Chicken Braised with Onions and Shallots

Cooked this the second time in less than two weeks. Back by popular demand! Request from my kids. I cooked this last week, with only half a chicken, after braising, well, you know, the chicken sort of shrunk in size! I cooked a whole chicken this time. 

This chicken is braised in the onions and shallots sauce. The balance of saltiness, sweetness and the flavours from the onions and shallots are delicious. This recipe calls for 1-1/2 tablespoon of sugar, but I only use less than 1 tablespoon. I would advise to add in a little sugar and try whether the sweetness is enough. Too much of sugar will dominate the sweetness of the onions. And I add on another extra onion, I love onions and I feel that onions always makes a dish tastes better.

Braise over low heat, during braising, when it appears dry, some chicken stock or water may be added in. My family love sauces, so when it gets a little too thick at the end, I add in a little more chicken stock to the consistency I want. Let it boil a couple of minutes more.

This is really good with some plain white rice.

My son's favourite chicken dish, at the moment! This is a great dish to go with plain white rice, especially for kids, they will enjoy the tender chicken and the delicious gravy over the rice. Yummy!

I'm sharing this post with

Full Plate Thursday at Miz Helen's Country Cottage

Fresh Food Friday at la bella vita

Chicken Braised with Onions and Shallots
(adapted from "My Chinese Kitchen" from Eileen Yin-Fei Lo)
One 4-1/4-pound chicken, fat and membranes removed, rubbed well with 4 tablespoons salt, rinsed, and place in a sitting position in a strainer to drain (I skipped this step, I just wipe chicken dry with paper towels)
3 tablespoons double dark soy sauce, regular dark soy sauce, or mushroom soy sauce
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoons minced garlic
2 ounces shallots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 small onion, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (I use 2 onions)
1-1/2 tablespoons bean sauce
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
1/4 cup Shao-Hsing wine or dry sherry
1-1/2 cups chicken stock
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2-1/2 tablespoons sugar
8 sprigs fresh coriander (cilantro)

1. Place the drained chicken on a large platter and rub with 1-1/2 tablespoons of the dark soy sauce, making certain the chicken is well coated. Tie the chicken legs together with string. (I skipped this step).
2. Heat a wok over high heat for 40 seconds. Add the peanut oil and coat the wok with it using a spatula. When a wisp of white smoke appears, add the ginger and garlic and stir. When the garlic turns light brown, add the shallots and onion, stir to mix, and cook for 1-1/2 minutes. Add the bean sauce, stir and mix, and cook for 1 minute. Add the oyster sauce and stir well. Add the wine and stir in. When the mixture begins to boil, and the stock and return to a boil.  Add the remaining dark soy sauce, the regular soy, and the sugar, mix well and return to a boil. Place the chicken in the wok, breast side down, and with a spatula coat the chicken well. Cook for 2 minutes. Turn the chicken over and repeat until all 4 sides are sealed. Care should be taken that the heat is not too high, or the chicken skin can burn.
3. Turn off the heat. Transfer the chicken and sauce to a Dutch oven, breast side up. Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, covered. Use a wooden spoon to move the chicken about several times to prevent sticking. Turn the chicken over and simmer for another 45 minutes, moving the chicken with a wooden spoon. Turn off the heat and allow the chicken to rest in the pot for 20 minutes. The sauce should reduce to 1-1/4 cups.
4. Remove the chicken to a cutting board, tail up, breast out. With a cleaver, cut from the tail down the backbone, until the chicken is cut in half. Remove the skin and bones. Cut into bite-sized pieces, place on a serving platter, pour the sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with coriander, and served with cooked rice.