Cantonese poached chicken with ginger and scallion oil

From: http://thewoksoflife.com/2014/02/cantonese-poached-chicken-w-ginger-scallion-oil-bai-qie-ji/ 

 

Prep time 5 mins

Cook time 45 mins

Total time 50 mins

 

Serves: Serves 6

Ingredients

• 3-pound kosher or all-natural chicken, at room temperature
• 2 whole scallions, cut into large pieces
• 5 slices ginger
• 3 tablespoons finely minced scallion (white and light green parts only)
• 2 tablespoons finely minced ginger
• 3 tablespoons oil
• salt
• soy sauce (optional)

Instructions

1. Clean the chicken. Rinse it under cold water, paying special attention to the cavity.
2. Fill a large stock pot with water--just enough to submerge the chicken completely.
3. Add the 2 scallions and the ginger slices. Bring it to a boil.
4. Once boiling, slowly lower the chicken into the pot. The water will cool down, so bring it up to a boil again. Don’t walk away!
5. Once it’s boiling, use a large metal carving fork to lift the chicken out of the water very carefully. The goal is to empty any colder water that may be stuck inside the cavity. Put the chicken back into the water, and bring it to a boil again. When the water is JUST starting to boil, turn the heat down. You want it to stay at a simmer.
6. Cover the pot, and keep the heat on low, so that the liquid continues to simmer. Cook for about 45 minutes. Depending on the size of your chicken, it may take a little less or more time to cook it through.
7. Test if the chicken is done by taking a chopstick or a fork and poking it into the thigh. If the juices run clear, the chicken is done. Carefully take the chicken out of the pot and transfer it to a large bowl. Let cold water run over the chicken for a minute or so. Wait until it’s cooled completely.
8. While it’s cooling, make the sauce by heating up the oil in a small pan until very hot. Then add the scallion, ginger, and salt in the pan and turn off the heat. Fry sauce until fragrant.
9. Slice up the chicken into pieces, and serve with your sauce and some white rice. You can also serve it with some soy sauce, if you like.