Soy Glazed Chicken Breast with Ginger-Scallion Sauce was inspired by a dish that virtually all Chinese people have enjoyed at one point or another, poached chicken or bai qie ji.
But it is an inevitable truth that at some point, you are going to want to eat bai qie ji without having to poach a WHOLE chicken. When I’m stuck inside (arctic blast, anyone?) or just too lazy to put on real pants and go out to a restaurant, I’ve tried making the dish by poaching chicken breasts, and drizzling soy sauce and ginger-scallion oil over the top. It’s satisfying–not to mention healthy–but it’s not quiiiiite right. And I definitely wanted to–as ol’ Emeril would say–“kick it up a notch!”
I decided to turn poached chicken on its head by making a soy sauce glaze, pan searing the chicken, and then drizzling it with the ginger scallion oil. The result was a highly satisfying alternative–way easier than wrangling a whole chicken, and most definitely college-student-friendly. And in the summertime, you can switch from pan seared chicken breast to grilled chicken breast and bring it to a whole new level!
Of course, feel free to take the recipe for the ginger scallion sauce and use it on the traditional poached chicken recipe!
- 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon dark mushroom soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
- 2 chicken breasts, each breast cut in half lengthwise
- 2 tablespoons oil
For the Scallion Ginger Oil:
Mix the soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, dark soy sauce, and hoisin sauce in a bowl. Add the chicken breasts and let marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
Now make the scallion ginger oil. Cut the scallions in half lengthwise and then slice roughly. Mince the ginger. You can also run it through a Microplane or grater. I did half and half so as to improve the texture of the sauce. Heat 1/3 cup oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the ginger and immediately turn the heat down to low. Cook for 5-10 minutes.
Add the scallion and cook for another minute. Turn off the heat and season with salt. Set aside.
Heat a skillet or griddle over medium-high heat and drizzle on a couple tablespoons of oil. Lay the chicken breasts evenly in the pan. Let sear for 4-5 minutes per side, until cooked through. If you like, you can use the leftover marinade to brush the chicken breasts as they cook. But this step isn’t strictly necessary.
When the chicken is cooked through, plate and spoon the ginger scallion sauce over the top. Serve with rice or noodles with some green veggies on the side and you’ve got an easy, healthy, and satisfying weeknight Chinese dinner!
- ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon dark mushroom soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
- 4 chicken breast pieces or 2 full chicken breasts cut in half
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2-3 scallion stalks, white and green parts
- 1 3-inch piece of ginger
- ⅓ cup oil
- salt to taste
- Mix the soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, dark soy sauce, and hoisin sauce in a bowl. Add the chicken breasts and let marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
- Now make the scallion ginger oil. Cut the scallions in half lengthwise and then slice roughly. Mince the ginger. You can also run it through a Microplane or grater. I did half and half so as to improve the texture of the sauce. Heat ⅓ cup oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the ginger and immediately turn the heat down to low. Cook for 5-10 minutes. Add the scallion and cook for another minute. Turn off the heat and season with salt. Set aside.
- Heat a skillet or griddle over medium-high heat and drizzle on a couple tablespoons of oil. Lay the chicken breasts evenly in the pan. Let sear for 4-5 minutes per side, until cooked through. If you like, you can use the leftover marinade to brush the chicken breasts as they cook. But this step isn't strictly necessary.
- When the chicken is cooked through, plate and spoon the ginger scallion sauce over the top. Serve with rice or noodles with some green veggies on the side and you've got an easy, healthy, and satisfying weeknight Chinese dinner!
Janice L says
Hi, this recipe was awesome but how do I keep the chicken breasts from getting really charred on each side after 4 minutes and developing burnt crusts even though I kept the fire on medium heat while yours look not at all charred? Thanks!
Kathy says
The soy sauce keeps burning for some reason. Maybe because I omitted the dark soy sauce and substituted oyster for hoisin? It tastes really good other than that though!
Susan says
Hi. What kind of oil do you recommend for the scallion-ginger oil? Thanks.
Judy says
Hi Susan, you can use any light oil like vegetable oil or canola oil.
Deb says
Looks great! Word of caution – the font, although elegant, makes it very easy to mix up a three (3) and an eight (8)… maybe use something more plain for your ingredient lists? Thanks for the recipe :)
Kaitlin says
Hi Deb, we’ll look into it–maybe you could try “control +” to make your screen more magnified! I know it helps me :)
Jude says
I’m glad Russell asked as I wanted to use less oil too. I’ll experiment and see how things turn out. Maybe use a generous 1/8 cup and divide it into 3 batches. Cook one with a bit more oil, add some stock to another and leave the last as is. That way I won’t have to try this 3 different times and can choose what suits me best.
Does a larger batch of the sauce save well, Kaitlin, either just in the fridge or maybe freezer?
Thanks for any suggestions+
Jude
Kaitlin says
Hi Jude, that sounds like an excellent and very logical plan! The sauce saves very well. The oil and salt act as very effective preservatives. Fridge is fine, freezing isn’t necessary! Can’t speak for any conconction made with broth, however. Good luck and let us know how it goes!
Russell Gee says
Sounds amazing! I must try this one.
I see 1/3 cup of oil in the Ginger Scallion oil. What do you think the minimum amount of oil this dish could use and still work would be? Do you think you would still get the same result by using say 1 tablespoon of oil and the rest stock?
Thanks, Russell
Kaitlin says
Hi Russell,
Well, to be very honest with you–1 tbsp of oil and the rest stock really would turn out rather strange. It seems like quite a bit of oil, but spread across 4-6 chicken breasts (we had extra after cooking these 4 pieces of chicken shown in the picture), it’s really not bad. Plus, it’s also meant to be absorbed by white rice on the side (that’s the ideal situation).
But to reduce the amount, I would say a minimum amount of oil to use for the pretty significant amounts of ginger and scallion called for would be 1/4 cup. Maybe you could even get away with a generous 1/8 cup. In that event you’d have to be more careful of ginger sticking to your pot and burning. The consistency would also be more paste-like (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing). I’d recommend doing a little experimentation! Ginger and scallion are pretty cheap :) Let us know how it goes, and thanks for asking! :)
Russell Gee says
Thank you Kaitlin