This is a quintessential Chinese comfort dish of braised chicken with potatoes. Juicy, tender chicken with butter-soft potatoes basking in a thick savoury gravy flavoured with the juices of chicken, oyster sauce, soy sauce, Chinese wine and sesame oil.
Wash and pat dry chicken parts. In a mixing bowl, combine chicken and seasonings. Coat evenly all over and set aside, covered with cling wrap, for 1 hour.
Peel potatoes and slice into quarters. Peel and slice ginger thinly. Cut spring onions into thumb-length sections.
Heat up a wok or skillet over high heat. Add ½ cup of oil. When very hot, fry potato chunks. While frying, turn potatoes as needed to lightly brown all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Remove the oil, leaving behind 3 tbsp.
When oil is hot again, fry ginger and spring onions until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add garlic cloves and fry for 15 seconds. Put in seasoned chicken and stir fry to brown the meat all over, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Add enough water to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat until a gentle simmer. Let braise, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
Halfway through the braising, add fried potatoes. Stir in gently, and add more water if needed. Stir occasionally to braise the potatoes evenly, be careful not to break them up.
Once chicken is tender and potatoes are soft, taste the gravy and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Simmer a bit longer to reduce if you want a thicker gravy and more intense flavour. Alternatively, if you want more gravy, thicken with corn starch solution to your desired consistency.
When done, dish out into serving dish. Garnish with sliced spring onions and serve.