Poached Ginger Scallion Chicken
Prep Time: 10 Mins
Cook Time: 60 Mins
Total Time: 70 Mins
Serves: 4-6
Like a lot of Asian kids in North America, I grew up rejecting my heritage and Chinese food. One of the few dishes I always loved was my Mom’s poached chicken with ginger and scallion dipping sauce. The dipping sauce has so much flavour, you can pour it over rice and boiled veggies to give them flavour. This is a very healthy, clean dinner! Cooking a whole chicken was very intimidating to me at the beginning of my cooking journey. But once I made it, I was surprised that it’s super easy and has a lot more lee-way for mess-ups. Cooking meat on bones with skin on retains moisture, so even if you overcook it, it will likely still be moist, unlike a skinless boneless chicken breast.
Ingredients
1 whole chicken (1.5-2.2 kg)
2 stalks celery
2 carrots
½ cup cilantro stems
1 yellow onion, cut into large chunks
1 3-cm piece ginger
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled
10 whole coriander seeds
6 peppercorns
2 teaspoons sea salt
Ginger dipping sauce
8 tablespoons canola oil
3 green onions (white and green), thinly sliced
60-70g (3-4 tablespoons) minced ginger
1 teaspoon table salt
Directions
In a small bowl combine 8 tablespoons of canola oil, green onions, minced ginger, and salt. Stir to combine and let sit for the flavours to meld. If you prefer a milder onion or ginger taste, heat the oil in a saucepan before pouring over the aromatics.
Check if the chicken has any giblets in the cavity, if so discard them. Place the chicken in a large stock pot with the celery, carrots, cilantro stems, onion, ginger, garlic, coriander seeds, peppercorns, and sea salt. Add water to cover the chicken by 5-6cm.
Cover the pot and bring to a boil on high heat. When the water has come to a boil, immediately lower the heat to a very slow but steady simmer. Leave the pot uncovered and simmer for about 60-90 minutes (check progress at about 50 minutes) or until the chicken is fully cooked to 165°F (74°C) and the meat falls off the bone. Turn the chicken at least once during the cooking process. As it’s cooking, white froth (protein scum) will appear on the surface, skim it off with a big spoon and discard.
When cooked, use tongs and a big spoon to remove the chicken from the pot and transfer it to a large bowl or plate to cool for at least 5-10 minutes before handling. If you cut chicken right away it will lose its moisture and juices.
Strain the liquid through a sieve (and cheesecloth if you want a purer broth) and discard any vegetables. You now have a delicious chicken broth for soups. Storing tips in the notes below.
Remove the chicken from the bones and serve on a plate with the dipping sauce, rice, and choice of side vegetables.
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Leftover chicken, chicken broth and ginger sauce keep for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
To store the broth for longer, freeze for 2-3 months. I like to freeze broth in small yogurt tubs, that way you already have it premeasured for quantity.
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Per 1 serving (4 total):
Calories: 523
Carbohydrates: 8g
Protein: 43g
Fat: 49g
Saturated Fat: 8g
Fiber: 3g
Sugar: 3g
