Soy-Braised Chicken (Lu Ji)

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken
• 30 stalks scallion
• 2 qian (classical weight, ~6 grams) star anise
• 1 jin (catty, ~600 grams) rice wine (huangjiu)
• 1.5 small cup autumn-pressed soy sauce (秋油)
• 1 branch/stick cinnamon or similar fragrant spice
• 1 jin (catty, ~600 grams) water
• 2 liang (tael, ~50 grams) rendered lard or fat

Instructions

1. Stuff the cavity of an intact chicken with thirty scallion stalks and two qian of star anise.
2. In a braising vessel, first bloom one stick of cinnamon or aromatic spice in a small amount of the cooking wine until fragrant. Add one jin of pre-heated water, two liang of rendered fat, one jin of rice wine, and one and a half small cups of autumn-pressed soy sauce (秋油 — soy sauce, specifically the autumn pressing that Yuan Mei favors). Bring the braising liquid to a simmer.
3. Add the stuffed chicken to the pot and braise gently with the lid on until the chicken is fully cooked through. The braising should proceed with careful fire control (火候), adjusting heat so the liquid maintains a gentle bubble.
4. Once the chicken is tender, carefully remove the rendered fat from the surface and reserve it.
5. Continue simmering the braising liquid, reducing it down until it is concentrated to about one rice bowl in volume. At that point, remove the pot from heat.
6. The finished dish may be served whole, or you may pull the meat from the bones and shred it, or slice it thinly with a knife. In either case, dress the chicken with the reduced braising liquid (lu卤) before serving.