Chicken Stew Recipe – with Chinese Taro (Eddoe) 芋儿烧鸡

When it comes to stews, this classic chicken stew with taro is my childhood favorite and I’ve always wanted to share this chicken stew recipe with the WORLD! Anyway chicken stew is my favorite dish to cook because it only requires 30 minutes of cooking unlike beef stew which may take longer to get the meat tender! I like to use chicken thighs or chicken legs for this dish! And of course, back home we eat the chicken with bones but if you are not a fan of eating with bones, just debone the chicken before cooking! We will also be using beer for this stew. A lot of chicken stews call for beer and it is absolutely valid! Beer gives it an additional aroma, making the chicken irresistible. This chicken stew is also super budget friendly and literally costs $5 to make! 

What’s in the Sichuan chicken stew recipe?

So in Sichuan the base of the stew is mainly some spices, Pixian Doubanjiang, and aromatics. The species include star anise and san nai. I also added Sichuan peppercorn and some dry chilies. Aromatics include ginger, garlic and green onion. It’s honestly really easy to put together and everything will taste amazing. For additional flavor, I added some pickled peppers as well. However if you don’t have them, it’s totally ok! 

What is Chinese taro (eddoe)?

Taro is a big family of plants with large and edible roots. They are used in a lot of different cuisines in the world. The kind of taro we use for this stew is called eddoe! This kind is native to China and Japan. It’s commonly available in China and you can also find them in the Asian grocery stores in the US. Although eddoe is kind of like a potato, they are still very different! They become very soft and have an amazing texture when cooked! They are super tasty in this tew after soaking in the juice. 

How to prepare taro(eddoe)?

Peel taro with a peeler. I highly recommend using gloves as some people are allergic to the skin of taro. Wash under water after peeling. Chop taro into chunks before cooking. 

How to prepare chicken for the chicken stew?

I typically debone the chicken legs first. To debone a chicken leg, simply cut around the bone part to detach the tendons. Then cut an opening on the thick part of the leg and pull the meat back towards the end. Do the same on the rest of the meat while using the knife to trim close to the bone. After all the meat can be pulled back, cut off from the bone. Chop the meat into chunks and marinate with some salt and shaoxing wine. 

Ingredients: 

Chicken legs: 4

Taro (Eddoe): 2 lb

Garlic 4 cloves

Ginger 1 

Green onion 2 stalks

Pickled Pepper 1 tbsp

Dry chili 4

Star anise 1 

San nai 3 

Sichuan peppercorn 1 tsp

Doubanjiang 1.5  tbsp

Beer 1 can/1.5 cup

Chicken marinate:

salt : ¼ tsp

Shaoxing wine: 1 tbsp

Season with soy sauce: 2 tsp

sugar : ¼ tsp

 

Instructions:

1. Debone chicken legs, and cut into cubes. Marinate with salt and shaoxing wine. 
2. Peel taro (eddoe) and wash under water. Cut into chunks.
3. Prepare star anise, sichuan peppercorn, san nai, and dry chili. Take out some pickled peppers if you have them.
4. Slice ginger and garlic. Cut green onion into 1 inch slices.  
5. In a pot, add oil. Drop in spices first. Then drop in aromatics and chicken. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
6. Add pickled pepper and pixian doubanjiang. Mix well.
7. Cover chicken with beer (1-2 cups). Let it boil.
8. Drop in the taro (eddoe).  Add some water to cover everything.
9. Season with soy sauce, sugar and white pepper then cover the pot with lid. 
10. After it boils, lower the heat to medium low and cook for 30 minutes. 
11. Serve.

Watch the YouTube video for full instructions: 

https://youtu.be/FMyUR0bQcZM