Soy Sauce Chicken (豉油雞) is a staple of Cantonese home cooking and banquet tables, symbolizing prosperity and completeness when served whole, especially during Lunar New Year celebrations. The dish dates back to traditional Cantonese “white cut chicken” methods but adds a rich soy‑wine braise that showcases the region’s love of umami and glossy sauces.

In Cantonese cooking the dish uses light and dark soy sauce with rock sugar for a sweet‑savory glaze. Northern Chinese versions often use less sugar and may add star anise or cinnamon, while some Southeast Asian adaptations substitute coconut water or add chilies for heat. The core technique—simmering a whole chicken in soy‑based liquid—remains consistent.

It is presented whole, sometimes with the head intact, on a large platter to represent family unity. The bird is usually carved into sections that mirror the original anatomy—head, wings, thighs, and breast—allowing guests to take pieces while preserving the symbolic shape.

Soy Sauce Chicken is a popular dish for Lunar New Year, wedding banquets, and birthday feasts because the whole bird symbolizes completeness, abundance, and good fortune for the coming year.

Key ingredients include a whole chicken, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, rock sugar, ginger, shallots, green onions, and star anise. While modern cooks may substitute tamari for soy sauce or brown sugar for rock sugar, the flavor profile relies on the balance of salty, sweet, and aromatic notes.

Soy Sauce Chicken pairs beautifully with steamed jasmine rice, sautéed bok choy, Cantonese‑style stir‑fried noodles, or a simple ginger‑scallion sauce (葱姜酱) served alongside for contrast.

Common errors include under‑blanching the chicken (resulting in uneven color), using too much water which dilutes the sauce, flipping the bird too aggressively and tearing the skin, and not allowing the sauce to thicken properly before serving. Follow the timed low‑heat simmer and gentle flips for best results.

Low‑heat simmer allows the soy‑wine sauce to penetrate the meat slowly, keeping the chicken tender and preventing the skin from becoming rubbery. A rapid boil would cause the skin to contract too quickly and could result in a dry interior.

Yes. After cooking, cool the chicken in an ice‑bath, then refrigerate the pieces and sauce separately in airtight containers for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop, adding a splash of water if the sauce has thickened too much.

The YouTube channel Made With Lau focuses on approachable Asian home‑cooking tutorials, especially Chinese and Cantonese dishes, blending traditional techniques with modern kitchen tips for everyday cooks.

Made With Lau emphasizes clear, step‑by‑step visual explanations, often highlighting family‑passed‑down tricks (like blanching for skin texture) and providing detailed ingredient sourcing notes, whereas many channels focus more on speed or high‑production visuals without the same depth of cultural context.