Braised chestnut chicken is a classic Chinese dish that is both flavorful and comforting. The combination of tender chicken, sweet chestnuts, and savory sauce makes it a favorite among many. While the dish may seem intimidating to make at home, it is actually quite simple and can be achieved with just a few basic ingredients and a little bit of time. In this article, we will guide you through the steps of making braised chestnut chicken, ensuring perfect results every time. We will provide detailed instructions, tips, and tricks to help you create a delicious and authentic version of this timeless dish.
Here are our top 7 tried and tested recipes!
BRAISED CHICKEN WITH CHESTNUT
Classic Chinese style braised chicken with chestnut- a yummy and healthy nut popular in Mainland China.
Provided by Elaine
Categories Main Course
Time 1h10m
Number Of Ingredients 16
Steps:
- Cut the chicken into small chunks and then cook in boiling water for around 30 seconds to remove the impurities. And then transfer out and drain.
- Marinate the chicken with around 2 tablespoons soy sauce for around 15 minutes. Drain before frying.
- Heat 2 tablespoons cooking oil in a pan or wok until really hot. Add chicken chunks in. Stay for around 1 minute until brown on one side and fragrant. And then turn them over to fry the other side.
- Move them to one side of the wok; add garlic, ginger, scallion and red onion until aroma. Mix well. Pour around 2 cups of hot water to soak the chicken chunks completely. Slow the fire to simmer for around 10 minutes. Add all the other sauce ingredients except sesame oil
- Add chestnuts in and continue simmer until the chestnuts are well cooked (soft to your own preference). Turn up the fire to thicken the sauce. When the sauce is well thickened, add sesame oil. Transfer to serving plate and garnish with chopped green onion before serving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 1355 kcal, Carbohydrate 38 g, Protein 91 g, Fat 90 g, SaturatedFat 21 g, Cholesterol 340 mg, Sodium 3430 mg, Sugar 1 g, ServingSize 1 serving
BRAISED CHICKEN WITH SMOKED HAM, CHESTNUTS, AND GINGER
Ginger and Shaoxing rice wine give a deep, round intensity to chicken, turning it into something sumptuous. The salty savor of country ham and chewy, dense chestnuts help make each forkful a hit.
Provided by Andrea Reusing
Categories Chicken Ginger Braise Marinate Dinner Lunar New Year Ham Chestnut Party Gourmet Dairy Free Peanut Free
Yield Makes 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 28
Steps:
- Marinate chicken 1 day ahead:
- Bring water to a simmer in a small saucepan, then stir in mushrooms and simmer 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature, then strain through a sieve into a large bowl. Discard stems, then chill mushroom caps, covered, until ready to braise chicken. Stir remaining marinade ingredients into mushroom liquid, then add chicken and marinate, chilled, stirring occasionally, 1 day.
- Brown chicken in 3 batches and make sauce:
- Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry (discard marinade).
- Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Just before browning each batch of chicken, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Brown, skin side down first, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
- Pour off all but 1 tablespoon oil from skillet, then reduce heat to medium-low and sauté ginger, stirring, 1 minute (do not brown). Add white wine and Shaoxing and boil until reduced by three fourths, about 5 minutes. Add broth, 1 1/2 cups water, sugar, soy sauce, white pepper, and remaining 2 teaspoons kosher salt and bring to a simmer.
- Combine cornstarch and remaining 2 tablespoons cold water and whisk into sauce, then boil 1 minute.
- Braise chicken:
- Transfer chicken, skin side up, to a 6-to 8-quart heavy pot (place white meat on top). Add sauce, chestnuts, and reserved mushroom caps. Gently simmer, covered, until chicken is just cooked through, 15 to 25 minutes.
- Cut breasts in half and return to pot. Add ham. Gently simmer 3 minutes more.
BRAISED CHESTNUT CHICKEN
Steps:
- Put mushrooms in a bowl, and cover with boiling water. Pour 1/16 inch of oil in a large deep skillet or casserole, preferably nonstick, and place over medium heat. Cut an "X" in flat side of each chestnut, and add them to oil. Cook, shaking pan occasionally, until skins loosen, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels; when cool, peel.
- While chestnuts cool, drain all but about 2 tablespoons oil from skillet. With heat on medium, add scallions and ginger and cook, stirring once or twice, for about 30 seconds. Reserve about 1/2 cup of mushroom soaking liquid, then drain mushrooms and add to pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly brown, about 2 minutes. Remove mixture with a slotted spoon, and reserve.
- Put chicken pieces in skillet skin-side down. Brown well on all sides, then add mushroom mixture to pan, along with soy sauce, mushroom-soaking liquid and chestnuts. Stir well, cover, and turn heat to low. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, adding water if mixture dries out; dish is done when chicken and chestnuts are tender and sauce is thickened slightly. Serve hot, with rice.
BRAISED CHESTNUTS
Steps:
- Heat a large heavy saucepan. Add the oil, butter, and chopped onions. When onions turn slightly brown, deglaze with port wine. Add thyme, chestnuts, chicken stock, and a little salt and pepper. Cover and cook until chestnuts are tender and the chestnuts have absorbed most of the liquid.
- Serve as whole braised chestnuts or pass through a ricer and make a wonderful chestnut puree.
CHINESE BRAISED CHICKEN AND CHESTNUTS
From one of my Chinese cookbooks. It's in Chinese, so some measurements are a little general. It's pretty simple, and what can be better than chicken and ginger on a cold day?
Provided by Nolita_Food
Categories Stew
Time 40m
Yield 2 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Boil chestnuts, remove skins.
- Saute onions and ginger in oil, add chicken.
- Add soy sauce, salt, sugar, wine and water, braise over medium heat till half done (about 15 minutes).
- Add chestnuts, continue to braise until done.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 848.6, Fat 38.8, SaturatedFat 10.6, Cholesterol 172.5, Sodium 2007.1, Carbohydrate 72.1, Fiber 0.6, Sugar 3.9, Protein 47.9
BRAISED CHESTNUT CHICKEN
This popular winter stew is often served on special occasions, but I think its very nature makes an occasion special. Chestnuts, so rarely used in cooking here, add a rich and subtle sweetness to the dish. Fresh chestnuts are best, but frozen chestnuts are almost as good, and Asian markets carry dried chestnuts that are suitable as well. Forget canned chestnuts, though-they're too soft to hold up to the long cooking. Like most braises, this is even better the second day, so feel free to make it in advance.
Yield makes 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Put the mushrooms in a bowl or measuring cup and cover with boiling water. Let sit until soft, 20 to 30 minutes. Put the oil in a large, deep skillet or flameproof casserole, preferably nonstick, over medium-high heat. A minute later, add the scallions and ginger and cook, stirring once or twice, for about 30 seconds. Add the drained mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms and spices with a slotted spoon to a plate and set aside.
- Put the chicken pieces in the skillet, skin side down, and brown well, rotating and turning the pieces as necessary, 10 to 15 minutes. Return the mushrooms and spices to the pan along with the soy sauce, wine, and sugar.
- Add enough water just to cover the chicken, about 2 cups, and then the chestnuts. Stir well, cover, and turn the heat to low. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the chicken and chestnuts are tender.
- If the sauce has not thickened to a stewlike consistency, raise the heat and cook off some of the liquid as necessary. Serve hot with rice or cover and refrigerate overnight before reheating (it may be necessary to add a little water to thin the sauce).
BRAISED CHICKEN WITH GINGER AND CHESTNUTS
Gish Jen, the author of "Mona in the Promised Land," shared this recipe with The Times in the late 1990s. Growing up in Scarsdale, N.Y., she was "suspicious" of her mother's cooking. "I mean, I never ate the kind of Chinese food they serve in restaurants." But she came to love her mother's family-style Shanghai cooking. This dish, Peace and Safety In All Seasons, is part of her family's traditional Chinese New Year feast along with Step-by-Step Higher (rice and cabbage), Yearly Surplus (fried sea bass) and High Achievement (pork and hard-boiled eggs). To derive the maximum benefit from the feast, the author said, you have to eat absolutely everything - the sweet and the sour.
Provided by Molly O'Neill
Categories dinner, main course
Time 5h15m
Yield 4 to 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- If using dried chestnuts, soften for 4 hours in warm water and then simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, cool and set aside. If using frozen, blanch for 3 minutes, drain, cool and set aside.
- In a wok or heavy-bottomed casserole, warm the oil over high heat. When sizzling, add the ginger and scallions and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chicken and stir to make sure that each piece is cooked until consistently golden.
- Add the soy sauce, the sherry, the sugar, and the salt and toss chicken pieces to coat evenly, for 2 minutes. Add the water, the star anise and the softened chestnuts. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste, adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper and serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 542, UnsaturatedFat 23 grams, Carbohydrate 17 grams, Fat 34 grams, Fiber 1 gram, Protein 38 grams, SaturatedFat 9 grams, Sodium 919 milligrams, Sugar 3 grams, TransFat 0 grams
Tips:
- To save time, use pre-cooked or canned chestnuts. If using dried chestnuts, soak them in water overnight before cooking.
- Be sure to brown the chicken well before adding the other ingredients. This will help to develop flavor and prevent the chicken from becoming dry.
- Use a heavy pot or Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid. This will help to create a moist cooking environment and prevent the chicken from drying out.
- Simmer the chicken for at least 30 minutes, or until it is cooked through. Check the internal temperature of the chicken with a meat thermometer to ensure that it has reached 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Serve the chicken over rice or noodles, or with a side of vegetables.
Conclusion:
Braised chestnut chicken is a delicious and easy-to-make dish that is perfect for a weeknight meal. The chicken is tender and flavorful, and the chestnuts add a unique and nutty flavor. This dish is sure to be a hit with your family and friends.
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