Hand-Shredded Chicken with Chinese Seasonings 涼拌手撕雞

Today's recipe involves two parts. First we're going to slowly cook the chicken legs in herb-added water, a bit like making a chicken soup. That alone yields delicious chicken meat, but it won't stop us. To make the chicken even yummier, the second part is to further flavor the hand-shredded meat with Chinese seasonings.

Hand-shredded chicken with Chinese seasonings 涼拌手撕雞 - 

Ingredients?

• 1 big or 2 medium chicken legs
• 2 star anises
• 2 stalks scallion
• 1 chunk young ginger

Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons black vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 stalk scallion
• 1 small chunk young ginger
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon chili sauce or some freshly chopped red chilies

How?

Use a big pot and put in the chicken leg/s. Fill with water till the entire chicken is submerged under for about half inch. Trim-off two stalks of scallion stems and tie a knot. Add that to the pot. Also add 1 small chunk of ginger, about half size of little finger. Also add two star anises.

Switch to medium heat and keep the water just below bubbling temperature. Slowly cooking the chicken, takes about 30 minutes.

Remove the chicken and wait till cool enough to handle by hand. Once ready, tear the chicken meat into shredded strips. You can save or use the chicken skin. Also don't waste the water used in cooking the chicken, it's literally lightly-flavored chicken soup at the moment. Perhaps store that stock in separate batches in the fridge or freezer for future use.

As for the sauce, destem and chop one stalk of scallion. Peel and chop two garlic cloves. Scrape a small chunk of young ginger, about 1/5 the size of little finger, then give it a fine chop. Add all that to a bowl.

Also add all the other ingredients listed under the "sauce" section and mix till the sugar has been fully dissolved.

Pour the sauce over the shredded chicken and mix till blended. Taste and adjust accordingly. Perhaps transfer the chicken to serving plate if desired.

You can serve the chicken as it is. Some like to store the chicken in the fridge and serve it cold, which works nicely in a hot summer day.

Extended reading:

• Chinese Shaoxing drunken chicken 紹興醉雞