Pollo al Sillao
(poy-yo ahl see-YAO)
Sopa a la Minuta & Los Salvavidas (Weeknight Lifesavers)
Twenty-five minutes. That is the entire window between pulling bone-in chicken thighs from the fridge and building a dark, savory base of supermarket soy sauce, ginger, and Chinese five-spice in a hot skillet. You reduce the braise until the rich, salty starch coats the bowl and let it pool over thick slabs of potato and white rice, but to get there, leave the skin on the chicken; it's non-negotiable.
Before you start
Synchronize your side dishes.
Use the 20-minute marinating window to start your rice and get your potatoes boiling on the back burners so everything finishes at the exact same time.
Ingredients
- bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs6 large
- soy sauce1/2 cup
- oyster sauce2 tbsp
- fresh ginger1 tbsp
- garlic3 med clove
- Chinese five-spice powder1/2 tsp
- sugar1 tsp
- black pepper1/2 tsp
- sesame oil1 tbsp
- neutral cooking oil2 tbsp
- scallions4 med
- chicken broth1 cup
- red bell pepper1 med
- cornstarch1 tbsp
- toasted sesame seeds1 tbsp
- Yukon Gold potatoes3 large
- white rice2 cup
Method
- 01
Marinate the chicken in the soy sauce mixture.
Whisk the soy sauce, oyster sauce, ginger, garlic, five-spice, sugar, black pepper, and sesame oil in a large bowl. Toss the chicken thighs to coat thoroughly, rubbing the marinade under the skin, and let sit at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes.
- 02
Sear the chicken to render the fat.
Remove the chicken, shaking off excess liquid, and reserve the remaining marinade. Heat the neutral oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken skin-side down for 5 minutes until deeply browned, flip for 2 minutes, then remove to a plate.
- 03
Sauté the scallion whites to build the flavor base.
Lower the heat to medium. Toss the minced white parts of the scallions into the rendered chicken fat, sautéing for 1 minute while scraping up the browned fond from the bottom of the pot.
- 04
Braise the chicken in the reserved marinade and broth.
Return the chicken to the pot skin-side up. Pour in the reserved marinade and the chicken broth. Bring to a gentle boil, then drop the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes until the meat is completely tender.
- 05
Thicken the sauce and quickly cook the bell pepper.
Uncover and stir in the red bell pepper strips, cooking for exactly 3 minutes so they soften slightly but retain a crunch. Give the cornstarch slurry a quick stir, then slowly pour it into the bubbling sauce, stirring gently until it transforms into a rich, glossy gravy.
- 06
Fold in the scallion greens and serve over potatoes and rice.
Turn off the heat and fold in the green scallion batons so the residual heat wilts them perfectly. Serve the chicken and gravy heavily spooned over thick slices of boiled potato, alongside a mound of fluffy white rice, and garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
Notes
Do not skip the Chinese five-spice.
It is the defining aromatic of the Chifa flavor profile and what separates this dish from generic soy sauce chicken.
Make it gluten-free.
Swap the soy sauce for an equal amount of tamari and ensure your oyster sauce is certified gluten-free. Cornstarch is naturally gluten-free.
From Cook Peruvian in America.