Ingredients

For Poaching the Chicken

• 1.5 lbs / 680 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs

• 4 cloves garlic, smashed

• 1 thumb-size piece ginger, sliced

• 1 tsp whole black peppercorns

• 2 dried bay leaves

• Water, enough to cover the chicken

For the Skillet Sauce & Aromatics

• ⅓ cup / 80 ml neutral oil

• ¾ cup / 115 g chopped onion (red or yellow)

• 8 cloves garlic, minced

• 1–2 Thai chilies, minced (adjust for heat)

• 4.5 tbsp / 67 ml white vinegar

• 1 tbsp / 15 ml dark soy sauce

• 3 tbsp / 45 ml soy sauce

• 3 tbsp / 45 ml oyster sauce

• 3 tbsp / 36 g brown sugar

• ¾ tsp ground turmeric

• ⅓ tsp ground black pepper

Method

1. Poach & Shred the Chicken: Place the chicken thighs, smashed garlic, ginger, peppercorns, and bay leaves into a pot. Cover completely with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15–20 minutes until tender and cooked through. Remove the chicken and let it cool slightly. Strain and reserve a bit of the broth for later if desired. Let the shredded chicken sit in the broth while it cools to help retain moisture, then set aside.

2. Sauté the Aromatics: Heat the neutral oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 2–3 minutes until softened. Stir in the minced garlic and Thai chilies and cook for another 2 minutes until fragrant.

3. Cook & Crisp the Chicken: Add the shredded chicken, white vinegar, dark soy sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, and turmeric to the pan. Mix thoroughly to coat the meat evenly. Cook over medium-high heat for 12–15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the liquid cooks off and the chicken is deeply browned and crispy around the edges. Stir in the black pepper during the last minute of cooking.

4. Serve: Serve hot over rice with your choice of sides.

Additional Notes

Second Cook: I cooked the chicken in the skillet a bit too long, which dried it out more than I would have liked. Keep a close eye on it during the second cook — pull it once it's browned and crispy so it stays moist.

Moisture Tip: After shredding the chicken, I let it sit in the broth while it cooled. It definitely helps keep the meat from drying out before it even hits the pan.

Shortcut: You can use a store-bought rotisserie chicken and skip straight to the second cook — just shred and go.

Sides: I served mine with marinated cucumbers and air-fried broccoli. You can find the marinated cucumber recipe in my Poached Chicken with Ginger Scallion Sauce video, and the air-fried broccoli in my Chicken Teriyaki video.

Crunchy Topping: I forgot to add a crunchy topping, and I think that would have tied everything together. Don't forget yours.