CHINESE COOKING: This is the traditional way of cooking chicken in boiling water, If it is too time-consuming, try the simplified version which yields pretty good result too.

WHITE-COOKED 白切雞OR POACHED CHICKEN:



1 chicken about 3 lbs in weigh

3-4 tsp salt

1 cup Chinese cooking wine

10-12 cups water

6 green onions, trimmed, cut into pieces

10 cloves garlic, crushed

¾ cup sliced ginger root

2 tbsp. kosher or sea salt

2 star anise


ginger and green onion dipping oil:

3 tbsp. very hot oil
1 stalk green onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp. finely grated ginger
½ tsp. salt


Place all ingredients, except chicken, in large stock pot. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Add salt to grated ginger and green onion; then pour hot oil over it.

Wash chicken and remove excess fat and season it inside and out with 3-4 tsp. salt. Let stand 1 hour. Tie a long piece of strings under the wings and around the body of the chicken and make it into a sling. Using the sling, lower chicken into the hot broth, breast side down, making sure it is fully submerged. Increase heat to high to bring broth back to boiling. Let chicken cook in boiling broth for 30 seconds; then remove it and hang it under the tap of running cold water, letting water wash over the chicken for 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, keep the broth boiling and return chicken to the broth to soak for 30 seconds. Go through this procedure of immersing chicken in boiling water then cooling under the tap 5 times more. The purpose is to toughen the skin which should be nice and firm with this treatment.

At the end of the 5th time, bring water to a boil; then turn heat down to barely simmering. Immerse chicken and let it cook for 20 minutes, turning once during cooking. Turn off heat and let chicken stand in hot broth, covered, for another 10 minutes. Test that chicken is cooked; then remove and run cold water over it again until chicken is completely cooled off.

Cut chicken into serving pieces and arrange the pieces in the original chicken shape with wings on either side. Serve at room temperature with ginger and green onion oil.


SIMPLIFIED VERSION:


Bring 10-12 cups water and salt to a boil over high heat in a large deep saucepan. Add chicken, making sure that it is completely covered with water, and bring water back to boil. Turn off heat; let chicken sit in the pot of boiled water for at least 20 minutes.

Pierce thick part of thigh with skewer, if juices run clear, chicken is cooked. If chicken is not yet cooked, turn the heat up to medium low and let chicken sit in heated water for 10 to 15 minutes more. Transfer chicken to a pot of cold boiled water and let it sit for 10 minutes, or until chicken skin becomes firm.