Soy Sauce Glaze Chicken

These days, while I’m home in my kitchen, I’m always thinking about what sauce will leave my two sauce-lovin’ boys asking for more. 

Which brings me to my latest creation: Soy sauce glaze chicken! When I made this dish, the only way I could describe it is that it is a delicious combination of soy sauce and sweet rock candy. It is slowly simmered with star anise and cinnamon to create a beautiful decadent gooey glaze that is savory with a slight tinge of sweetness that truly perfectly complements the flavor of the chicken. And the best part? It takes only 20 minutes to make! This dish is absolutely perfect for a quick and satisfying 30 minute lunch break!

NOTES

For this particular dish, I love using chicken legs because chicken legs are juicy, tender, and most importantly, forgiving. Even if it was over cooked, it’d still taste amazing! Great for those that are afraid of dry chicken.

To achieve the perfectly juicy cook on the chicken, I first brown the chicken in the pan, which helps close up the chicken so that the juices are trapped in the chicken legs. After that, I deglaze the pan with the soy sauce seasoning, which helps cook the chicken. After that, I simmer the sauce until it’s nice and thick. After the chicken legs are about 90 percent cooked, I then baste the legs with the sauce so that the sauce penetrates the chicken legs for even deeper flavor. 

Ingredients

• 1 pack of chicken legs (5 drumsticks)
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 1 tsp oil (marinade)
• ⅓ tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 star anise (⅓ tsp of star anise powder)
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup rock sugar
• 1 tbsp oil

Instructions

1. Rinse chicken in cold water and pat down dry with paper towels. Marinate the chicken legs in salt, pepper, and 1 tsp of oil. 
2. Heat pan up to medium heat. Once the pan is warm, add in 1 tbsp of oil to coat the pan. When the pan is hot, add in chicken legs and brown on all sides for a few minutes.
3. Combine soy sauce, water, and cinnamon in a bowl. Add into pan along with star anise and rock sugar
4. Put a cover on the pan and cook for about 7 minutes until legs are cooked. Reduce heat to medium low. 
5. Uncover the lid and slightly tilt the pan to start basting the chicken legs with the sauce until the sauce is thickened. Once the sauce is thickened to your desired thickness, turn off the heat and serve! 

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