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Hong Kong Chicken – venerated in the Eastern Cape port city but little known elsewhere

Hong Kong Chicken – venerated in the Eastern Cape port city but little known elsewhere
Anna Trapido
By Anna Trapido
19 Jul 2024
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Hong Kong Chicken is a defining, iconic dish that is a standard on all Chinese menus in the city.

I make no claims to authenticity. This recipe is an amalgam of several recipes, plus the hints and tips I received in the course of my research. There are versions with considerably more soy sauce, but they become too salty for my taste. Some make the sauce and pour it over the chicken and oven bake. The spices I was told to use approximate five-spice blend, so that is what I have used here. Read all about PE’s Hong Kong chicken.

(Serves 3 greedy and 6 normal humans)

Ingredients

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Fresh ginger (about 3 cm), finely chopped

1 dried chilli, finely chopped

1 tsp five-spice powder

1 kg chicken pieces (wings, legs, thighs all work well)

1 cup chicken stock or water   

1 cup Shaoxing wine

4 Tbsp dark soy sauce

4 Tbsp light soy sauce

2 tsp golden syrup

2 tsp white sugar

Salt and white pepper to taste

Spring onions or toasted sesame seeds to garnish

(1 cup = 250ml, 1 teaspoon = 5ml, 1 Tablespoon = 15ml)

Method


Chop the garlic and ginger very fine and then crush into a paste together with the salt.

Heat half the oil in a wok (or if wok is unavailable use a large heavy-bottomed saucepan) and brown the skin of the chicken to seal. Add the remaining oil, ginger, garlic, and red chilli into your wok over medium heat. Add the spices and mix well.  

As the aromas rise add all other ingredients. Stir to combine and dissolve the sugars, then bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Cover the wok and simmer, stirring occasionally until the chicken is cooked through, well browned and sticky (about 20 minutes). If the sauce thickens too quickly you can add a little water.

Once the chicken is cooked through, remove the lid and turn up the heat to rapidly reduce the sauce for a few minutes until it clings to the chicken and gives it a rich, dark colour. Make sure to stir the chicken during this process to prevent burning.

Sprinkle with spring onions or toasted sesame seeds and serve hot. DM

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