Method
- Bring water to a simmer with salt, half the ginger, spring onion, star anise and peppercorns. Lower the chicken thighs into a low simmer (never boiling) for 20 minutes — the water should barely twitch.
- Pull the pot off heat and let the chicken sit in the residual heat for 15 more minutes. Lift out and plunge into ice water for 10 minutes; the cold shock keeps the skin glossy and the flesh silken.
- Strain 500ml of the poaching liquid into a clean bowl. Add Shaoxing wine, soy, rock sugar, the second teaspoon of salt and the remaining ginger. Stir until the sugar dissolves; cool to room temperature.
- Debone the chilled chicken thighs by pressing the meat away from the bone with a knife — keep the skin on. Trim into rectangular pieces about 5cm across.
- Lay the pieces in a deep dish. Pour the wine marinade over so the chicken is fully submerged. Cover and refrigerate at least 24 hours, ideally 48 — the wine penetrates the meat, the fat sets the marinade into a soft jelly.
- Slice the cold chicken across the grain into 1cm pieces. Arrange on a plate. Spoon over a few tablespoons of the now-jellied marinade — it should glisten on the meat. Scatter wolfberries. Serve as a cold appetiser with the rest of a Shanghainese meal.
Common questions
Can Zui Ji be made ahead?
Zui Ji is best made and eaten the same day, but the components can be prepped earlier — chop and measure the ingredients up to a day ahead, refrigerated separately. Final cooking takes about 30 minutes.
Is Zui Ji spicy?
Zui Ji as written is mild to mildly warming — the heat comes from aromatics rather than chili. Add fresh sliced chili or chili oil at the end if you'd like to push it spicier.
Is Zui Ji vegetarian or gluten-free?
This recipe is suitable for most diets. If you have specific restrictions, the substitutions section in each ingredient note covers the most common swaps.
How hard is Zui Ji to make at home?
Zui Ji sits at intermediate difficulty — total time about 60 minutes. The ingredients are not unusual but the timing requires attention.
Can Zui Ji be scaled up or down?
This recipe is written for 6 servings. To scale, multiply each ingredient proportionally; the cooking times stay the same up to about double the volume. Beyond that, expect to cook in batches because of pan size and heat distribution.
Cultural Note
Drunken chicken belongs to the Jiangnan cold-dish tradition — Shanghai, Hangzhou and the canal cities prize a long table of cold appetisers (liang cai) at the start of a meal. The Shaoxing wine is the dish; cheap cooking wine produces a flat result. The dish improves over three days in the marinade and is often made for festivals and family gatherings — the cold slice of chicken in jellied wine perfume is a deeply nostalgic taste for anyone with grandparents from the Yangtze delta.
