Shanxi Vinegar-Marinated Chicken

Name: Shanxi Vinegar-Marinated Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 3 slices ginger; 10 mL Salt; 500 gram bone-in chicken (like thighs or drumsticks); 2 stalks spring onion, cut into sections; 45 mL Shanxi Aged Black Vinegar (山西老陈醋); 15 mL light soy sauce; 5 mL dark soy sauce; 15 mL Sugar; 2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped; 5 mL ginger, finely chopped; 2.5 mL chilli oil; 5 mL sesame oil; 2 spring onions, finely chopped; 5 mL sesame seeds; 1 handful fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped; 5 mL sesame seeds; 1 handful fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped; 2 stalks spring onions, finely chopped

In Shanxi, black vinegar is splashed into hundreds of dishes, a bottle never far from hand. Shanxi cooks are obsessed with their local vinegar, using it to stir-fry, braise, drizzle, dip and toss. If that wasn’t enough, there’s often a bottle on the table, for those that need that extra kick. Cold Chicken in Vinegar Sauce (陈醋拌鸡块) follows the 拌 (bàn) technique, which means "tossing" or “mixing”. This is a common method for cold dishes, where cooked ingredients (in this case, poached chicken) are mixed with seasonings and sauces without further heating. After a few hours of marinating, the vinegar transforms the poached chicken. Each bite delivers a balance of tangy brightness and savoury depth, the aged vinegar soaking deep into the succulent meat. It’s always served cool, and somehow for a meat dish, manages to be refreshing and juicy, both bold and subtle at the same time.

TeaOranges

Prep10 min

Cook35 min

Total45 min

Servings4

Difficultyeasy

ChineseDinner / SupperLunch

Ingredients

3 slicesginger
10 mLSalt
500 grambone-in chicken (like thighs or drumsticks)
2 stalksspring onion, cut into sections

45 mLShanxi Aged Black Vinegar (山西老陈醋)
15 mLlight soy sauce
5 mLdark soy sauce
15 mLSugar
2 clovesGarlic, finely chopped
5 mLginger, finely chopped
2.5 mLchilli oil
5 mLsesame oil
2spring onions, finely chopped
5 mLsesame seeds
1 handfulfresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

5 mLsesame seeds
1 handfulfresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
2 stalksspring onions, finely chopped

Instructions

1
Bring a pot of water to the boil. Add the chicken, ginger slices, spring onion and salt. Simmer for 20-25 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked and tender. Skim off any foam that forms.
2
Remove the chicken and let it cool to room temperature. You can speed this up by placing it in a bowl of ice water for 5–10 minutes. Once cooled, chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces, keeping the bone-in pieces for extra flavour.
3
Make the sauce. In a small bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Taste and adjust — it should be tangy, savoury, and a little sweet.
4
Place the cooled chicken pieces into a large bowl. Pour the sauce over and toss gentle to coat everything evenly. Pour into a smaller bowl so the chicken is mostly submerged in the vinegar sauce. Marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours, but the longer the better.
5
Remove from the fridge, serve in the bowl or remove onto a plate if you want to a nicer presentation. Sprinkle with the chopped spring onion, sesame seeds and coriander right before serving. Enjoy it cold or at room temperature.