Drunken chicken

High in protein
Seafood free
Shellfish free
Peanut free
Sesame free
Lactose free
Nut free
Dairy free
Egg free

Expand your Chinese cooking repertoire and perfect this homemade recipe for drunken chicken.

Serves4
Cook time35 minutes
Prep time10 minutes, + marinating time

Ingredients

8 cups (2 litres) chicken stock
4 spring onions, halved
3cm piece ginger, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 large (800g) Coles RSPCA Approved Free Range Chicken Breast Fillets, trimmed
4 Coles RSPCA Approved Free Range Chicken Drumsticks
1 1/2 cups (375ml) Chinese cooking wine (shaoxing wine)
2 tsp white sugar
1 long red or green chilli, thinly sliced
1 bunch coriander, leaves picked
2 spring onions, extra, thinly sliced
Soy sauce, to serve

Nutritional information

Per serve: Energy: 1820kJ/435 Cals (21%), Protein: 66g (132%), Fat: 15g (21%), Sat Fat: 4g (17%), Sodium: 875mg (44%), Carb: 6g (2%), Sugar: 3g (3%), Dietary Fibre: 3g (10%).

Check ingredient labels to make sure they meet your specific dietary requirements and always consult a health professional before changing your diet. View dietary information here.

Percentage Daily Intake information on our recipes is calculated using the nutrition reference values for an average Australian adult.

Method

Step 1
Combine the stock, spring onion, ginger and garlic in a large saucepan over low heat. Bring to a simmer. Add the chicken and return to a simmer. Simmer for 10 mins to partially cook. Remove from heat and cover with a lid. Set aside for 20 mins, allowing residual heat to finish cooking the chicken, or until the chicken is cooked through.
Step 2
Fill a large bowl with ice and iced water. Use tongs to remove chicken from stock mixture and transfer to the iced water. Set aside for 15 mins to cool.
Step 3
Strain stock mixture and discard solids. Place 1½ cups (375ml) of the stock in a large bowl or plastic container, big enough to fit chicken pieces in a single layer. Add the Chinese cooking wine and sugar and stir until sugar dissolves. Add drained chicken. Cover and place in the fridge 3 hours or overnight to develop the flavours.
Step 4
Place chicken on a serving platter. Sprinkle with chilli, coriander and extra spring onion. Serve with soy sauce for dipping.

Recipe tip

COOK. STORE. SAVE.
Chinese cooking wine can be stored in your pantry and used in other Chinese-inspired dishes like dumplings, stir-fries, braises or in marinades and sauces.

Drunken chicken recipe

With roots in Chinese cuisine, drunken chicken is a classic Asian dish that features pieces of chicken that’s poached in a broth of chicken stock and aromatics, and soaked in Chinese cooking wine to develop a deep umami flavour. Umami is considered one of the five core tastes along with sweet, sour, bitter and salty.

To make the best drunken chicken recipe, it’s best to start this recipe the day before to allow the chicken to soak overnight. However, if you don’t have the time, you can keep it in the fridge for three hours. The result is tender, juicy chicken that’s packed full of flavour to rival your local Chinese restaurant!

How to make drunken chicken

Making drunken chicken at home is easier than you might realise. Before you begin, allow yourself enough time to let the flavours develop, and stock your pantry with Chinese staples like spring onions, garlic, ginger and Chinese cooking wine (also known as shaoxing wine.)

As your chicken simmers in a broth of stock and aromatics, remove it from the heat when it is partially cooked, as the residual heat from the pot will continue the cooking process. Once cooked through, plunge the chicken in an ice bath to stop it from cooking any further, before it’s added to a final mixture of the strained chicken stock mixture, Chinese cooking wine and sugar.

Drunken chicken: ingredient alternatives

This recipe for drunken chicken uses a combination of chicken breast fillets and chicken drumsticks, however, you’re free to use whatever cut of chicken you prefer. If it’s available to you, use a whole chicken that’s portioned out into smaller pieces, or deboned chicken legs if you prefer chicken without the bone.

While drunken chicken gets its distinct name and flavour from the use of Chinese cooking wine, you can opt for an alcohol-free version by using additional chicken or veggie stock in its place.