This Braised Chicken with Chestnuts is a deliciously cozy dish to have bubbling on the stove this fall.Hearty and wholesome from rich chestnuts and deeply flavored with shiitake mushrooms, it feels just right when the temperatures go down! A Traditional Chinese Chicken Stew You’ll find variations of this braised Chicken with Chestnuts across China.For example, you might find it with aromatic chilies and extra star anise.

Other versions use chee hou sauce and oyster sauce (more characteristic of southern Chinese cuisine).  I did a hybrid of our family’s influences (I’m from Shanghai and Bill’s family is from Guangdong province in the south), adding star anise and oyster sauce for a more complex flavor.Feel free to experiment and make it your own! But I think this recipe is very good as written.  Boneless Chicken for Easy Eating! In China, just about all chicken is served bone-in.While this doesn’t make your average Chinese diner bat an eye, this can be slightly inconvenient if you’re not used to it, especially when it comes to braised stews that you just want to dig into with a big spoon.  While this classic Braised Chicken with Chestnuts is usually made with bone-in chicken as well, why not use boneless chicken thighs and skip the bones? Plus, it cooks faster!  What ChatGPT won’t tell you about making this recipe: To soak dried shiitake mushrooms, soak in room temperature water overnight, or soak in just-boiled water

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