Leftover Scallion? Try This Scallion Chicken Recipe

Despite that we Asians use tons of scallions in our dishes, sometimes I'm still left with extra scallions in the kitchen. I've tried adding chopped scallions in my noodles and cold dishes, I've tried making scallion oil, but sometimes it just seems like these scallions are duplicating themselves and I can never really finish them all at once.

So this scallion chicken recipe came to a rescue. Helping me vanish all the leftover scallions once and for all.

Scallion chicken -

Ingredients?

Marinade -

• 1 small stalk scallion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Chinese rice cooking wine
• 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

Other -

• 90 grams deboned, skin still attached chicken thigh pieces
• 1 big stalk scallion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 to 2 red chilies
• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

How?

Prepare the marinade first. Remove the scallion stem and chop the remaining into about 2 inch long sections. Peel and halve the garlic cloves. Mix all the marinade ingredients in a container and make sure the sugar is fully dissolved. Add in deboned chicken pieces and massage with the marinade. 

Cover with lid and into the fridge overnight.

When ready to cook, remove the chicken from the fridge and let it rest in room temperature for about 10 minutes. 

Remove the stem of scallion and also chop most of it into 2-inch long sections. Save a small portion and chop the scallion into small pieces to sprinkle over the finished dish later on. Peel and slice the garlic cloves. Remove chili stems and chop the remaining section diagonally. 

Drizzle some oil to the clay pot or a pan and turn to medium high heat. Add in scallion strips along with garlic slices and chilies. Sear till aromatic and the scallion turns slightly browned.

Transfer the chicken over along with all the marinade. 

Sear till most of the liquid dried up and the chicken starts to darken, concentrating the soy sauce aroma. Flip the chicken once a while during the process.

Be patience here, really make sure the chicken has darkened before removing from heat. Clay pot will further help retaining that heat and it's better to just serve the whole thing along with the clay pot right away. Sprinkle some freshly chopped scallion before serving. 

The aromas are completely different when the scallion is seared versus freshly chopped. And this scallion chicken gets the best out of both worlds. Also a happy ending for all, one extra dish for the family and no more pale yellow-looking scallion lying in the kitchen.


Other Asian chicken recipes:

• Shio koji marinated chicken 香煎鹽麴雞
• Japanese fried chicken (karaage/唐揚げ), served with Japanese mayo and cayenne pepper
• Baked chicken leg with Chinese red yeast rice and cumin