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Garlic Soy Braised Chicken

Braising is one of the easiest ways to infuse delicious flavor into food.  Perfect for days you don’t want to turn on the oven or fuss with the grill.  This Garlic Soy Braised Chicken is tender, bathed in a savory sauce, and perfect over a bed of rice.

Pan of Garlic and Soy Braised Chicken

Many of us find that there’s at least one certain dish that takes us back to childhood.  Even if it’s just good old Mac and Cheese like this uber creamy one, it’s a recipe that reminds us of favorite meals frequently put on the table.

My folks are both well seasoned cooks in the kitchen.  Growing up, it was Dad who cooked up a storm most nights.  And because my parents’ cooking philosophy consists of pinches and dashes rather than actual measurements, I could only learn by watching and memorizing.

Dad had his specialty favorite dishes that were mostly homestyle Chinese variations of braised meats and all flavors of stir fried tofu.  Nothing fancy, nothing complicated, but intensely flavorful and savory.  Like this Garlic Soy Braised Chicken…

Garlic and Soy Sauce Braised Chicken

Whenever I braise meats, it takes me back to my roots with a smile.  Thankfully, I won’t be leaving you with just pinches and dashes.  I actually measured stuff out for you guys 🙂  

This Garlic Soy Braised Chicken is amazingly simple to make.  Once all the ingredients get piled into one pot, just turn on the stove and walk away.  The aroma one hour later will bring you back hungry, guaranteed.  

If you’ve never used whole dried star anise, this recipe calls for it.  The anise is what gives the dish such aromatic goodness.  Don’t try to go without it.  Star anise is found in most all Asian grocery stores.

star anise

When I make this Garlic Soy Braised Chicken, my boys inhale every single bite of their dinner without my prompting.  They devour piece after piece, barely touching anything else but this chicken.

Thanks to braising in a savory sauce, the chicken is full of flavor and extremely tender.  Leftovers, if you’re lucky enough to have any, is absolutely delish.

Enjoy!

Did you make this?

Please give us a rating and comment below. We love hearing from you!

Pan of Garlic and Soy Braised Chicken

Garlic Soy Braised Chicken

5 from 3 ratings
This Garlic Soy Braised Chicken is a healthy, richly flavorful, and easy dinner solution. Perfect over a bed of fluffy rice. Leftovers are wonderful.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Amy Dong

Ingredients  

Instructions

  • Combine all ingredients except chicken in a Dutch oven or heavy pot. Stir to incorporate.
  • Using a fork, poke holes everywhere on all sides of the chicken pieces. Be sure not to skip the towel drying. Add chicken to the pot. Sprinkle a thin layer of table salt lightly over the chicken. Stir to coat chicken in sauce.
  • Bring to a boil and immediately drop down to medium-low heat. Cover pot and cook for 1 hour, occasionally stirring/turning the chicken with a wooden spatula so that all sides are braised in the sauce evenly.
  • If desired, garnish with chopped cilantro or green onions. Serve warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 496kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 69g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 313mg | Sodium: 1772mg | Potassium: 932mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 118IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 4mg
Course: chicken, Main Dish
Cuisine: Asian American
Method: Stovetop

Source:  Chew Out Loud

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Recipe Rating




13 comments

    • Ravi
    • 5 stars

    I made this today, and it turned out really well! I didn’t have star-anise, so used cloves instead, which worked really well too, in my opinion. Thanks for the recipe!

      • chewoutloud

      Super happy you enjoyed this dish, Ravi! 🙂

    • Mona
    • 5 stars

    I’m always hesitant to cook meat, afraid i’ll either undercook and get food poisoning or overcook and get dried, flavorless meat. However, this recipe makes me confident the chicken will cook all the way through and still be tender! It’s cooking in the pot now and looks and smells delicious!

      • chewoutloud

      Hope you love it as much as we do, Mona. Enjoy!

    • Elaine

    Thank you for posting this recipe! I was looking for a quick drumstick recipe that I didn’t need to marinate overnight. It smells amazing as it is cooking right now.

      • chewoutloud

      Yay, Elaine! 🙂 Thanks for coming over today; Merry Christmas!

    • Thuy

    Can I make this in a crockpot? How long should I cook it for?

      • chewoutloud

      Thuy, you can make it in the crockpot, but it probably won’t take very long. I’d try 2 hours on high or 3-4 hours on low. Also, you might get more of a “boiled” versus “braised” result via crockpot, so I do recommend braising on stovetop. So glad you came over today…hope you continue finding recipes you want to try here at COL! 🙂

    • Ailee
    • 5 stars

    Amy, I made the Garlic Soy Braised Chicken (with chicken thighs) last night, and it was delicious! Thank you for posting such a yummy recipe (my mom cooks with ‘a little of this, a little of that’ so I appreciate the challenges of getting family recipes like Soy Sauce Chicken…)

      • Aileen Jue

      Oops, hit enter before completing my name: Aileen Jue

      • chewoutloud

      Yippee!! Thanks so much for coming over to let us know… we love to hear it! 🙂

    • Rachel @LittleChefBigAppetite

    This chicken looks outstanding! I bet it tasted delicious!

      • chewoutloud

      Thanks, Rachel! 🙂

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