Braised Chicken Wings with Chestnuts / 栗子鸡

I braised some chicken wings with chestnuts for dinner couple nights back and my honey bear was extremely delighted! He loves chicken wings so any dish that features chicken wings as THE main ingredient makes him happy. Braised chicken (wings) with chestnuts is a popular Chinese/Cantonese dish which is often cooked at home, and especially over the autumn period. Deepfrying and stir-frying all the time can get a little boring, so today i tried out another cooking style, braising.

I half-deepfried-half-panfried the chicken wings in hot oil 1st, then removed them, placed them on baking paper to drain away the excess oil, and then returned them back to the wok to stir-fry with garlic and chestnuts, afterwhich water is added (just enough to cover the ingredients), and then simmered till soft & till there is minimal amount of liquid left in the wok. (Note: When i say i half-deepfried-half-panfried the chicken wings, i meant that i added in more oil than i usually use for stir-frying, but not as much as the amount of oil i'd usually use when i deep-fry food.) Before serving the dish, garnish with chopped spring onions & coriander leaves! Many other braised chicken wings with chestnut/braised chestnut chicken dishes also feature dried shittake mushrooms and/or carrots and/or wolfberries in their recipe ingredient list; adding these ingredients will definitely enhance the flavour & sweetness of the dish. I had neither dried shiitake mushrooms nor carrots nor wolfberries at the time i cooked this dish, so i omitted them, & the dish still tasted superb^.^

Detailed recipe/instructions from Food for Tots' Braised Chestnut with Chicken (Note: This recipe includes wolfberries & mushrooms; it also uses chicken thighs [instead of chicken wings] & uses fresh chestnuts [i used cooked & ready-to-eat packaged chestnut snack):

Ingredients:

200g  Chinese chestnuts (fresh)

2 Chicken thighs (de-boned & skin removed; marinated with 2 tablespoons of light soya sauce, a dash of sugar & cornflour for at least half an hour)

5 fresh mushrooms

2-3 tablespoons of wolfberries

4 cloves of garlic (bruised)

Coriander leaves (for garnishing)

300ml water

Seasonings:

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

1 tablespoon concentrated Maggi chicken stock

A dash of dark soya sauce

A dash of sesame oil & pepper

Cornflour (for thickening purposes)

Instructions:

1. Wash chestnuts & place in a small saucepan, together with water. Boil for 15 minutes, then remove & soak in cold water. Use a knife to remove the skin. Cut into smaller pieces.

2. Heat up wok with 1 tablespoon of oil. Saute garlic, add in chestnuts, & stir-fry for a while.

3. Pour in 90% water & seasoning. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, & simmer for about 45 mins or until chestnuts are tender.

4. Add in mushroom & chicken thighs & simmer for another 10 minutes.

5. Add in cornflour solution & bring to boil. Stir in wolfberries & simmer for 30 seconds.

6. Dish up, garnish with coriander leaves, & serve!

 

(Note: Sometimes I dont like my dishes to have too much gravy, so i simmer till gravy/water/liquid is 90% gone.)