Taiwanese Chicken

This dish is a winner!  Unbelievably delicious…so much bang for the buck. Can’t wait to make it again.

With just a small splash of vegetable oil, lightly brown two pounds of bone in chicken thighs or legs in a large heavy pot and set aside. Add a third of a cup of sesame oil, six to eight peeled whole garlic cloves, five scallions cut into one-inch pieces, a 3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into 1/8” slices, and three halved small Thai red chiles…one if you’re not a fan of spicy. Leave on medium heat for three to four minutes.

Return the chicken to the pot along with any juices that accumulated, a cup of sake or dry white wine, half a cup of soy sauce, and two tablespoons of sugar. Bring to a boil then quickly reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for approximately 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. 

Set the chicken aside and lightly boil the sauce until it’s a syrupy consistency, shouldn’t take long. Turn off the heat, stir in a few forkfuls of jarred Thai basil leaves, return the chicken to the pot for a few minutes and serve with some rice.