Drunken Chicken: Shaoxing Wine, Cold Brine and Method

Опубликовано Anthony
от Ноябрь 7, 2026

Learn how Chinese drunken chicken is cooked, chilled and steeped in Shaoxing wine. Compare bone-in and rolled styles, then follow a measured cold-brine method.

Quick Answer: What Is Chinese Drunken Chicken?

Drunken chicken (醉鸡, zuìjī) is cooked chicken chilled and steeped in a seasoned Shaoxing wine (绍兴酒, Shàoxīng jiǔ) brine. It is commonly served cold, with the wine providing its defining aroma.^[3]

Sequence: Cook the chicken, cool it promptly, then refrigerate it in the wine mixture.^[3]
Presentation: Bone-in pieces and sliced boneless rolls are both established approaches.^[3]
Planning: The rolled version below needs a 24-hour refrigerated steep.^[1]

The wine is added after cooking in this version, so the finished dish contains alcohol.^[3]

Wine selection, two formats and the cook, chill and refrigerated steep sequence.

The name describes the wine fragrance, not an alternative to cooking the meat. Keep three jobs separate: cooking the chicken through, cooling both chicken and brine, and allowing the chilled meat to absorb flavor overnight.

Shaoxing Wine and the Regional Context

Drunken chicken is closely associated with Shanghai cuisine and the wider Jiangnan (江南, Jiāngnán) region. Its signature wine comes from Shaoxing in Zhejiang province. The connection is culinary: delicate cold chicken carries the grain wine’s aroma without a heavy sauce.^[2]

Shaoxing wine is a kind of huangjiu (黄酒, huángjiǔ). Huadiao (花雕酒, huādiāo jiǔ) is a familiar label. Choose an unsalted bottle here; Shaoxing cooking wine may contain added salt, which changes brine seasoning.^[3]

Broth-led versions use less wine for a milder profile.^[2]

Bone-In Pieces or Boneless Rolls

Bone-in preparation: Poached chicken legs are cut into portions and steeped in the wine mixture. This avoids deboning and rolling, while leaving bones to navigate at the table.^[3]
Boneless rolled preparation: Skin-on leg meat is wrapped into compact cylinders, steamed, chilled and sliced.^[3]

Both fit the role of Chinese cold dishes. They are preparation choices, not exclusive labels for different provinces.

Ingredients for Two Chicken Rolls

This makes about four appetizer portions. Use US teaspoons of 5 ml and tablespoons of 15 ml. Starting with prepared stock avoids a separate bone-stock cooking stage.

Chicken: 2 leg quarters, deboned with skin retained, plus ½ teaspoon salt divided between them.^[1]
Brine: 360 ml chilled, cooked unsalted chicken stock, 360 ml unsalted Shaoxing huadiao wine, 1½ teaspoons sugar and 2½ teaspoons sea salt.^[1]
Optional garnish: 1 tablespoon dried goji berries (枸杞, gǒuqǐ), added to the brine.^[1][2]

Have foil, a covered steamer, a food thermometer, clean ice and water, and a deep glass or other nonreactive container ready before cooking.^[1]

How to Cook, Chill and Steep the Chicken

Stir chilled stock, wine, sugar, brine salt and optional berries together until dissolved; refrigerate. Even out thick thigh areas. Divide the chicken salt between the pieces, roll skin-side out and wrap tightly in foil.^[1][2]
Steam over boiling water for about 20 minutes, then leave covered off the heat for five minutes. Check each roll’s center reaches 165°F/74°C; return to steam and continue cooking if necessary before cooling.^[1][4]
Cool cooked, foil-wrapped rolls promptly in a clean ice-water bath, checking after 10–15 minutes. Keep the brine cold too. Transfer chilled chicken out of its foil into the brine, cover and refrigerate at 40°F/4°C or colder.^[1][5]
Steep for 24 hours in the refrigerator, keeping the rolls submerged. Slice while cold with a clean knife, arrange on a plate and spoon over a little brine. Return unused chicken promptly to refrigeration.^[2][5]

Do not leave the chicken or brine on the counter overnight. Perishable food should be refrigerated within two hours, or one hour when the surrounding temperature exceeds 90°F/32°C.^[4][5]

FAQs About Drunken Chicken

Is the alcohol cooked off?

The wine is added cold here, so alcohol remains. For an alcohol-free meal, choose white-cut chicken (白切鸡, báiqiē jī) made without wine.^[3]

Can I use chicken breast?

Yes, but prepare pieces of even thickness and monitor the center temperature. Breast needs its own cooking time; do not assume it behaves exactly like a rolled leg quarter.^[2][4]

Why do the rolls fall apart when sliced?

Loose wrapping or slicing before the chicken has chilled fully can spoil the shape. Roll firmly, even out unusually thick thigh meat, and slice after the refrigerated steep.^[2]

How long does drunken chicken keep?

For this recipe, use it within three days of cooking, including the 24-hour steep. Keep it at 40°F/4°C or colder and use clean utensils. Adding wine or finishing the soak does not restart the cooked-chicken storage clock.^[5][6]