wings and chestnuts

Chestnuts are one of our favourite nuts and we'll always order it if we see it on the menu. It's usually an ingredient in Chinese desserts, but we love it in savoury dishes. Here's a comforting dish for the winter cold.

Braised Chicken with Chestnuts

serves 4 as part of a main course
Recipe adapted from Post Magazine (January 22, 2012), South China Morning Post.

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs chicken parts, drumettes and/or middle joint wings

1 inch piece of ginger, sliced thinly

1 cup chestnuts, halved and  roasted
1/2 cup green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces plus more for garnish

1 cup chicken broth

Marinade:

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp salt

few dashes ground white pepper

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine

1 tsp olive oil

METHOD:

1. In a large shallow bowl, add chicken, ginger and marinade ingredients. Mix well and let marinate in the fridge for 2+ hours.

2. In an Dutch oven or other shallow enamel pot, add chicken including the marinade, chestnuts, green onions and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, stirring consistently to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom, and then lower heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes.

3. Sauce should lightly coat the chicken, stir in more broth if it's too thick. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Garnish with remaining green onion or chopped cilantro (optional).