Lao-lao's Lazy Chicken (Red cooked chicken)

After we were grown, my mother perfected what she calls in Chinese Lazy Person's Chicken (Lan Ren Ji). The chicken is slowly and gently stewed in soy sauce until the meat is tender, separating from the bones and permeated with flavor. The lazy part comes from the fact that she just puts the chicken into the pot with all the seasonings, covers it, and lets it cook. For years I could not replicate the tender, flavor-permeated texture -- I thought I would brown the chicken first, as many cookbooks claim this enhances flavor. Last fall, I finally mastered the lazy style, cooked slowly at the lowest stove setting with no added liquid other than the soy sauce and wine, checking it every 40 minutes or so to turn, and then cooking uncovered at medium heat 10-15 min before serving to cook it dry. Since I love crispy cracklings, I take all the skin and fat that I remove from the chicken and put it into an ungreased stainless frying pan. I then fry it up like bacon and the kids and I snack on the cracklings while the chicken cooks (I used to make it for the dogs, but the humans eat it up too fast). My other adaptation is that I add green or nappa cabbage about 45 min before serving. First it steams on top and then I mix it in to soak up flavor. My mom stir fries baby bok choi, etc, separately.