Soy Sauce Chicken

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This Soy Sauce Chicken is savory and sweet with a tender and juicy texture and amazing umami flavor! It’s a whole chicken that’s simmered in a flavorful soy sauce broth and ready in just over an hour.

Who doesn’t love a delicious chicken dinner?! While we love to cook chicken thighs and breasts, cooking a whole chicken is our preferred option for larger gatherings!

Soy sauce chicken cut into pieces and topped with green onions.

This air fryer whole chicken and sous vide whole chicken are my go-to recipes when I’m looking for more hands off recipes. But, when I’m truly looking to impress with flavor, I serve this soy sauce chicken!

It goes perfectly with this Instant Pot jasmine rice and air fryer broccoli, or this incredible claypot chicken rice. Just don’t forget to drizzle the extra cooking liquid over everything!

If you’re not hosting a large gathering or dinner party, this recipe is still great to make for two people on a busy weeknight. You can also save the leftover chicken and add it to this spicy chicken ramen!

Why this recipe works

Simmering the chicken in a large pot on the stovetop frees up space in your oven to prepare other dishes.
The chicken has amazing flavor thanks to the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and star anise and there’s no marinating required!
Cooking a whole chicken might be intimidating, but I promise this recipe isn’t difficult. With prep time and cooking, the chicken is ready in a little over an hour.
Leftovers are great on their own, or even more perfect in the chicken congee recipe.

What is soy sauce chicken?

Soy Sauce Chicken (also called See Yao Gai) is a Cantonese recipe that involves chicken being simmered in a broth that has a soy sauce base and is flavored with other spices and aromatics.

Ingredients

For the full list of ingredients and quantities used, refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

You’ll need 1 whole chicken for this recipe. I usually go with a 2-4 pound chicken depending on how many people we’re serving. Just make sure the chicken you buy fits the pot you are using.

The base of the simmering broth is 1 ½ cups of soy sauce.

You’ll also need 1 ½ cups of Shaoxing wine, which is a slightly sweet Chinese rice wine. Normally I suggest substituting with dry sherry if you don’t have any Shaoxing wine. However, since the recipe calls for such a large quantity and it adds a unique flavor, I don’t recommend making a substitution here.

To balance the saltiness of the soy sauce, you’ll need ¾ cup of brown sugar. You can substitute coconut sugar if you prefer.

Additional seasoning comes from ginger, green onions, shallot and star anise.

For the ginger, you’ll want to use freshly grated, or you can also use minced.

The star anise adds a subtle licorice flavor and can be found in the spice aisle at your local grocery store.

Step by step instructions

Heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the ginger, shallot, star anise and green onions for 2 minutes.

Ginger, shallot and green onion being sautéed in a large pot on the stovetop.

Add the wine and bring to a simmer for 2 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients (except water and chicken) and simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered.

Soy sauce broth simmering in a large pot.

Add the chicken and the water, ensuring not to overfill the pot with water. If the pot is too full, use less water. **Chicken should be almost fully covered if possible.

Whole chicken submerged in the cooking liquid in a large pot on the stovetop.

Bring to a simmer and simmer on low heat for 20-25 minutes.

Remove from heat, cover and let sit for 15-20 minutes, until the internal temperature has reached 160F degrees at the thighs.

Remove from the pot and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Cut up and serve with the cooking liquid, steamed rice, chopped green onions and chili crisp (optional).

Whole soy sauce chicken resting on a platter.

Expert tips

Make sure you’re using a large enough pot to fit a whole chicken as well as all of the liquid.
Be careful not to overfill the pot. You may need to use less water than the recipe calls for. Just make sure your chicken is almost completely covered.
I prefer to use smaller chickens as they cook quickly and turn out very tender. If you use a larger chicken, you’ll need to increase the cooking time and it may not turn out as tender.
You’ll want to make sure the liquid the chicken is cooking in is simmering not boiling.
Chicken is safe to eat at 165 degrees. I typically cook the chicken to 160 degrees and remove from the heat. The temperature will continue to rise to 165 degrees as you let it rest for 10 minutes. Use an instant read thermometer to check the temperature.
Don’t forget to remove the giblets before cooking, and hold onto the chicken carcass to make this Instant Pot chicken bone broth!

Close up view of a piece of soy sauce chicken.

Common questions

Can you use other cuts of chicken instead of a whole chicken?

Yes, you can use other cuts of chicken. Bone-in chicken thighs or breasts would be a great option. You’ll just need to reduce the cooking time.

Do you need to marinate the chicken before cooking?

Normally I like to marinate chicken, but since the chicken will be submerged and simmered in a flavorful broth, there is no need to marinate. It will stay moist, juicy and tender and will be infused with amazing flavor.

What do you serve with soy sauce chicken?

We love soy sauce chicken served with steamed rice, chopped green onions and chili crisp with the cooking liquid drizzled over everything. You can also serve it with Instant Pot basmati rice or coconut jasmine rice. A side of veggies like Instant Pot carrots or sous vide broccoli would also be delicious.

Storage instructions

Leftover chicken should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and used within 3-4 days.

You can also freeze leftover chicken. Just let it cool, then remove it from the bones and place it in an airtight container or freezer safe bag. It will last in the freezer for up to 3 months.