Smoked Chicken Thighs Chinese

Smoked Chicken Chinese is a delicacy that blends traditional smoking techniques with modern culinary methods. The chicken is tender and juicy, infused with the unique aroma of tea, offering a memorable taste experience. This dish not only satisfies the palate but also represents an exploration and continuation of traditional culinary culture.

4 Reviews
4 Comments
POSTED:02/08/2024
Level:Medium
Yield:1-2 servings
Total:55 min
(includes chilling time)
Active:5 min

Food enthusiasts! Today, I'm excited to introduce you to a super special delicacy — Smoked Chicken Chinese. This dish is bursting with aroma that will make your mouth water just from the scent! Don't worry, I'll walk you through this delicious dish step by step.


1.What is Smoked Chicken Chinese?

Smoked Chicken Chinese is a traditional Chinese food with a long history and unique production techniques. Its preparation typically involves shaping, boiling, and smoking processes, aimed at creating a dish that is brightly colored, fragrant, tender, and perfectly seasoned. Beyond being a culinary delight, Smoked Chicken Chinese carries rich cultural significance, symbolizing auspiciousness, victory, and prosperity. As a result, it holds a special place in important occasions such as festivals, celebrations, and rituals.


2.What smoking ingredients are needed?

Rice: Primarily used to absorb excess flavors, ensuring the chicken remains dry and flavorful.

Black tea leaves and brown sugar: These are the main ingredients used to generate smoke. When burned or heated, they release aromatic smoke that flavors the chicken as it absorbs these aromas.

You can find these ingredients at Asian supermarkets or online. Typically, their ratio is 2 parts rice to 1 part black tea leaves to 4 parts brown sugar.


3.What are the tools needed?

When making Smoked Chicken Chinese, you don't need to use a special smoker. Here's a list of the necessary equipment:

You'll need a large frying pan with a perfectly fitting lid. Note that cookware with non-stick coating is not suitable for this recipe, as they are not designed for very high temperatures.

A steaming rack that fits well inside the frying pan, making it easy to place the chicken legs on top.

Frying pans and steaming racks are commonly found in Chinese/Asian stores and major online shopping platforms. If you're interested in Chinese cuisine, I highly recommend purchasing these two tools. They can help you replicate many delicious Chinese dishes at home.


4.What kind of chicken to choose?

The selection of chicken is crucial in the process of making Smoked Chicken Chinese. Typically, you would choose tender chicken such as young chicken or spring chicken. You can use a whole chicken, half chicken, or chicken legs for this recipe. For this particular recipe, I mainly choose fresh chicken legs.


5.What are the main processes?

Marinating: Start by marinating the chicken legs with ginger slices, scallion slices, Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, and other seasonings.

Steaming: Place the marinated chicken legs in a steamer and steam for a period of time.

Smoking: Place smoking ingredients on aluminum foil, then smoke the chicken legs for a period of time.

The process of making Chinese smoked chicken isn't complicated. As long as you follow the steps, the flavor will turn out great.


6.How to tell if the chicken legs are cooked?

If you have a clean thermometer, insert it into the thickest part of the chicken leg. When the temperature reaches 74 degrees Celsius (165 degrees Fahrenheit), the chicken leg is fully cooked. If you don't have a thermometer, you can use a chopstick to poke the thickest part of the chicken leg. If the chopstick can easily pierce through and the juices run clear, the chicken leg is cooked through.


With these tips in hand, I believe everyone can quickly make an authentic Smoked Chicken Chinese. You can also adjust the seasoning amounts and experiment with different ingredients according to your taste preferences. Next, let's get started together!

INGREDIENTS

MAIN INGREDIENTS

  • 500g chicken legs

ACCESSORIES

  • 5g ginger
  • 15g scallions (green onions)

SEASONINGS

  • 3g pepper salt
  • 10g Shaoxing wine (Chinese cooking wine)
  • 25g light soy sauce
  • 10g sesame oil
  • 40g rice
  • 20g black tea leaves
  • 80g brown sugar

DIRECTIONS

STEP 1

Prepare all ingredients,Chop 5g of ginger and 15g of scallions. Place 500g of chicken legs in a resealable bag, add the chopped ginger and scallions. Then, add 3g of pepper salt, 10g of Shaoxing wine, and 25g of light soy sauce. Squeeze out the air, seal the bag, and massage the ingredients to mix well. Refrigerate overnight for marination.

Tip:

I prepared this step in advance, so it's not included in the total preparation time. If you haven't prepared in advance, I recommend marinating for at least 2 hours.

Marinate chicken legs with ginger, scallions, seasonings, refrigerate overnight. Prep tip included.

STEP 2

After marinating, arrange the chicken legs neatly and stretch the chicken skin. Transfer them to a plate and steam in a boiling steamer for 20 minutes.

Tip:

After steaming, remove the chicken legs from the plate and let the surface of the chicken skin air dry. Wet chicken skin is difficult to brown.

Marinate, steam chicken legs for 20 minutes; dry skin before browning.

STEP 3

Mix 40g of rice, 20g of black tea leaves, and 80g of brown sugar evenly. Place a piece of aluminum foil in a pot, spread out the smoking mixture on the foil.

Mix rice, black tea leaves, and brown sugar, spread on foil in pot for smoking.

STEP 4

Place the air-dried chicken legs directly on the steaming rack. Position the steaming rack over the smoking mixture on the foil, then cover the pot. Heat over medium-low heat and smoke for 10 minutes.

Smoke air-dried chicken legs over smoking mixture for 10 minutes.

STEP 5

After turning off the heat, do not open the lid immediately. Let the chicken legs sit covered for another 5 to 10 minutes to finish smoking. Once done, brush the surface of the chicken legs with a layer of sesame oil before serving.

Let chicken legs sit covered after smoking, then brush with sesame oil before serving.

Recipe analyzer

  • Recipes: Smoked Chicken Thighs Chinese
  • Main Ingredients:3
  • Servings per recipe:1
  • Servings size:520 g
Nutritional Summary of Recipe
Amount per 520 g= 1 serving(s)
  • Energy (calories):609 kcal
    28%
  • Protein:96.17 g
    176%
  • Fat:21.17 g Why gray?
    44%
  • Carbohydrates:1.99 g
    1%
Calorie breakdown
  • Protein: 67%
    410 kcal
  • Fat: 31%
    191 kcal
  • Carbohydrates: 1%
    7 kcal
The chart shows the percentage of calories intake (energy) coming from the respective macronutrients (fats, protein and carbohydrates).
Omega 6 : Omega 3
1:1
20:1
8:1
Both fatty acids are essential, but nowadays the majority of western diets include excessive amounts of Omega 6 acid.

The ratio shows whether the proportion of both fatty acids in your diet is optimal. Red color means too much of Omega 6 or too little of Omega 3. The data are rounded off and approximate.

4 REVIEWS

Review
Your rating:
YumYumDomainOctober 09, 2024

This recipe makes the chicken thighs incredibly flavorful, with a rich smoky taste.
BiteBurstSeptember 25, 2024

The smoked chicken thighs are absolutely delicious—crispy on the outside and tender inside!
GourmetGaloreTreatsSeptember 14, 2024

If I don’t have a smoker, can I use other methods to smoke the chicken thighs?
reply:
September 16, 2024
You can use an oven or a stovetop smoking box, though the flavor might be slightly different.
adamAugust 12, 2024

I love smoked chicken, and this recipe is simple, but it comes out with a similar texture to the restaurant, and I'm happy with it!
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