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- SLOW FOOD FAST
- Updated January 25, 2013, 11:32 a.m. ET
James Ransom for The Wall Street Journal, Food Styling by Jamie Kimm, Prop Styling by DSMCAN DO | Beer in the braise makes for tender chicken and a flavorful sauce.
"I HAVE AN UNHEALTHY obsession with Chinese food," said chef Danny Bowien. "When you get down to the soul of it, I want to know how someone got that much flavor into that tiny piece of meat." Mr. Bowien's second of four Slow Food Fast contributions is a dish anyone might obsess over. A beer-spiked sauce dotted with whole spices penetrates deep into browned and braised chicken and tender potatoes; a cilantro garnish enlivens every bite.
The Chef: Danny Bowien
Alanna HaleDanny Bowien
His Restaurants: Mission Chinese Food, in San Francisco and New York
What He's Known For: Making Chinese classics his own by amping up the flavor and turning up the heat. Creating the pop-up that came to stay.
This recipe was inspired by a dish served at Spicy Village, a Manhattan restaurant specializing in the cuisine of Henan province, in east-central China. One of Mr. Bowien's favorite places to eat, it is just around the corner from his own wildly popular restaurant, Mission Chinese Food. He ducks in regularly to order a more elaborate version of this dish, listed on Spicy Village's menu simply as Big Tray Chicken.
Earlier
"Every time I'd go there, I'd try and pick it apart," Mr. Bowien said. "I'd let it get cold and taste it again. There isn't a lot of info about Henan food online." One signature of the region's cuisine, he found, is a generous hand with spice. Here, star anise, cardamom, dried chilies, fennel seed, cumin and Sichuan peppercorns provide sweetness, smoke, heat and striking complexity.
Browning the chicken before it braises adds yet another layer. "You need to take the time," Mr. Bowien insisted. "When you caramelize anything, you intensify the flavor." After that, the stew more or less cooks itself. Add the chili bean paste, the spices, the potatoes, the soy sauce and the beer, cover the pot and let it boil. After about 20 minutes, you will have a concentrated, burnt-amber sauce and perfectly cooked chicken. "It is still bouncy but not stringy; it has texture and give," Mr. Bowien said.
Though this recipe has been adapted and simplified for the home cook, the result is no less satisfying than its inspiration. "It is one of my absolute favorite wintertime dishes," Mr. Bowien said. "It hits you on so many levels."
—Kitty Greenwald
Beer-Braised Henan Chicken
Total Time: 35 minutes Serves: 6
This recipe was adapted from Danny Bowien of Mission Chinese Food, with suggested substitutions for some ingredients—though you can find everything you need at Asian markets or at online sources like ethnicfoodsco.com.
More Slow Food Fast
- Michael Anthony's Sunchoke Soup With Apples and Lentils
- April Bloomfield's Hearty Root Vegetable Soup
- Marc Vetri's Spaghetti in Parchment With Clams
- Eric Ripert's Artichoke, Fennel and Arugula Salad
- Amaryll Schwertner's Dal With Poached Eggs, Cilantro and Yogurt
Ingredients
1 whole chicken, about 4 pounds, broken down and cut into 10 pieces
1½ tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons fish sauce, plus extra for seasoning
¼ cup grapeseed oil
½ cup dried red chilies
2 tablespoons Sichuan peppercorns or whole black peppercorns
2 tablespoons fennel seed 2 tablespoons cumin
2 pieces star anise
4 pods green cardamom
2 tablespoons Chinese chili bean paste or Sriracha
2 cups chicken stock or water
16 ounces lager-style beer, such as Budweiser or Tsingtao
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup sugar
2 russet potatoes or 4 medium Yukon gold potatoes, washed and cut into 1-inch dice
Black vinegar or Sherry vinegar, to taste
1 cup fresh cilantro sprigs
What To Do
1. Season chicken with salt and 2 tablespoons fish sauce and let sit 5 minutes. Meanwhile, set a heavy, deep pot over medium-high heat and add oil. Once oil is hot, work in batches to brown both sides of chicken pieces, about 6 minutes per batch, transferring chicken to a bowl as you go.
2. Return chicken to pot, increase heat to high and add all remaining ingredients except vinegar and cilantro. Bring pot up to a rolling boil, cover and cook until chicken and potatoes are tender and sauce is reduced, about 20 minutes.
3. Season stew with vinegar and extra fish sauce to taste. Distribute stew among four plates and top with cilantro.
A version of this article appeared January 26, 2013, on page D3 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Henan Chicken Stew.
