicken legs (about 700–900 g total)
- 4–5 slices ginger
- 3 spring onions, cut into sections
- 4 cloves garlic
- 4 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 20–25 g rock sugar (冰糖)
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 250–300 ml water
- 1 star anise
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
Directions
- Heat the oil in a pot or deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the ginger, spring onion and garlic and cook briefly until fragrant.
- Add the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, rock sugar, Shaoxing wine, star anise and water. Stir and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Add the chicken legs skin-side down. Cover and cook over low heat for 12–15 minutes.
- Flip the chicken and cook, covered, for another 12–15 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the exposed chicken every few minutes. If the sauce does not cover much of the chicken, flip the legs another 1–2 times during cooking.
- Keep the sauce at a gentle simmer rather than a vigorous boil to keep the chicken tender and juicy.
- Check that the chicken is cooked through; the thickest part should reach at least 75°C.
- Remove the chicken and set aside. Increase the heat and simmer the sauce uncovered until it reduces and becomes glossy and slightly syrupy.
- Return the chicken to the pot and turn it several times in the reduced sauce until thoroughly coated.
- Serve immediately with steamed white rice and spoon plenty of the soy sauce over the chicken and rice.