Description
The absolute ace of appetizers at Shanghai and Jiangzhe banquets. Tenderly boiled bone-in chicken is submerged and 'made drunk' for days in a cold marinade blending premium Shaoxing wine and seasoned broth. Creates a flawless marriage between chicken umami and the mellow aroma of aged wine.
Restaurants serving Zui Ji (Shanghai Drunken Chicken)
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On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Bone-in chicken thighs
- Shaoxing wine
- Chicken broth
- Rock sugar
- Salt
- Scallion
- Ginger
- Goji berries
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe]
- Rub salt into fresh bone-in chicken thighs. Poach gently in water with scallion, ginger, and Sichuan pepper using residual heat without boiling.
- Shock immediately in ice water to tighten the skin into a jelly-like texture.
- Strain and cool the chicken broth, mixing in salt, rock sugar, and goji berries.
- Add an equal or greater volume of premium Shaoxing wine to the cooled broth to create the Drunken Marinade.
- Submerge the chicken completely in this liquid.
- Steep in the fridge for 2-
- days to mellow the alcohol and infuse the core with aroma.
- Cleave bone-in and plate.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Premium aroma of Shaoxing wine and sweetness of chicken gelatin
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
Chicken thighs and supermarket Shaoxing wine
Pairing
Warm Shaoxing Wine / Longjing Tea
Trivia
[Trivia] 'Zui' (Drunken) is a unique Jiangnan cooking technique with variations like crab and shrimp. It is the great wisdom of the water towns, utilizing the power of alcohol to enhance preservation and umami without needing a stove.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] Served cold. The aspic trapped between the skin and meat is the most delicious part. Bite into it, and the cold, Shaoxing wine-soaked soup floods your mouth. Because the alcohol isn't boiled off, eating this actually gives you a slight buzz.
Allergen
Chicken, Soybeans, Wheat (Soy sauce)