Recipe & Video Braised Garlic Chicken

[murphyscreek]

This is a very simple recipe. But one I go back to time and time again. And if you get around to watching the video, it's an example of one of my very early efforts, and was more focused on trying to use an induction cook top for the very first time. Not that I'm saying my newer ones are James Cameron type masterpieces either.

Recipe

Ingredients

900gms (about 5) chicken thighs, skin on, bone in
20 cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp chinese cooking wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 cup flour seasoned with salt/pepper
3 tbsp vegetable oil
chopped chives for garnish

Method

Saute whole cloves of unpeeled garlic in oil in a wok until starting to colour and soften. Roll chicken pieces in seasoned flour, and fry in oil and brown on both sides. Whilst not necessary to remove garlic during this, push the cloves up the sides of the wok so the chicken can brown more easily. Once brown, remove most the oil from the wok. Then add soy sauce, shaoxing wine, and stock, and simmer gently for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked to desired level. Serve with rice, and chopped chives as garnish.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnLw1aN95SM

 

[Windigo]

Your pictures are always so appetising

 

[flyinglentris]

Your pictures are always so appetising

It's that orange color which psychologically induces hunger. That's why fast food restaurants choose that color in their design motifs.

 

[Morning Glory]

Its got to be good with 20 whole cloves of garlic! I absolutely love the simplicity of this dish. Very good plating in the final photo, too. The chives of course, add to the alliums dimension of the dish.

 

[murphyscreek]

Its got to be good with 20 whole cloves of garlic! I absolutely love the simplicity of this dish. Very good plating in the final photo, too. The chives of course, add to the alliums dimension of the dish.

I never thought of that regarding the chives!!

 

[rascal]

So where does the colour change from cleanish to orange?? Magic????

Russ

 

[murphyscreek]

So where does the colour change from cleanish to orange?? Magic????

Russ

Hey Russ, I guess it's a kind of magic called science. In this case the Maillard Reaction (NOT to be confused with caramelisation). In 1912, Louis-Camille Maillard, a French physician and chemist, accidentally discovered the formation of yellow-brown color compounds when he heated sugars and amino acids together with water—or the Maillard reaction. Since then, Maillard reaction has received wide attention and has been extensively studied in the fields of food and medicine. in my dish the 20-25 minute braising time was seemingly ample for the chemistry to do it's "magic".

But I'm guessing the Chinese have known about it for centuries, as the sugars created by heating garlic at a high heat react perfectly with fermented liquids such as soy sauce, and shaoxing to create a Maillard reaction. I don't pretend my recipe isn't a blatant rip off of a basic Chinese braising liquid. I just upped the ante a bit with the amount of garlic used.

Although in retrospect, I did make that video and still photos of the dish a long time ago in primitive conditions. It might have just been the cast from the yellow fluorescent lights in the kitchen.

 

[mjd]

I made this last night. I didn't have natural light to take photos so I didn't bother. It is very tasty and relatively easy to prepare. I will make it again. Thanks for posting.