I came up with this Chinese Braised Chicken w/ Mushrooms dish after visiting the Jade Temple (玉佛寺) in Shanghai. The temple got its name from the two jade buddhas that “live” there, each carved from a complete piece of jade and “invited” from Myanmar in the late 1800s.
If you find yourself in Shanghai, you have to go there.
Reason 1:
You’ll get the experience of seeing a working buddhist temple.
Reason 2?
Noodles.
After you pay a visit to both buddhas, stop at Jade Temple’s kitchen, where they crank out cheap vegetarian dishes. They’re most well-known for their noodle soups. Order a bowl of their Braised Double Mushroom Noodle Soup and you won’t be sorry. Kaitlin gets weekly cravings for it. Last summer, she got noodle fever and made us all get on a 5-hour high speed train from Beijing to Shanghai for that bowl of noodle soup. That’s how good it is!
Here is their address and phone number: 玉佛寺 / 上海 普陀区 江宁路999号/ 02162665596. Just copy it and give it to the taxi driver!
So, inspired by the braised mushrooms that top those noodles, I made this Chinese braised chicken with mushrooms.
Recipe Instructions
Heat the 2 tablespoons oil in your wok over medium heat. Add the ginger and let it cook for about a minute until fragrant. Then turn up the heat to high and add the chicken. Keep stirring until the chicken is browned, and add the soaked dried shiitake mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms. Keep stirring for another couple minutes.
Then add Shaoxing wine, sugar, soy sauce, and dark soy sauce; mix everything well. Lastly, add 1 to 1 ¼ cup of the water you used to soak the mushrooms. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover the wok, and simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and gooey.
Make sure to stir occasionally, and remember to keep the heat low and add more water if you like a lot of sauce. Stir in the scallions, and you’re done!
Serve your Chinese Braised Chicken with Mushrooms with lots of rice and a green vegetable!
Chinese Braised Chicken with Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 3 slices ginger (julienned)
- 1 ¼ lbs chicken drumettes (570g)
- 10 large dried shiitake mushrooms (rinsed and soaked in 2 cups of warm water for 2-4 hours until soft. Reserve soaking liquid! If using smaller mushrooms, use 15-20)
- ¾ cup dried wood ear mushrooms (rinsed and soaked)
- ¼ cup Shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 cup water from soaking the mushrooms
- 1 scallion (sliced)
Instructions
- Heat the 2 tablespoons oil in your wok over medium heat. Add the ginger and let it cook for about a minute until fragrant. Then turn up the heat to high and add the chicken. Keep stirring until the chicken is browned, and add the soaked shiitake and wood ear mushrooms. Keep stirring for another couple minutes.
- Then add cooking wine, sugar, soy sauce, and dark soy sauce; mix everything well. Lastly, add 1 to 1 ¼ cup of the water you used to soak the mushrooms. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover the wok, and simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and gooey. Make sure to stir occasionally, and remember to keep the heat low and add more water if you like a lot of sauce.
- Finally, stir in the scallions until they're wilted. Serve!
Would Michiu rice wine work as a substitute for the Shaoxing variety?
Depends on the brand. Michiu rice wine can be very sweet. You can use it, but adjust the sugar level.
Want to cook this tonight for my Boss’s dinner,, im sure they’ll like it.
Hi Marieglenn, I agree. It’s a relatively easy recipe and definitely is delicious home-cooked comfort food.