General Method
Ingredients:
One chicken, scallions, ginger, one tablespoon of cooking wine, one star anise, salt, jujubes, goji berries, and pumpkin.
Steps: 1. Prepare the chicken by eviscerating it, removing the innards, and chopping it into small pieces.
2. Heat some water (not boiling), pour it over the chicken in a bowl, clean off any dirt from the surface of the meat, and drain the water.
3. Marinate the chicken pieces with scallions, ginger, and one tablespoon of cooking wine to remove any fishy smell.
4. Place the cooled chicken pieces into a clay pot, add water to cover them, put in one star anise (one is enough, as more might overpower the natural flavor of the chicken). Bring to a boil on high heat. At this point, it's important not to skip skimming off the foam that rises to the surface for better flavor.
5. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the meat is tender, which might take nearly two hours. Using a pressure cooker will be faster, but the taste won't be as good as slow-cooking in a clay pot.
6. Add salt towards the end and simmer for a bit longer. Adding salt too early can make the meat tough.
7. When the chicken was halfway done, I added some jujubes and goji berries. Near the end, I remembered there was steamed pumpkin in another pot, so I added a few pieces of cooked pumpkin to the chicken broth and let it simmer for a few more minutes.
The pumpkin doesn't absorb much of the chicken broth flavor, but the pumpkin does pick up some chicken aroma, a happy accident. This is my own creation, I'm not sure how authentic clear stewed chicken is made, but it still tastes great. The Empress Dowager approved, although no matter how you cook it, stewing chicken really requires patience and attention to detail.
Mushroom Stewed Chicken
Ingredients:
One young hen (about 500 grams), cleaned and deboned. 50 grams of mountain mushrooms, 25 grams of garlic cloves. 75 grams of pork lard, 10 grams of scallions, 10 grams of ginger, 3 grams of salt, 10 grams of cooking wine, 750 grams of fresh stock.
Preparation Method:
Clean the deboned young hen and chop it into pieces about 2.5 cm in size. Clean the mushrooms, trim the stems, and cut them smaller. Soak them in cold water. Smash the ginger. Clean the scallions and garlic. Place a wok over high heat, add pork lard, heat it up, then add the chicken, scallions, and ginger. Sauté until fragrant, add the fresh stock and garlic, bring to a boil, transfer to a clay pot, and simmer over low heat for about 40 minutes. Place the wok back over high heat, add a little bit of pork lard, heat it up (to about 150°C), then add the drained mushrooms and stir-fry for about 3 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to the clay pot, add salt, and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes until the chicken is tender. Serve in a soup bowl.
Bamboo Shoot Stewed Chicken
Ingredients: Half a chicken, 250 grams of bamboo shoots.
Seasonings: A little bit of ginger, scallions, red fermented tofu, sesame oil, starch, two teaspoons of soy sauce, about one teaspoon of sugar.
Method:
1. Clean the chicken, cut it into pieces, marinate with a little soy sauce and starch, and set aside for later use.
2. Remove the shells from the bamboo shoots, cook them in boiling water until cooked, cut into pieces, and mash the red fermented tofu.
3. Sauté ginger slices and scallion sections, add the mashed red fermented tofu, chicken, and bamboo shoots. Stir-fry evenly, add two teaspoons of soy sauce, about one teaspoon of sugar, a little bit of sesame oil, and season. Add water, bring to a boil, transfer to a container, and cook on low heat until done.
Olive Stewed Chicken
Ingredients Fresh olives or dried, rock sugar, free-range chicken thighs.
Seasonings: Wine, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, licorice.
Method § Peel the free-range chicken thighs, blanch to remove blood, and marinate briefly with all seasonings. § Clean the fresh olives or dried ones, start a pot of brine, add the olives and chicken thighs, submerge them in water. § Add seasonings, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and cook until the liquid is absorbed.
Serve. Benefits Olives are known to promote brain development in infants, making them smarter, and have functions in preventing heart disease and stomach ulcers, protecting the gallbladder.
Chestnut and Apricot Stewed Chicken
Ingredients:
200 grams of chestnuts, 25 grams of dates, 12 grams of sweet apricot kernels, 10 grams of walnut kernels, 1500 grams of rooster, 15 grams of scallion segments, 15 grams of ginger strips. Seasonings: 15 grams of cooking wine, 5 grams of salt, 20 grams of soy sauce, 3 grams of monosodium glutamate, 10 grams of sugar, 25 grams of pork lard.
Method:
1. Soak the sweet apricot kernels and walnut kernels in boiling water, peel them, drain them, and fry them golden in warm oil. Let them cool and grind the sweet apricot kernels into powder. Cut the chestnuts in half, boil them in water until the shell and skin can be peeled off easily.
2. Clean the chicken, remove the innards, and cut it into 3 cm square pieces. Heat the pork lard in a pan until it reaches 60% hot, add the chicken and sauté. Add cooking wine, ginger strips, monosodium glutamate, salt, scallion segments, sugar, and soy sauce, sauté until the chicken is colored, then add enough water and the walnuts and dates. Bring to a boil, move to low heat, cover, and simmer for about an hour. Then add the chestnuts and continue to simmer until the chicken is tender.
3. Scoop out the chestnuts and place them in a bowl, then place the chicken on top of the chestnuts. Adjust the broth and pour it over the chicken, sprinkle with apricot kernel powder.
Note: This dish can nourish and warm the center, benefit the kidneys, and strengthen bones. It is suitable for those who are weak and thin. However, those with a cold, fever, or heat-related illnesses should be cautious.
Vegetable Stewed Chicken
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons of butter, 4 pounds of bone-in chicken thighs, 4 stalks of celery, sliced, 4 carrots, peeled and sliced, 1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced, 2 tablespoons of tarragon vinegar, 1 teaspoon of herb blend (dried parsley, chervil, tarragon, and chives), 1 bay leaf, salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Method:
1. Melt the butter in a large cast-iron skillet or heavy casserole over medium heat. Brown the chicken in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan and prevent the chicken from steaming instead of browning. Cook until browned, about 6-8 minutes per side. Set the chicken aside when done.
2. Meanwhile, bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to keep it warm.
3. Add the celery, carrots, onion, vinegar, herb blend, and bay leaf to the same pan used for browning the chicken, scraping the bottom of the pan first. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 3 minutes.
4. Return the chicken and its juices to the pan, add enough hot water to cover the chicken (approximately 3 cups of water), and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the chicken is tender, about 1 hour. Discard the bay leaf.