Drunken chicken done right

FOOD & DRINK

Features
Friday, 31 October 2008 04:10
Written by Justin Fischer

Shaoxing desinzens dig rice wine so much, they ended up finding all sorts of neat things to do with it apart from guzzling. Justin Fischer reveals some of the 'ancient Chinese secrets' behind this boozed-up bird with a sweet, sherry-like flavor.

Where to try

Leting Jasmine
Letting Jasmine’s drunken chicken dons a sprig of coriander and a bundle of shredded ginger. It tastes pretty much the way it looks — dainty and delicate. What’s more, it is served without bones, so there’s no grapple factor. RMB38

Din Tai Fung
Din Tai Fung’s chicken knows how to hold its liquor. The flavor is bold and intense. Their chefs also give it an extra shot of wine before sending it out to the dining room. This is, by far, our favorite in town. RMB38

Whampoa Club
Whampoa Club Chef Jereme Leung clearly has a dry sense of humor. Drunken chicken served in a martini glass — geddit? But rather than garnishing it with olives or a twist, he tops it off with a unique rice wine granita. RMB48

Literally translated as 'drunken chicken,’ it’s only appropriate that zui ji got its start in Shaoxing, a city famous for it’s rice wine. If you’ve got that much wine at your disposal, it’s only a matter of time before you’d find other things to do with it, and we’ll say they’ve found a great alternative.

A whole chicken is poached (or sometimes steamed) with a mixture of water, Shaoxing rice wine, fresh ginger and scallions. When fully cooked it is then drained, cooled and marinated overnight in Shaoxing rice wine again, bringing new meaning to the phrase ‘stewed chicken.’

When done correctly, this cold dish is deliciously juicy and infused with the characteristically sweet, sherry-like flavor of rice wine. When you are overcome with delirium tremens for this dish, check the sidebar for three great places to get your fix.

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