Savory, homey, and comforting, this Chinese Braised Chicken was one of the first Chinese dishes I learned to cook. It remains one of my favorites and is great over rice or noodles.
This is my recipe for Chinese Braised Chicken – which is my take on da pan ji (big chicken plate). It’s filled with veggies such as green and red bell peppers, carrots, and creamy gold potatoes.
After prepping all the ingredients, we start off by browning the marinated chicken thighs. I’m using boneless skinless chicken thighs, but you’re welcome to make this with bone-in chicken. To this, add the aromatics like garlic, ginger, dried chilis, and other eastern asian spices. I’m also using something called broad bean sauce, which is the ONLY jarred Chinese sauce I use. Toast all these aromatics before adding broth and potatoes. Add light and dark soy sauce and cook for 10 minutes before adding the veggies. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes, then taste and serve over hot rice or noodles!
Ingredients:
Boneless skinless chicken thighs – I use cubed boneless skinless chicken thighs to make the eating process simpler (my husband prefers not to pick meat off the bone). Chicken thighs or legs are better here compared to chicken breast or chicken tenders since thighs will stay tender during the braising process. You can definitely use bone-in chicken thighs, chicken legs, or even chicken drumsticks as a substitute.
Chicken marinade – I keep it simple with kosher salt, cornstarch, and sesame oil. The braising liquid and other sauces during the braising process will help flavor the chicken so don’t worry about adding a bunch more seasonings to the chicken.
Vegetables – traditionally, Da Pan Ji has creamy chunks of potatoes and peppers. I use gold potatoes so I can keep the skin on, as well as a red and green bell pepper (for a great pop-in color), and a couple of carrots.
Chicken broth – the main braising liquid. If you choose to use bone-in chicken for this recipe (which you can certainly do), feel free to just use water.
Doubanjiang – also known as Sichuan style broad bean sauce,
Aromatics – A combination of Sichuan peppercorns, whole dried chilis, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, and star anise. For fresh aromatics, include garlic and ginger.
Soy Sauce – I use both a light soy sauce and a dark soy sauce for this recipe to add a depth of color to the braise. However, if you don’t have dark soy sauce, you can substitute with an extra tablespoon of light soy sauce or tamari. Just note the final broth color may be a bit lighter than the one in my photo.
What to pair with this Chinese Braised Chicken:
Private chef tips:
- Keep the skins on your gold potatoes and do NOT allow your potatoes to boil
- You might already know this, but I actually learned both of these tricks working in a professional kitchen. Keep the skins on the potatoes for a better, creamy texture. This is the main reason why I use gold potatoes over russets in this recipe – the gold potatoes have a naturally thin skin AND the potato itself is also naturally creamier.
- You never want to let your potatoes cook at a rapid boil (simmer is best), as this will not only unevenly cook the potatoes, making the outsides mushy and the insides raw, but it will also draw the good nutrients like vitamin C and potassium out.
- Brown your chicken on high heat
- Color = flavor, and browning the chicken creates fond (the brown stuff at the bottom of your pan), which will flavor the rest of the stew!
- Toast your aromatics
- Using direct heat and oil to toast the broad bean sauce and the aromatics will bring out the flavors to the fullest. If you are making this for little kids or people sensitive to spice, you can add the aromatics to a cheesecloth and skip this step. It won’t be as flavorful, but it’ll get you 80% there and you won’t have to worry about picking out the peppercorns. If you want the best of both worlds, you can toast the spices in a separate pan and then add this to a cheesecloth.
FAQ – Chinese Braised Chicken (Da Pan Ji)
Q: What can I substitute for the sichuan broad bean sauce?
A: If you don’t have the broad bean sauce or doubanjiang, try using a chili oil or chili garlic sauce. The flavor will be slightly different, but it will still be delicious.
Q: Can I use bone-in chicken instead?
A: Absolutely! Bone-in chicken work in this recipe really well. If using bone-in chicken, cook the chicken for 15 minutes in the broth or water before adding in the potatoes, and follow the rest of the recipe.
Q: Is this spicy? How can I make this kid-friendly?
A: This dish is relatively mild. I’ve found that most kids can eat this without a problem. If you want to be extra cautious, you can either omit the Sichuan peppercorns, or tie them in a cheesecloth so no one accidentally eats one.
Step by Step Instructions:
1. Cube the chicken thighs into 1” pieces.
2. Season the cubed chicken in a large bowl with 1.5 tsp salt, black pepper, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, and 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. Let this marinate while you prepare the other ingredients.
3. Prepare the vegetables and aromatics – chop the bell peppers into 1” pieces, thinly slice the carrots, and eighth the potatoes (quarter first, then cut each quarter in half). Thinly slice the scallions to use for garnish as well.
4. Smash the garlic, slice the ginger, and place all the remaining spices on a plate or bowl.
5. Heat a large pot on medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of neutral oil, then add the marinated chicken. Cook until one side is browned, about 3-4 minutes.
6. Give everything a stir, then add the plate of aromatics and broad bean sauce. Toast everything for 30 seconds, then add the broth and potatoes. Make sure everything is covered with liquid – if needed, you can add more water.
7. To the broth, add the light and dark soy sauces. Cook the potatoes on medium heat (do not boil them rapidly) for 10 minutes.
8. After 10 minutes or when the potatoes are tender (you can stick the tip of a knife into the potato easily), add the chopped bell peppers and carrot. Increase the heat to medium high and cook for another 3-5 minutes, reducing the heat if the pot begins to rapidly boil.
9. Taste, adjust seasoning as desired, then serve over rice or noodles.
VIDEO TUTORIAL: WILL POST HERE WHEN IT’S LIVE
PrintChinese Braised Chicken (Da Pan Ji)
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Savory, homey, and comforting, this Chinese Braised Chicken was one of the first Chinese dishes I learned to cook. It remains one of my favorites and is great over rice or noodles.
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 1.5 lbs chicken thighs, cut into 1” pieces
- 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
For the Braise:
- 4 small gold potatoes
- 1 green pepper
- 1 red pepper
- 2 carrots
- Scallions
- Neutral oil
- 2 tablespoons broad bean sauce (doubanjang)
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 6 slices of ginger
- 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
- 6 Whole dried chilis
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 star anise
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Instructions
- Cube the chicken thighs into 1” pieces.
- Season the cubed chicken in a large bowl with 1.5 tsp salt, black pepper, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, and 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. Let this marinate while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Prepare the vegetables and aromatics – chop the bell peppers into 1” pieces, thinly slice the carrots, and eighth the potatoes (quarter, then cut each quarter in half). Thinly slice the scallions to use for garnish as well.
- Smash the garlic, slice the ginger, and place all the remaining spices on a plate or bowl.
- Heat a large pot on medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of neutral oil, then add the marinated chicken. Cook until one side is browned, about 3-4 minutes.
- Give everything a stir, then add the plate of aromatics and broad bean sauce. Toast everything for 30 seconds, then add the broth and potatoes. Make sure everything is covered with liquid – if needed, you can add more water.
- To the broth, add the light and dark soy sauces. Cook the potatoes on medium heat (do not let them rapidly boil) for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes or when the potatoes are tender (you can stick the tip of a knife into the potato easily), add the chopped bell peppers and carrot. Increase the heat to medium high and cook for another 3-5 minutes, reducing the heat if the pot begins to rapidly boil.
- Taste, adjust seasoning as desired, then serve over rice or noodles.
Equipment
Notes
- Keep the skin on the gold potatoes
- If you’re using bone-in chicken, cook the chicken in the broth for 15 minutes before adding the potatoes.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Asian
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian
Leave a Reply