Wine-Soaked Chicken (醉雞)

Wine-soaked chicken (醉雞), specifically, Shaoxing-Wine-Soaked Chicken (紹興醉雞), is a nice Shanghai-style dish. We follow these two excellent Chinese recipes (r1, r2) pretty closely here, with some experiments conducted to nail down the variety and quantity for marinating ingredients.

Ingredients

1. 3 lbs of de-boned chicken leg and thigh or chicken thighs (with skin). 
2. Marinating Ingredients for each pound of meat: 1/4 tsp salt on skin side, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp white pepper on meat side, 1/2 tsp sesame oil meat side. 
3. Wine Sauce Ingredients: 2 stalks of green onion (chopped into 2" segments), 6-8 dried red dates (紅棗, with poked holes, or cut in half), 2 tsp Goji(枸杞), 1/2 tsp salt, 2 cups of water, 1 cup of quality Shaoxing Rice Wine. 

Method

1. De-bone a chicken leg quarter, a chicken leg and thigh, or a chicken thigh to produce ~3 lbs of boneless chicken meat (with skin). Trim off excessive skin. See this video for how to de-bone a chicken leg quarter. Note- The 6-pack chicken thighs from Costco works well here. 
2. [Flattening Chicken Meat] Make 30-degree slant-cuts halfway into the thicker parts of the chicken meat, and flatten the chicken meat into sheet-like form. Note- 30-degree up from the horizontal surface. Do NOT cut through the meat. 
3. [Marinating Chicken Meat] For each pound of chcicen meat, rub 1/4 tsp salt on skin side, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp white pepper on meat side, and 1/2 tsp sesame oil on meat side. Let sit for an hour. 
4. [Making Chicken Roll] Place 1 piece of flattened chicken leg and thigh (or, 2 pieces of chick thighs side-by-side seamlessly) on a piece of 12" x 12" aluminum foil. Roll up the chicken meat inside the aluminum foil, as if you are rolling up a sushi roll. Make sure the aluminum foil is not rolled into the chicken meat, and the roll is tight. For 3 lbs of chicken meat, we make 3 rolls. Note- See this excellent YouTube video for How to Make Sushi Roll. 
5. Steam the chicken rolls wrapped in aluminum foil for 20 minuets, and let the rolls sit in the steamer for 10 additional minutes (do not open the steamer lid). Note- After steaming let the rolls cool down at room temperature, or in ice water to give the chicken meat slightly firmer texture (Q彈).
   
6. [Making the Sauce] In a small pot, add 2 stalks of green onion (chopped into 2" segments), 6-8 dried red dates (紅棗, poking 4-6 holes or cutting in half, to allow the flavor to come out), Goji(枸杞), 1/2 tsp salt, 2 cups of water, bring to boil, let simmer for 5 minutes. Now add 1 cup of quality Shaoxing Rice Wine (紹興酒), simmer for 1 -2 minuets for stronger rice wine taste, or 3-4 minuets for more subtle taste of wine. Let the sauce cool down.
7. Unwrap the aluminum foil, and place the chicken meat rolls in the sauce for 24 hours (use a gallon bag or a larger square container). See the picture to the right to see the chicken rolls in the sauce. 
8. Cut the chicken roll into slices (like how you cut the sushi roll), and set the pieces in a plate. Ladle some of the sauce on top. Garnish with red dates, goji, minced green onion, or cilantro stems, and serve. Here is the outcome from our kitchen-