Tea-Soaked Drunken Chicken With Cilantro-Scallion Oil
- Total Time
- 35 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 1½cups short-grain brown rice
- 2cups Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 5unflavored black tea bags (such as English breakfast)
- 3tablespoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
- 3tablespoons turbinado sugar
- 1(5-inch) piece ginger, scrubbed and thinly sliced
- 1tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 4boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about ½ pound each)
- ½cup coarsely chopped cilantro, leaves and tender stems
- ½cup coarsely chopped scallions
- ½cup safflower or other neutral oil
- 1tablespoon lime juice
- Black pepper
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
932 calories; 35 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 20 grams monounsaturated fat; 9 grams polyunsaturated fat; 73 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 57 grams protein; 1147 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
In a medium saucepan, combine rice and 2¼ cups water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer gently over low heat until all of the liquid is absorbed, 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let stand covered for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
- Step 2
As rice cooks, combine wine, tea bags, salt, sugar, ginger, peppercorns and 2 cups of water in another medium saucepan, and mix well. Add chicken (make sure it is completely submerged) and bring to a boil. Cover, turn off the heat and let stand until cooked through, about 15 minutes (poaching time may vary by a few minutes if chicken breast is smaller or larger than ½ pound). Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest for at least 5 minutes. Discard the poaching liquid.
- Step 3
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine cilantro, scallions, oil and lime juice and season with salt and pepper. Mix well.
- Step 4
Slice chicken and serve with brown rice and cilantro-scallion oil.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
GGD
I'm worried about this recipe being tagged as gluten-free. I have celiac disease and do a lot of Chinese cooking, but shaoxing wine is almost never gluten-free. It typically contains wheat added to the rice wine. Even though some may insist fermentation breaks down gluten, it still causes reactions in those with celiac or a gluten intolerance, and listing this as a gluten-free recipe is dangerously misleading for those who may not know better. (Dry sherry, though, is usually gluten-free.)
Jnidawg
I ended up with dry, odd-color hunks of chicken that tasted weird, and an oil that didn’t add much. Won’t be making this again.
John Wynn
The chicken was much more flavourful when soaked in the (strained) broth overnight, even more so after a couple of days. The scallion-cilantro oil was a delicious finishing touch. I opted for soba noodles cooked in the broth in place of the rice. I will definitely make this again.
JVM
The note above about the chicken’s dryness also made me wonder: why does it ask for boneless, skinless chicken? The recipe is obviously an interpretation of Hainanese chicken, where the chicken skin and the slow poaching of the bird (with heat turned off) helps to ensure succulent meat. Using a whole bird (as opposed to boneless skinless chicken breasts) helps guarantee juiciness. Maybe use bone-in, skin-on breasts?
Kimi Wei
The errors in this recipe are: 1/ the liquid needs to be boiled first before introducing chicken. Then bring covered pot back to rapid boil and turn off to poach for 15 minutes and 2/ Cook bone-in chicken breasts.
DGL
Excellent! The whole family loved it! I would just add a bit of salt. This is a quick and easy week night dinner!
Sabrina
I chilled the chicken in the poaching liquid overnight and served the dish with steamed broccoli. It was so good! The Shaoxing wine and lime juice from the cilantro-scallion oil provided bitterness that perfectly complemented the savory chicken, nutty brown rice, and broccoli. I think this dish would make an easy meal prep.
labaer
This is an excellent recipe and was a hit with the family. I made a couple of modifications. I poached the chicken first and kept the chicken warm in some foil. I reserved the poaching liquid, removed the solids with a sieve, and then used the liquid 1:1 with water to make the rice. Yum. My Costco-sized chicken breasts that were only 146F with the time listed. I had to heat to reach 165F, but they did cook a little bit after removing them. Next time I will pull them at 160 F.
wallabyI
Excellent go-to healthy meal! I have made this twice now and tweaked the recipe. I used chicken thighs, poached them the night before, and soaked them in the poaching liquid in the fridge until dinner the next day, when I gently heated the chicken in the liquid. Loved the cilantro-scallion oil - I changed the proportions to have more cilantro and scallions to less oil. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this refreshing meal! I am going to try using soba noodles with it as another reader suggested.
Food X
After squeezing out the moisture from a block of medium tofu, I poached it in the liquid. It rivaled the chicken in taste and texture. I'm sure firm tofu would work just as well.
Matt
This recipe is strange. Why not just suggest that the chicken dish be served with rice ? The recipe as presented seems to insist on short grain brown rice, but it is cooked independent of the chicken. Maybe couscous cooked in the poaching liquid might be an expedient, but tasty choice. The suggestion to soak the chicken in its poaching liquid overnight sounds right, but the recipe itself demands that we "discard the poaching liquid".
Nathalie
I make a half batch of the poaching liquid and transfer it to a sous vide bag with the chicken. It comes out so moist and flavorful and unlike other sous vide recipes there is no need to sear the meat after is comes out of the bag. I'll make a few breasts at a time, slice and freeze them - delicious and perfect for lunchtime rice bowls!
lindsay
Great idea to use the sous vide Nathalie. Dish was divine. Did as you did by making half the poaching liquid (without any water). Also made the scallion cilantro oil right after I put the chicken in with the sous vide so it had awhile to marinate and I think that made a difference. Had it with farro because I had some left over. Definitely will make this again!
David
This recipe works exceptionally well when the chicken is cooked sous vide in bags with the liquid. Just portion out the liquid into vacuum bags with the chicken, vacuum and seal, and let it sit in the fridge in bags for 24 hours before cooking (it’s possible the food safety mavens will suggest sealing after it it marinates). Doing this requires a chamber vacuum sealer to seal the chicken in with the poaching liquid, which can now be obtained very affordably.
Jane
Like others, I marinated overnight and after poaching the chicken (with chicken broth instead of water, and some red pepper flakes). I also used bone in, skin on thighs instead of boneless skinless breasts for more flavor. I used the liquid from the poaching to cook the rice. Not sure I really needed the oil vs the chopped herbs and a squeeze of lemon, next time would probably do that instead. Served with chili crisp which was perfect! Will def make again, really fast, easy and flavorful!
wallaby
Fabulous, simple, recipe. I let the chicken breasts soak in the poaching liquid overnight to add more flavor. We found the cilantro-scallion oil very flavorful . . . prefer to have a higher proportion of herbs and less oil. Slice the chicken and serve over soba noodles with additional cilantro-scallion oil for a perfect, refreshing summer supper!
Nathalie
I make a half batch of the poaching liquid and transfer it to a sous vide bag with the chicken. It comes out so moist and flavorful and unlike other sous vide recipes there is no need to sear the meat after is comes out of the bag. I'll make a few breasts at a time, slice and freeze them - delicious and perfect for lunchtime rice bowls!
Yumiko Nakagawa
This is a very satisfying dish! The nuttiness, texture and color of the brown rice balances nicely with the poached chicken. I recommend doubling the cilantro lime sauce.
Shawn S.
I followed the recipe to the T and found it exceptional. My wife and I loved it! The chicken was super moist and the meal was delicious. I used the tea stock as the base for a mushroom soup I made a few nights later and was blown away by how wonderful it was.
innainhwa
I made a sauce with the leftover broth by boiling down with coconut milk and sugar. I poured the sauce over the rice and the chicken, and the sauce added more flavor to the dish and kept the dish moister! I would recommend making the sauce for this dish!
Eskirmish
I pulsed the greens, lime juice and oil in the Cuisinart to make a fresh green sauce.
Amanda
Could the cooking method for the chicken in the tea marinade be adapted for a Sous Vide ?
Food X
After squeezing out the moisture from a block of medium tofu, I poached it in the liquid. It rivaled the chicken in taste and texture. I'm sure firm tofu would work just as well.
Beth
For me, the cooking time was off. Might have been the size of the chicken, but I needed to turn the heat back on for a bit longer. Will try the other commenter’s suggestion: bring to boil, add chicken, back to boil, then turn off heat. Makes sense! I LOVE the flavor, so my trusty instant read thermometer and I will experiment. I like the suggestion of tossing some couscous in the poaching liquid! And I’ll be saving and reusing that liquid- maybe a base for rice or quinoa. It’s delicious!!
Kate S.
This is so delicious! My husband gave it 12 out of 10 stars, and even my picky 12-year old liked it. I couldn't find the wine or dry sherry, so I used port. I will definitely hunt down a bottle of the wine to use next time.
Joy
I know this is a weird question, but does the chicken pick up any caffeine from the tea?
Clare B
Really liked this recipe--lots of flavors, and the cilantro-scallion oil that tops it adds to the flavor complexity. Great weeknight recipe!
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