Soy Sauce Chicken (See Yao Gai/豉油鸡) Recipe

This recipe is the BEST Air Fryer Soy Sauce Chicken you will ever try, and the best part is it is also SUPER easy to make!

The Air Fryer Soy Sauce Chicken is crispy on the outside, while the meat is super juicy and flavourful on the inside.

Ingredients
▢6 chicken thighs - see note 1 for other options
▢½ tablespoon cooking oil
▢3 stalks scallions, cut in halves
▢1 thumb-sized ginger, sliced
▢3 star anise
▢2 bay leaves
▢1 cup light soy sauce - 240ml
▢2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
▢2 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine - or Chinese rose wine
▢2 tablespoon dark brown sugar - or 40g rock sugar
▢2 cups water - 480ml
▢½ tablespoon cornstarch, mix with 1 tablespoon water

Instructions
Prepare the braising liquid

• Add oil, scallions, ginger, star anise, and bay leaves to a wok/pot. Fry over low heat until fragrant and the scallions and ginger browns a little.
• Pour in light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, sugar and water. Turn the heat to high. Bring the liquid to a boil.

Cook the chicken

• Slide in the chicken thighs, skin side down (they should be in a single layer without overlapping). Adjust the water if necessary. The liquid should cover most parts of the chicken.
• When the cooking liquid comes back to a boil, turn the heat down to a gentle simmer. Cover and leave to simmer for 35 mins. Flip over all the thighs then cook for a further 10 mins (see note 1 if cooking other cuts of chicken).

Serve the chicken

• Take out the chicken. When cool enough to handle, remove the bones then slice into bite-sized pieces (see instructions in post content above).
• Keep about 120ml (½ cup) of the broth in the wok/pot then heat up. Right before it starts to boil, add the cornstarch mixture. Remove from the heat once the sauce reaches the desired thickness. Pour it over the sliced chicken, or serve it in a bowl on the side for dipping (see note 2 for serving ideas).
• The remaing broth can be reused. Pour it into a jar/container through a sieve and discard the spices.Use within 4 days if kept in the fridge or for 3 months in the freezer.

NOTES
1. You may use other parts of a chicken for this recipe (breast isn’t recommended though). The same method applies but you may need to adjust the cooking time. Here is a general guidance:

• Chicken wings: 25 mins
• Chicken drum sticks: 35 mins
• Chicken legs or leg quarters: 45-50 mins

If uncertain, insert a kitchen thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. The temperature should be above 74°C/165°F. Or, poke the thickest part with a chopstick. It should be able to go through without much resistance.

2. You may serve the sliced chicken as the centrepiece of a multi-course meal, or use it as a topping for rice or noodles along with some lightly-seasoned vegetables.