Imperial Chicken Thigh Braised with Sea Cucumber
Deboned chicken leg is steamed, then braised together with sea cucumber for an elegant presentation with a glossy golden finish and a tender, soft texture.
Ingredients
Imperial chicken thighs (trimmed, washed, boned, arranged skin-side down in a bowl)
500 g
Rehydrated gray sea cucumber (washed, cut in half lengthwise, blanched)
300 g
cooking oil
to taste
soy sauce
to taste
cooking wine
to taste
chicken bouillon powder
to taste
ground white pepper
to taste
granulated sugar
to taste
cornstarch
to taste
scallion, ginger, garlic
to taste
star anise
to taste
chicken stock (mentioned in steps)
scallion oil (mentioned in steps)
Instructions
1
Prepare chicken thighs
Trim and wash the chicken thighs thoroughly, parboil in boiling water until 80% cooked, remove, debone, then arrange skin-side down in a bowl for later use.
2
Steam the chicken thighs
Heat a wok over high heat, add a small amount of base oil, then add star anise, sliced scallion, ginger and garlic. Stir-fry until fragrant, then add chicken stock and seasonings. Bring to a boil, adjust seasoning to taste, simmer for a short while, then remove the star anise, scallion, ginger and garlic slices. Pour the resulting broth over the chicken thighs in the bowl, seal tightly, and steam in a steamer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, drain off the broth, then invert the chicken thighs onto the center of a large plate for later use.
3
Prepare sea cucumber
Wash the sea cucumber thoroughly, cut in half lengthwise, blanch in boiling water, then remove and set aside.
4
Finish the dish
Heat a wok over high heat, add the broth reserved from steaming the chicken thighs, then add the sea cucumber and seasonings. Braise until the sea cucumber absorbs the flavor, then reduce the sauce. Add a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce until it coats evenly, drizzle with scallion oil, then pour out of the wok. Arrange the sea cucumber around the chicken thighs, pour the sauce over the chicken thigh meat, and serve.
