Simple and Irresistible Braised Old Hen Chunks
简单诱人的炖老母鸡块 · pan chinese cuisine
Old hen is considered very nourishing in Chinese home cooking — suitable both for braising and for soups. Most people avoid old hen because its meat is tough and requires long cooking, while regular chicken is tender and quick to cook. Nutritionally, however, old hen is considered richer than regular chicken; the older the bird, the better it is regarded. It is traditionally simmered over low heat for people with anemia, expectant and new mothers, and those with weak digestion. The author's tip: if you like the flavor of caramelized sugar, you can also make a sugar color first with oil or water, then add the chicken and seasonings plus water. Oil-based caramelization requires careful heat control — if you are inexperienced, use water: over low heat, simmer the sugar until thick bubbles form, then add the chicken. The hen must stew long enough, or the meat will be too chewy. A pressure cooker can be used, but the flavor is noticeably worse than slow stewing — slow work yields fine results.
Lucia FerrariMilanese living in Chicago. I will die on the hill that carbonara has no cream. Sunday ragù takes six hours and I wouldn't change a thing.Nutrition & allergens
Contains:SoyWheat
Some ingredients are not yet allergen-surveyed; this label is not exhaustive.
Per serving (4 servings)
- Energy (kcal)
- 1030.4(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
- Protein (g)
- Unknown
- Fat (g)
- Unknown
- Carbs (g)
- 38.2(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
- Sodium (mg)
- 2460.8(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
Estimated from verified ingredient data for the original formula — not lab values, and one dish is not a full meal.
Techniques you'll use
- Blanching (chao shui) ↗
Par-cook in boiling water to clean, tighten, or prep ingredients.
- Simmering (dun) ↗
Gentle low-heat cooking in liquid until flavors merge and meat softens.
- Master-stock braising (lu) ↗
Simmer in a spiced soy-based stock that is reused and deepened.
Steps
- 1
Step 1
Chop the whole old hen into large chunks and rinse them clean.
✅ Done when: The chicken is cut into large, evenly sized chunks with no remaining debris after rinsing.
Blanch the chicken chunks in boiling water, remove them, and discard the blanching water.
✅ Done when: The chicken pieces are lifted out of the blanching water, which is poured away.
- 3
Step 3
Prepare all of the braising sauce: combine the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, cooking wine, salt, and oyster sauce in a bowl.
✅ Done when: All five seasonings are mixed together in the bowl, ready to add.
Put the chicken chunks into the pot, add all the seasonings, and pour in enough boiling water to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low and simmer for three hours.
✅ Done when: The pot has come to a full boil, then simmered gently for three hours.
- 5
Step 5
High heat
If there is still a lot of liquid when the chicken is ready to come out, reduce the sauce over high heat so the chicken absorbs the flavor.
✅ Done when: The sauce has thickened and coats the chicken chunks.
- 6
Step 6
Serve and enjoy — the meat should be fall-apart tender and full of flavor.
✅ Done when: The meat is tender to the bite and tastes rich and savory.
- 7
Step 7
Note: old hens usually contain many small undeveloped egg yolks inside. Be sure to remove them after blanching, or they will affect the texture of the meat.
✅ Done when: All small undeveloped egg yolks have been picked out of the blanched chicken.