Cantonese Chinese · Dinner

Soy sauce chicken

Name: Soy sauce chicken
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Cantonese Chinese
Ingredients: 1 whole chicken, 4 to 4 1/2 pounds, giblets removed; 2 teaspoons kosher salt; 2 teaspoons neutral oil; 8 slices fresh ginger; 5 scallions, cut into 3-inch lengths and lightly crushed; 3 whole star anise; 1 small cinnamon stick; 1 strip dried tangerine peel, optional; 1 cup Shaoxing wine; 1 1/2 cups light soy sauce; 1/3 cup dark soy sauce; 3/4 cup Chinese rock sugar or packed light-brown sugar; 6 cups water, plus more if needed; 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil; 4 cups steamed jasmine rice

A whole chicken gently poached and repeatedly turned in an aromatic soy-wine master sauce until juicy inside and burnished mahogany outside.

About 1 hr 50 minTotal

About 1 hr 25 minActive

$$$Cost

AdvancedDifficulty

Makes 6 servings

Equipment

Use a hot sheet pan under an inverted oven-safe metal bowl for the covered phase.
Best value covered pot
Lodge Essential Enamel 6-Quart Dutch Oven · EC6D43
View at Amazon
Another workable path: Use a hot sheet pan under an inverted oven-safe metal bowl for the covered phase.
Paid links. As an Amazon Associate, Kwilt earns from qualifying purchases.
How we chose
Research-backed · reviewed Aug 2026
We matched capacity, lid fit, oven rating, heat retention, maneuverability, care, stable model identity, and usefulness outside bread baking. Kwilt has not baked with this pot.
Lodge Essential Enamel 6-Quart Dutch Oven · EC6D43: The six-quart capacity, heavy cast-iron body, and fitted lid create the enclosed high-heat environment used by these bread methods while remaining useful beyond baking. Trade-off: At more than thirteen pounds it is demanding to move when hot, and the enamel needs gentler utensils and hand washing.
Another workable path: Bake on a preheated heavy sheet pan under an inverted oven-safe metal bowl, keeping face and hands clear when removing the hot cover.
Sources
Lodge six-quart Essential Enamel specifications
Amazon exact product listing

Ingredients

1× recipe · Makes 6 servings

1 whole chicken, 4 to 4 1/2 pounds, giblets removed
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons neutral oil
8 slices fresh ginger
5 scallions, cut into 3-inch lengths and lightly crushed
3 whole star anise
1 small cinnamon stick
1 strip dried tangerine peel, optional
1 cup Shaoxing wine
1 1/2 cups light soy sauce
1/3 cup dark soy sauce
3/4 cup Chinese rock sugar or packed light-brown sugar
6 cups water, plus more if needed
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
4 cups steamed jasmine rice

Instructions

Pat the chicken dry and season the cavity with salt. Heat neutral oil in a over medium and fry ginger, scallions, star anise, cinnamon, and tangerine peel for 1 minute.
Add Shaoxing wine, both soy sauces, sugar, and water. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then lower the chicken breast-side down into the pot. Add hot water only if needed to bring the liquid three-quarters of the way up the bird.
Return to a bare simmer. Cover and cook 15 minutes, then turn the chicken onto one side. Cook 10 minutes, turn to the other side for 10 minutes, then breast-side up for 10 minutes, spooning sauce over exposed skin every few minutes and never allowing a hard boil.
Check the thickest breast and inner thigh without touching bone; continue gentle cooking and turning until breast reaches 165°F and thigh reaches at least 175°F. Lift chicken to a board and rest 20 minutes.
Boil 2 cups of the poaching sauce in a separate saucepan for 5 minutes, until slightly concentrated, then strain and stir in sesame oil. Chop the rested chicken through the bone or carve into joints, spoon over a little sauce, and serve with rice and remaining sauce alongside.

Guangdong and Hong KongCantonese cooking traditions

From the table

About this recipe

See yao gai is a Cantonese soy-sauce chicken associated with siu mei shops and home kitchens. Restaurant birds may be hung, while home versions gently poach and repeatedly turn a whole chicken in an aromatic soy master sauce.

See yao gai is a Cantonese siu mei-shop and home-cooking classic, although this home version gently poaches rather than hangs the bird in restaurant equipment. A narrow pot keeps the soy bath deep without requiring excessive sauce. The aromatic liquid may be cooled rapidly and frozen for a future braise only after it has boiled; never save it warm at room temperature. This Kwilt version follows the reviewed household adaptation: Preserve whole-bird poaching, repeated turning, and the Cantonese soy-wine-spice profile while using a narrow home pot and explicit thermometer endpoints instead of restaurant hanging equipment.

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