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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cooking
40 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Chicken is one of the delicious and nutritious ingredients that can be prepared into many different attractive dishes, especially braised dishes. Let’s join TasteVN to the kitchen and showcase our skills by making irresistible braised chicken with shallots to impress family and friends!
Ingredients for Braised Chicken with Shallots Serves 4
Hen 1 Shallots 1 Green onions a little Chili powder 1/2 tablespoon Fish sauce 2 tablespoons Cooking oil 1 tablespoon Common spices a little (Salt/ sugar/ seasoning powder/ ground pepper)
How to choose fresh, quality chicken
For live chickens
- You can hold two chickens of the same size; if one feels heavier, its meat will be firmer.
- Choose chickens with shiny, sharp beaks that are not slimy.
- Prefer chickens with slender, straight legs that are not scratched or have broken nails and do not show any unusual red spots on their legs. A healthy chicken will have a soft, relaxed crop.
- Choose chickens with soft, thin skin; when gently pressed, it should feel firm, not mushy. Additionally, you will notice some yellow streaks under the breast and wings, and the meat can be seen under the armpits and wings.
- Avoid choosing chickens that show signs of drooping or lethargy, as these may be sick chickens.
For pre-prepared chickens
- Good chicken will have a compact, firm body and a small breast. The skin should be golden yellow, with some areas being darker yellow like the wings, breast, and back, and should not have any bruises or black spots. The chicken meat should not smell stale or foul.
- If the chicken skin is tough, uniformly golden yellow, and the fat is white, it indicates that the chicken has been treated with chemicals.
- Press down on the meat to check; if the meat is firm, it’s good chicken. If the meat is mushy, slippery, misshapen, or indented, do not buy it to avoid health risks.
How to prepare Braised Chicken with Shallots
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Marinate the chicken
Shallots bought should be peeled clean, roots cut off, then washed thoroughly with water and drained. Use a knife or pestle to crush the shallots. Green onions should be washed and chopped.
The chicken you bought should be massaged with salt for about 5 – 10 minutes, then washed several times with water and drained. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces using a knife.
How to clean chicken properly, without a fishy smell- To eliminate the chicken’s odor, you can mix vinegar and salt in a ratio of 1:2 and apply it all over the chicken, rubbing it several times. After that, rinse it with cold water, and the smell will be gone!
- Additionally, the grease gland at the chicken’s tail is also a cause of unpleasant odor during cooking. Therefore, you should remove this grease gland immediately when preparing the chicken.
- Besides vinegar, you can also use ginger along with a bit of white wine or lemon to clean the chicken!
See details: How to clean chicken properly, without a fishy smell
Marinate the chicken with 1/2 tablespoon of chili powder, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 1 tablespoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper, 1 tablespoon of seasoning, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and half the amount of shallots prepared.
Mix all the ingredients well and marinate the chicken for about 20 – 30 minutes for the meat to absorb the flavors.
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Braised chicken
Place a pan on the stove, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and heat it, then add the remaining shallots and sauté until fragrant.
When the shallots are aromatic, add the chicken into the pan and stir-fry over medium heat until the meat is firm. Pour in enough water to cover the chicken, stir well, and continue to cook until the water boils.
Next, reduce the heat and braise until the water in the pot reduces and thickens, then season to taste and turn off the heat.
Serve the braised chicken with shallots on a plate, sprinkle some pepper and chopped green onions on top, and garnish to make it visually appealing.
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Final product
The braised chicken with shallots after completion has an appealing brown color and the aroma from the shallots and spices spreads throughout the kitchen, enticing diners.
When eating, you will experience the tenderness and firmness of the chicken, infused with rich flavors, a bit of spiciness from the chili, and the fragrant aroma from the shallots that stimulate the taste buds.
This dish is wonderful when served with hot rice and dipped with some boiled vegetables! What are you waiting for? Let’s get cooking!
Hopefully, with the recipe for braised chicken with shallots that TasteVN just shared, it will help you have more options to diversify your family meals. Wishing you success in your cooking!
