Spicy Soy Sauce Chicken

Here is one of my favorite comfort dishes once the weather turns cold. A Shanghai dish, Soy Sauce Chicken consists of simmering a whole chicken in a rich liquid with soy sauce and spices. This method of cooking is called “red cooking” because the food takes on a dark, reddish glaze from the sauce. Chicken cooked in this way is very tender, with the meat falling off the bone. Leftover sauce can be used over and over again.

Virtual Cookie Exchange- Our guide to Greek food has a special recipe for Melomakarona which is a traditional Greek holiday cookie made with cinnamon and cloves, soaked in a honey syrup, and sprinkled with sesame seeds, walnuts, and cinnamon.

_{Soy Sauce Chicken photo © 2006 by Rhonda Parkinson, licensed to About.com, Inc.}