At the table
Take one piece at a time, separate the meat from the bone and check for small bone fragments. Let hot pieces cool before eating.
Usually served with bones. Soy sauce contains soy and may contain wheat; cooking wine may also be used. Confirm the seasoning if you have allergies or avoid alcohol.
Whole chicken or leg portions can be used. Ginger, scallion and star anise flavour one preparation; rose-flavoured wine, Shaoxing wine or a combination may be added.
The meat is gently cooked and tender; share small pieces after checking carefully for bones and letting them cool.
Recipes vary. Ask the restaurant about ingredients and serving before you order.
GET TO KNOW THE DISH
What goes into it?
Explore some key ingredients below. Preparations may use additional seasonings and ingredients.
Whole chicken or leg portions can be used. Ginger, scallion and star anise flavour one preparation; rose-flavoured wine, Shaoxing wine or a combination may be added.
Typical ingredients
In some versions
Recipes vary by restaurant.
How does it taste?
Savoury soy sauce balanced with sweetness and aromatic spices.
- Chili heat
- Texture
- Tender meat with moist skin.
- How it’s made
- Simmer chicken gently in seasoned soy sauce broth, let it finish cooking in the hot liquid, then cut into pieces.
Whole chicken or leg portions can be used. Ginger, scallion and star anise flavour one preparation; rose-flavoured wine, Shaoxing wine or a combination may be added.
A CONNECTION TO PLACE
Origin & regional roots
Associated with Guangdong.
About this regional connection
Guangdong: Guangdong association; no exclusive origin claim.
Ask if they have it first
请问你们有豉油鸡吗？
Do you have this item?
A LITTLE SOMETHING TO READ
Story & history
A Shitan lineage of soy-sauce chicken
In Qingxin District, Qingyuan, one local craft for soy-sauce chicken is rooted in Shitan. A local story links this version to a Guangzhou restaurant cook in the early 20th century, who is said to have adapted a Jiangsu-style method; cooks in Shitan later made it their own with Qingyuan chicken. Qingxin listed Shitan soy-sauce-chicken making as a district-level intangible cultural heritage project in 2022.