P
Chinese · Jiangnan
Drunken Chicken (醉鸡 Zui Ji) — Shaoxing Wine Cold Poaching
Zui ji (醉鸡, literally drunk chicken) is a cold Jiangnan dish in which poached chicken — typically whole legs or a whole chicken — is submerged in Shaoxing rice wine (绍兴黄酒) and aromatics, then refrigerated for 24-48 hours, during which the wine permeates the meat, imparting its distinctive amber colour, nutty-savoury flavour, and a gentle alcoholic lift. The result is a chicken with a delicately wine-scented flesh that is simultaneously savoury and sweet, with the complex depth of aged Shaoxing wine. It is served cold, sliced, and is typically part of a cold dish (liang cai) selection.
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I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
4
whole chicken legs
or 1 whole chicken, approximately 1.5 kg
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
3 slices
fresh ginger
for poaching; 2 further slices reserved for the marinade
Origin · New ZealandPurely Artisan Foods · San Diego →
2
scallions
whole, lightly bruised
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the drunken marinade
200 ml
Shaoxing rice wine
aged drinking-quality, 5-year preferred; not cooking wine
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
100 ml
chicken poaching stock
skimmed and cooled, taken from the poaching liquid
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tsp
salt
Your own market
½ tsp
sugar
Your own market
2 slices
fresh ginger
Origin · New ZealandPurely Artisan Foods · San Diego →
1 tbsp
wolfberries (goji berries)
optional; add for a sweeter result
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
Place the chicken legs (or whole chicken) in a pot and cover with cold water. Add the ginger slices and bruised scallions. Bring to a bare simmer over medium heat — never a rolling boil — and poach at approximately 20 minutes per kilogram of meat. The chicken is done when the juices run clear at the thickest part of the thigh and the flesh yields without resistance when probed.
2
Immediately lift the chicken from the poaching liquid and plunge it into a bowl of iced water. Hold there until the flesh is cold to the core — the abrupt chill arrests carry-over cooking and firms the skin. Reserve 100 ml of the poaching stock, skim it, and allow it to cool. The chicken is ready to proceed when no warmth remains at the bone.
3
Combine the 200 ml Shaoxing wine, 100 ml cooled poaching stock, salt, sugar, and 2 slices of ginger in a bowl or lidded container large enough to hold the chicken. Stir until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Add the wolfberries if a sweeter marinade is desired. Taste: the liquid should be savoury, gently sweet, and carry the full nutty depth of the wine without any harsh alcoholic edge.
4
This is where the dish lives or dies: lower the cooled chicken into the marinade so that it is completely submerged. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 24 hours; 48 hours is strongly preferable. At 24 hours the wine note is faint; only at 48 hours does the wine fully permeate the meat, producing the amber-tinted, deeply wine-scented flesh that defines zui ji. At no point should the chicken be left at room temperature.
5
Remove the chicken from the marinade. Slice cleanly across the grain into pieces suitable for a cold platter. Strain the marinade and spoon it over the slices. The flesh should be a faint amber at the surface, ivory within, and exhale the nutty fragrance of aged Shaoxing wine the moment it is cut.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — A 10-year or older aged Shaoxing huadiao (花雕), sourced from a specialist importer; free-range or heritage breed chicken, hung and dry-stored before use.
02
Estate — 5-year aged drinking-quality Shaoxing wine, the standard the recipe names; a fresh whole chicken of known provenance jointed to order.
03
Market — Standard drinking-quality Shaoxing available at a Chinese grocer; whole chicken legs from a reputable butcher or supermarket fresh counter.
04
House — Any labelled Shaoxing rice wine that is sold for drinking rather than cooking; supermarket chicken legs. Cooking wine with added salt is disqualifying at every rung.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Sight. Juices run clear at the thickest part of the thigh when probed at the end of poaching.
◇Touch. No warmth remains at the bone after the ice-water plunge — the flesh is cold to the core before marination begins.
◇Sight. After 48 hours the surface of the sliced meat carries a faint amber tint from the wine penetration.
◇Smell. The sliced chicken exhales the nutty, fermented fragrance of aged Shaoxing the moment it is cut.
◇Where it lives or dies. The dish lives or dies on complete submersion in drinking-quality aged Shaoxing wine and a full 48-hour refrigerated marination — the wine character cannot be compressed into less time, and cooking wine cannot substitute for drinking-quality Shaoxing.
Pillar V
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley Riesling
Ancient Lakes Vineyard — Cave B · Ancient Lakes
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Wine
From British Columbia
Nothing from British Columbia holds against this yet.
Without alcohol
No pour without alcohol holds against this yet.
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The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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Sourced through Provenance