OK, so, it's pretty easy. If you want to marinate, marinate your chicken in some soy sauce and garlic for a while.
Once the chicken's soaked in the flavor, heat up a bit of oil (just enough to completely cover the bottom of the pot). Fry up the chicken for a few minutes to make sure it gets nice and well cooked. Usually around 3-5 minutes a side, though your chicken may vary.
Once that's done, pour soy sauce, water, and garlic into the pot. You want about 2 tbsp soy sauce, .5-1 cup water, and 1 to 1.5 cloves of garlic per pound of chicken. Bring that pile to a boil and then throw in some bay leaves (I lean towards 2 per pound) and few whole black peppercorns. Let that simmer for around half an hour.
Once the chicken is nice and tender, add vinegar, preferably rice, though any white should do. You want 1 part vinegar for every 2 parts soy sauce you used. Stir that all up and cook for another 10 minutes or so.
Once that's all done, you want a little salt and sugar for taste. I've leaned lighter on the sugar, but it's all based on what you like. Start at around 1/4 tbsp per pound. Turn off the heat and stir all that stuff up.
Once you're happy with how the sauce tastes, pull out the bay leaves and serve with steamed rice. If you're drinking with beer, I'd go with a hoppy, light to medium body beer. I lean towards IPAs
Also, if you noticed a lot of "about" or "around", that's because it's one of those old style recipes where you just eyeball the amount you're putting in. I remember it being measured in pinches and handfuls. For liquids i just pour it straight into the pot until it looks right.