Every Sunday evening, when I was small, my family would get into the car and head over to our favorite Chinese restaurant about 2 miles from the house. My Dad would park in back and we would all troop through the screen door into the kitchen, where we would be unfailingly greeted by Benny, the chef and owner. The restaurant was called Ho Sai Gai – which I learned decades later, when I went to work in a Chinese restaurant (more about that in another post), was a hilarious Cantonese phrase that more or less translates “may money fly into your house.”

We’d all sit down at a big round table and Benny would come out of the kitchen to talk to my Dad and make suggestions about what we’d eat. Our favorites were the special egg rolls (spring rolls, basically), paper-wrapped chicken if they had it, Lobster Cantonese and beef in oyster sauce. But the paper-wrapped chicken was only available on certain Sundays because its preparation was laborious.

Many years later, I created this grilled chicken in homage to my beloved paper-wrapped chicken — which, I came to find out, was nuggets of marinated chicken breast wrapped up in parchment and thrown into a wok of hot oil. As a child, of course, I loved to peel away the sticky wrapper and pop the succulent soy-kissed meat into my mouth.

This more modern version uses any favorite chicken parts — recently, I used thighs, drumsticks and skinned, boned breasts — cooked on the barbecue, under the broiler or in the oven. The chicken can be served hot or at room temperature, works well for a picnic or a buffet, and for children and adults.

Soy-Marinated Chicken
6 to 8 servings

3 medium garlic cloves
1 chunk (about 1-1/2 inches) fresh ginger, peeled
1/3 cup firmly packed cilantro leaves
4 medium scallions, roots removed
¾ cup all-purpose soy sauce
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
¼ cup chicken stock
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons Chinese red vinegar, sherry or red-wine vinegar
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1/3 cup dry sherry or Shaoshing wine
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
1/3 cup sugar
4 pounds chicken parts (or 2 frying chickens cut into serving pieces)
Chopped cilantro, for garnish

To Marinate

Mince the garlic, ginger and cilantro and coarsely chop the scallions. Transfer ingredients to an airtight container with tight-fitting lid. Stir in the soy sauce, dark soy, chicken stock, vegetable oil, vinegar, sesame oil, sherry, pepper and sugar until well mixed.

Add chicken, over and refrigerate overnight, or as long as 2 days, turning once.

To Cook

At cooking time, remove chicken from the marinade and pat the pieces dry with paper towels. Cook on a medium-hot grill until juices run clear, usually 20 to 25 minutes. Alternately, chicken can be broiled or baked at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Garnish with cilantro before serving.

Notes from Moi

Basic Chinese condiments – When I first started making this recipe I had to go to Chinatown for ingredients. Today, everything is available at the grocery store. If kept airtight, these sauces will be good for longer than I care to admit. I always have all-purpose soy and sesame oil in the house. Dark soy is more specialized since it’s concentrated and saltier but it keeps indefinitely. The same is true of Chinese red vinegar – the closest substitute would be sherry wine vinegar.

Who hates cilantro? – Some people don’t care for fresh coriander and complain about the soapy taste. It’s a common ingredient in several Southeast Asian cuisines and I happen to love it. If you don’t, substitute parsley or fresh chives (or just forget about it).

Can the chicken be done ahead? – Beautifully! It can be cooked and refrigerated overnight then reheated the next day. It’s fairly indestructible (unless you overcook it or burn it on the grill).

My kids only eat boneless white meat – No problem, but since that cooks more quickly than dark meat such as thighs or drumsticks, count on 18 minutes or so, if boneless.

What happens to the marinade? – In the past, I threw the marinade out under the theory that it had raw chicken juices in there and couldn’t be used. Last week, I tried something new: I simmered the marinade down to about 1-1/4 cups, skimming as it reduced. Then I dissolved some cornstarch in cold water (cold water is a must) and stirred some in to thicken it to a glaze for the chicken. Maybe you can spot some of the dark blobs on the pieces because I used too much cornstarch (and I confess I didn’t measure). So, start with 1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water. Once you add the dissolved cornstarch, the marinade needs to come to a boil to thicken properly. Mine was a gluey mess but I spread it on, glazing  the cooked chicken pieces for an extra layer of flavor. This is strictly an extra step but I definitely would make the same mess again (and measure more carefully next time).

What does it go with? – I serve this with Mid-Summer Rice Salad and Thai-Taste Cole Slaw.

This recipe also appeared in Jane F’s award winning cookbook Dinner Party.

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Tags: Chinese-style barbecued chicken, soy-marinated chicken