Marinate the chicken
Add the chicken leg quarters to a bowl along with the dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and a dash of white pepper.
Coat the chicken well and leave to marinate for around 10 minutes while you prepare the rest of your ingredients.
Caramelise the rock sugar & brown the chicken
Heat around ½ tbsp oil in a wok or large saucepan over medium heat.
Add the crushed rock sugar and allow it to melt and caramelise, stirring gently so it doesn't burn.
Once the sugar has turned a deep golden brown, carefully add the chicken skin-side down.
Brown for around 3 minutes, then remove the chicken from the wok and set aside. Leave any caramelised bits and oil behind, that's where the flavour is!
Make the braising liquid
In the same wok, add the garlic, spring onion, ginger and shallot.
Stir-fry for around 1 minute, until fragrant.
Add the cinnamon stick, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise and bay leaf. Stir for another 30 seconds to release their aromas.
Pour in the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce and Shaoxing wine, followed by the water or chicken stock then bring everything to a boil.
Braise the chicken
Once the braising liquid is boiling, carefully place the browned chicken back into the wok, skin-side down.
The liquid should come most of the way up the chicken.
Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for around 35 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through.
The chicken should be completely cooked through and tender. You can use a chopstick to poke a hole in the thickest part to check.
Thicken the sauce
Remove the chicken from the braising liquid and let it rest for around 10 minutes, or until it's cool enough to handle.
Meanwhile, remove the aromatics and whole spices from the braising liquid. You can strain the liquid into another saucepan if that's easier.
Mix the cornflour with 1 tbsp water to create a slurry.
Bring the braising liquid back to a gentle simmer, then gradually stir in the slurry until the sauce has thickened slightly and become glossy.
Taste and adjust if needed.
Slice the chicken
Once the chicken has cooled slightly, remove the bones and slice the meat into pieces.
Alternatively, you can shred the chicken or simply serve the leg quarter whole.
Assemble the noodles
Cook the egg noodles according to the packet instructions, then drain.
Add around 2 tbsp of the braising liquid to each serving bowl.
Add the cooked noodles and toss until they're coated in the sauce.
Top with blanched pak choi, the sliced soy sauce chicken and a halved boiled egg.
Spoon over some extra braising liquid and finish with chilli oil if you want a little heat. Serve hot and enjoy!
