Recipe: Red Cooked Turkey Breast or Chicken with Star Anise

Red Cooked Turkey Breast or Chicken with Star Anise
rec.food.cooking/Ken Hulme (1996)

One of my favorite star anise recipes comes from Martin Yan. It's a style of "red cooking" a turkey breast a whole chicken or big bag of chicken wings, etc. Simple as anything:

1 (20 Oz.) bottle soy sauce
3 cups water
2 whole star anise
1 chopped green onion
1 minced clove of garlic.

Put all this is a large pot. Put in turkey breast or wings. Baste with liquid until it boils. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Turn breast over.

Cover and simmer 20 minutes more. Turn off the fire. Let sit covered 20-30 minutes. Turn breast over. Let sit 20-30 minutes more.

If you're cooking wings, of course you won't have to turn things. To finish off the breast I paint it with a little sesame oil and broil for 10 minutes or so to crisp the skin.

The anise flavor goes all the way to the bone and you end up with moist, sweet meat that's fabulous as a main course, or on sandwiches, or whatever.