Super tender Chinese Soy Sauce Chicken Made in the Rice Cooker is perfect for those busy weeknights! All you have to do is add all the ingredients (chicken, soy sauce and aromatics) in the rice cooker (or stovetop pot) and wait for the magic to happen!
🔍 Quick Look: Soy Sauce Chicken In Rice Cooker
- What is it? Super tender chicken thighs cooked in soy sauce, ginger, garlic and green onions.
- 🕒 Total Cook Time: 1 hour+ depending on your rice cooker
- 🔥 Cook Method: Uses the rice cooker and can be made on the stove (if you don’t have a rice cooker).
- 🥰 Easy Ingredient List: Uses all pantry ingredients and easy to find ingredients at the grocery store.
- 👩🍳 Flavor Profile: Savory and a little bit sweet.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy! Throw in all your ingredients in the rice cooker and wait for the magic to happen.
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Chinese Soy Sauce Chicken is a common dish made in Cantonese households for the sweet and savory flavor. Traditionally, a whole chicken (head and all) is gently simmered in a large pot with soy sauce for hours. For our recipe, we’re making things a lot easier by cooking the chicken in a rice cooker. This method works well because the rice cooker steams the chicken super gently and the soy sauce penetrates in the meat super well! For a home cooked Chinese meal, serve this soy sauce chicken with hot white rice and sauteed greens like Boy Choy with Oyster Sauce!
If you’re a fan of chicken recipes , you’ll definitely want to try my Take Out Style Kung Pao Chicken and my Chinese Shredded Chicken with Spicy Sauce.
Key Ingredients
Here’s a look at what you need to make this Soy Sauce Chicken In the Rice Cooker. The highlights are here but the full ingredient list and quantities of each are in the recipe card.
Equipment
- Zojirushi rice cooker – this is the rice cooker I use and it works great! I bought it at Costco 8 years ago and it’s still reliable to this day. The rice always comes out delicious! I recommend checking Costco if they have this brand or you can buy this rice cooker on Amazon. For more rice cooker recipes, check out One Pot Gyudon and One Pot Chinese Chicken Rice.
Chicken in Rice Cooker
- Chicken – I used bone-in chicken thighs with skin on because the bone and the skin provides lots of fat and flavor. I recommend to use roughly 1.5 pound dark meat chicken for this recipe to ensure that the meat is cooked through with perfect soy flavor.
- Aromatics like green onions, ginger, and garlic cloves are used to cook the chicken. They provide sweetness as well as remove any gaminess from the chicken. Bay leaves and star anise are optional but highly recommended for authentic Chinese flavor.
- Sugar is required to balance the saltiness of the soy sauce. You can use rock sugar or even honey to substitute. However, adding less sugar can change the authenticity of the dish flavor.
- Soy sauce and dark soy sauce is the main ingredient of the sauce. They provide flavor and the dark soy sauce is needed to give it that caramel golden color of the chicken. Use low sodium and high quality soy sauce like Kikkoman for the best taste.
- Cooking wine such as shaoxing cooking wine is commonly used. You can also use Japanese sake or dry sherry. When cooked down, the cooking wine will make the sauce taste sweet and there’s no alcohol flavor left.
Substitutions and Variations
- Use different chicken cuts. Replace thighs with chicken wings (cook faster and absorb flavor well) or bone-in breast if you want a leaner option. For a richer sauce, try skin-on drumsticks.
- Want to try a different protein? Use pork belly with good marbling and you will have a delicious tender pork dish. If you want a more authentic pork belly dish, I recommend my Taiwanese Braised Pork Belly dish!
- Add some shiitake mushrooms for more umami flavor! Keep in mind, the mushrooms will soak up the soy sauce and taste salty when you bite into them.
How to Make Soy Sauce Chicken In Rice Cooker
Step 1: (Optional step) Pour boiling water on chicken skin to make the skin softer and tender when cooked. Once you see the skin shrink, then you’re good to go to the next step.
Step 2: In a rice cooker, add green onions, sliced ginger, and garlic. Optional, but highly recommend, add in bay leaves and star anise for great flavor!
Step 3: Next, add your chicken with sugar, soy sauce, cooking wine, dark soy sauce, water.
Step 4: No need to marinate the chicken, close the rice cooker lid.
Step 5: Cook for 1 hour or white rice mode on your rice cooker.
Step 6: When your rice cooker is done cooking, your chicken is ready! Enjoy with steamed vegetables or some rice.
Don’t throw away your marinade! Make soy sauce marinated eggs if you have extra time.
Step 1: Add in 6 boiled eggs to the soy sauce.
Step 2: Cover the top with a paper towel so the whole egg gets marinated and even color distribution. Marinate eggs overnight in an airtight container in the fridge for best flavor.
Stovetop Instructions:
I understand that not everyone has a rice cooker, so some of us might use pots on the stovetop to cook the soy sauce chicken. If that is you, get your medium sized pot ready. Add the soy sauce, aromatics, and chicken according to the recipe directions. Once your pot is filled with all the ingredients…follow the instructions below and you can make your one pot beef and rice!
- Heat pot to medium high and cook for 15 minutes covered with a lid. The water will start boiling. Make sure to watch over the fire because the sauce might boil over ◡̈
- After 10 minutes, turn heat to low and cook for 20 more minutes covered. Do not open the lid during the entire cooking process.
- Then turn off the heat and do not open the covered pot. Leave for 15-20 minutes covered. When chicken is done, don’t throw away the sauce (use again or add on top of your veggies and rice) Hope you enjoy!
Expert Tips
I taste tested this recipe a few times to ensure the chicken is cooked through and the flavor tastes like Chinese soy sauce chicken you get at the restaurant! Follow these tips to ensure you get the best tasting Soy Sauce Chicken!
- Wash your chicken! I know this is controversial but my Chinese family swears by this. The flavor of chicken tastes more clean and less gamey. Just make sure you clean your kitchen surfaces after to avoid cross contamination.
- Use low sodium soy sauce to ensure your chicken is not too salty. If you use regular soy sauce, use half of it and dilute with some water.
- After the soy sauce chicken is done in the rice cooker, don’t throw away the sauce. I’m all about re-using food that has so much flavor! Add in boiled eggs (or tofu) and marinate it overnight in the fridge. Now you have two dishes in one as the eggs soak up the delicious soy sauce flavor. If you’re marinating eggs, add a paper towel on top, so there’s an even soy color throughout!
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Boneless thighs work great and cook a bit faster. Just note that bone-in pieces give the sauce more depth and keep the chicken extra juicy. If you have extra chicken, you can make One Pot Hainanese Chicken Rice.
No marinating needed at all—the chicken absorbs plenty of flavor as it cooks in the rice cooker. It’s one of the reasons this recipe is so easy.
Store the chicken and sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The flavors get even better overnight, and the sauce is perfect for reheating or using with eggs, rice, or noodles.
This soy chicken pairs well with simple, comforting sides that soak up its flavorful sauce. Steamed rice or blanched bok choy is a classic choice, but you can also serve it with Stir Fried Chinese Green Beans, or a side of Filipino Pancit. For something heartier, add a bowl of Egg Drop Soup with Tofu or enjoy it alongside marinated eggs made from the leftover sauce.
Soy Sauce Chicken In Rice Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 star anise (optional)
- 2 bone in chicken thighs (roughly 1.5 pound)
- half cup hot water (optional) to pour on skin
- 3 green onions
- 3 slices ginger peeled
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1.5 tablespoon sugar
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon cooking wine
- 1.5 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 cup water
- 2 bay leaves (optional)
Instructions
- (Optional step) Pour boiling water on chicken skin to make the skin softer and tender when cooked. Once you see the skin shrink, then you’re good to go to the next step.
- Next, add your chicken with sugar, soy sauce, cooking wine, dark soy sauce, water.
- No need to marinate the chicken, close the rice cooker lid.
- Cook for 1 hour or white rice mode on your rice cooker.
- When your rice cooker is done cooking, your chicken is ready! Enjoy with steamed vegetables or some rice.
Don’t throw away your marinade! Make soy sauce marinated eggs if you have extra time.
- Add in 6 boiled eggs to the soy sauce.
- Cover the top with a paper towel so the whole egg gets marinated and even color distribution. Marinate eggs overnight in an airtight container in the fridge for best flavor.
Notes
- Wash your chicken! I know this is controversial but my Chinese family swears by this. The flavor of chicken tastes more clean and less gamey. Just make sure you clean your kitchen surfaces after to avoid cross contamination.
- Use low sodium soy sauce to ensure your chicken is not too salty. If you use regular soy sauce, use half of it and dilute with some water.
- After the soy sauce chicken is done in the rice cooker, don’t throw away the sauce. I’m all about re-using food that has so much flavor! Add in boiled eggs (or tofu) and marinate it overnight in the fridge. Now you have two dishes in one as the eggs soak up the delicious soy sauce flavor. If you’re marinating eggs, add a paper towel on top, so there’s an even soy color throughout!
Sam Lee says
I just made this soy-sauce chicken recipe in my rice cooker and wow, it’s juicy, and full of that sweet-savory goodness! Totally a weeknight winner that’s easy but feels like a cozy home-cooked treat.