Shanghai Drunken Chicken
Tender poached chicken in a fragrant Shaoxing wine broth with ginger and scallions. Served chilled or at room temperature, it's a classic Shanghai appetizer that tastes impressive but requires only one pot and 25 minutes.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Servings
- 2
- Calories
- 280
- Protein
- 38g
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast, boneless and skinless
- ¾ cup Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 1.5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons fresh ginger, sliced into thin coins
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 whole scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces
Instructions
- 1
Pat the chicken breast completely dry with a paper towel on both sides, so the broth sticks and flavors it evenly.
- 2
Slice the ginger lengthwise into coins about 1/8-inch thick, leaving the skin on for flavor.
- 3
Cut the scallion white and green sections separately; hold the scallion upright and cut down across it into 2-inch segments.
- 4
Pour the chicken broth and Shaoxing wine into a medium pot and bring to a boil over high heat—you will see large bubbles breaking the surface constantly, about 4 minutes.
- 5
Add the ginger coins and scallion whites to the boiling liquid, then stir once.
- 6
Gently slide the chicken breast into the hot broth, making sure it is fully submerged.
- 7
When the broth returns to a gentle simmer (small bubbles rising slowly from the bottom), reduce heat to low and cover the pot.
- 8
Poach the chicken covered for 12–15 minutes until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 165°F (74°C).
- 9
Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the soy sauce until combined.
- 10
Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it rest for 2 minutes until cool enough to touch.
- 11
Slice the chicken against the grain (perpendicular to the long muscle fibers) into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
- 12
Arrange the chicken slices on a serving plate in a single overlapping layer.
- 13
Ladle 1/4 cup of the warm broth over the chicken slices, then scatter the scallion greens on top.
- 14
Serve immediately at room temperature, or chill for 2 hours and serve cold—both are authentic.
Tools you’ll need
- medium pot with lid
- paper towels
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- meat thermometer
- spoon
- serving plate
- ladle
Cook smarter
Get matched recipes for what’s in your fridge
CookSnap is a free iOS app that finds real recipes from the ingredients you already have. No more grocery-list aspirations.
