Braised chestnut chicken is a comforting dish that I enjoyed eating growing up in China. When chestnuts are hard to find or not in season, we usually make the braised chicken with shiitake mushrooms. But when I saw the recipe in Belly Liu’s newly released cookbook My Shanghai: Recipes and Stories from a City on the Water, I immediately bought the ingredients and made the dish in my kitchen. Compared to the braising method my mom uses, Betty’s version requires a bit of extra love, which makes the dish even more flavorful. Once the dish is done, my kitchen smells so good and the dish makes me feel like I’m back in my mom’s kitchen again.
My Shanghai Cookbook
I’d been following Betty’s work for a few years before she released her book this March. When I received the book, it was just as beautiful as I imagined it would be. Betty’s book takes you to Shanghai through her stunning photography, anecdotes of her stories living in the US while deeply rooted with the city, and family recipes. The recipes stay authentic while sharing many tips for audiences overseas, who might not have access to seasonal produce. Beyond well-known dishes and restaurant style food, the book shares many homestyle recipes too, and I enjoy those the most. I highly recommend adding her cookbook to your collection, since it serves both as a beautiful coffee table book and as a book you’d enjoy cooking from, a rather rare combination.
Ingredients for braised chestnut chicken
Most of the ingredients for braised chestnut chicken are easy to acquire and you probably already have them in your Chinese pantry.
Chestnut
The single item in this recipe that’s quite rare is the chestnut. It’s a seasonal product you will see in Chinatown or Asian markets during fall. If you don’t have access to the fresh ones, you will need to use the frozen, vacuum packed, or canned type. When the fresh ones are not available, my favorite version is the frozen type. They are quite close to the fresh ones if prepared properly. You can use the vacuum packed or canned chestnuts as well. But they might come pre-seasoned and might fall apart more easily during braising.
Chicken
To make the best braised chestnut chicken, you will have to use bone-in skin-on chicken chopped into bite-sized pieces. When you use bite-sized bone-in pieces, the meat will cook faster while staying juicy, the bones will release flavor into the broth, and the fat from the skin will be emulsified in the broth to make it sticky and extra rich. In China, a whole chicken is usually used for this dish. But in the US, it’s easier to use chicken leg quarters, each chopped into four pieces. It’s very easy to chop bone-in chicken with a cleaver if you have one. But if you only have a chef’s knife, it’s totally fine as well.
Cut along the joint to separate the thigh and leg Cut the thigh and leg further into four pieces
If your knife is on the light side and you think it might be impossible to hack the bone in one motion, do not swing your knife from the top many times trying to cut through at one point. Instead, cut through the meat first, then use your other hand to hold the chicken piece, then swing the knife and chicken piece at the same time, a few inches from the cutting board. This way, you can cut through the bone easily without messing up the meat.
Rock sugar
Sometimes the rock sugar might come in the form of giant crystals. In this case, you will need to use a mortar and pestle to grind it into smaller pieces. Rock sugar is less sweet than regular sugar. If you use regular sugar to replace rock sugar, you should use a smaller amount.
Dried shiitake mushrooms
It takes a bit of time to soak them but doing so adds tons of flavor to the broth. I highly recommend using the dried ones because they taste richer than fresh mushrooms used this way.
Cooking process
How to serve
I love to serve braised chestnut chicken over steamed rice, along with some green vegetables and a simple soup. Here are some dishes that go well with it:
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Lilja Walter is a part of the Omnivore’s Cookbook team and worked closely with Maggie to develop and test this recipe.
