SUMMER MEAT FEAST: EASIEST MOST DELICIOUS CHICKEN IN THE WORLD

Chicken, Jim, but not as we know it!  Astonishingly succulent, sweet & tender   

first published jan 2016; updated 2021

  

Clean, Green Lean & Mean: Poached Chicken with Cherry Salsa 

  

Don't be put off by the simplicity of this recipe; chicken cooked by poaching is silken and velvety, succulent and tender, bringing out the 'chickeness' of the bird.  The result is so moist and delectable, people will wonder whether it's a different breed of chicken. 

The tender, yielding flesh provides a pillowy vehicle for a trio of bold sauces: piquant ginger and scallion, oyster or hoisin sauce and reduced salt soy sauce.  Or you could go for a (fat-free) Cherry Salsa with Oriental spices.

Every family in Asia has a version of this dish; it's health-giving and easy to digest.  Prepared several hours in advance, it's ideal for buffets; it also provides an excellent cold or room-temperature alternative to blazing hot meats just off the barbecue. 

Chicken cooked in this way is more like a delicacy than boring 'rubber' chicken.  And you end up with a glorious broth for freezing.  

The chicken takes only minutes to prepare.  And, in a fuel-conscious world, cooking time last only twenty minutes; the residual heat of the stock does the rest.  Don't go over the resting time or hold back on the ice; the chicken can dry out otherwise.

This is not a frugal dish but it is a memorable one.

Cost: up to £10, depending on the chicken*
Serves: about 6-8 with sides

Ingred:

   1 whole chicken 1-1 1/2 k/ 2 1/2-3 lbs, skinned (the best you can afford) , 

   6 slices ginger 1/4 in/1/2 cm thick
   6 spring onions, floppy leaves removed and bottoms trimmed, cut in three
   6 whole peppercorns or 1/2 tsp coarse black pepper
   a splash of dry sherry/white wine/white grape juice (opt)

    English Bibbs (soft) lettuce

Ginger & green onion Sauce
  3 tsp grated ginger
  6 tbsp finely chopped white spring onions
  3 tbsp groundnut/peanut oil
  1 generous tsp grated garlic (opt)
   

Method:

(You'll need a pot large enough to cover the chicken with liquid; a vertical stock pot is ideal but any large stock pot will do.) 

1. Place chicken in stock pot; cover with water
   
2. Bring to the boil; skim off froth; reduce heat to low 
3. Add green onions, ginger, pepper & sherry, if using
4. The water should be bubbling slightly - too much toughens the fibres
5. Cover with lid; simmer 20 min 
6. Turn off heat source; remove pot from heat, set aside & rest 1 hour; the chicken will carry on cooking
7. Prepare a large bowl of iced water  
8. Remove chicken from broth and plunge into iced water; set aside
9. Strain broth through a sieve; discard vegetables & pepper.  Cool broth one hour then refrigerate overnight.  (Scrape off fat layer on top; use as broth within 3 days or freeze.)
10. Remove chicken from iced water; pat dry; discard cooling water 
11. Serve at room temperature 
12. Carve flesh (see How to...Carve a Chicken).  Place leg meat underneath and breast meat on top in a pleasing mound. 
13. Serve with Ginger Scallion Sauce and Reduced Salt Soy Sauce and/or Oyster Sauce OR  for a more westernised take, cherry salsa
14. Ginger & Scallion Sauce: Put ginger & spring onions in heatproof bowl; heat oil until very hot and pour over - the ginger and spring onions will sizzle.  Stir and pour into a serving bowl 

Tips:

• If you don't have a large enough pot, use the largest lidded pot you have.  Cut chicken into sections: legs & breasts.  Proceed as above but reduce cooking time by 5 mins.
• Recommended brands for lower-salt soy sauce: Amoy & Pearl River Bridge

*organic chickens are available at most major supermarkets for £12 (2021)

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This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.