Cantonese White Cut Chicken (白切鸡)
Ditch the fancy restaurant and skip the fryer, because white cut chicken is all about juicy goodness and minimal fuss. Here's why I love it and make it so much:
- Easy to cook: Forget roasting or frying – this chicken chills out in a pot of water or broth, making it super tender and practically falling off the bone.
- Simple but flavourful: Sure, you might add some ginger or scallions to the poaching water, but the real star is the chicken itself. It's all about the natural, delicious flavour.
- Tender and melt-in-your-mouth: Thanks to the gentle poaching, the texture is insanely soft and juicy. Each bite is a melt-in-your-mouth kind of experience.
- Serve at any temperature: This chicken's happy to be served cold, warm, or at room temperature. Chop it up or keep it whole, whatever tickles your fancy.
This recipe delivers amazingly tender poached chicken with a flavourful and easy-to-make ginger scallion sauce. It's perfect for a quick and delicious weeknight meal.
Servings
Feeds
4
Prep Time
10
mins
Cook Time
45
mins
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (around 1-1.5 kg)
- 1.5 litre water (about 6 cups)
- 2 tbsp salt
- 2 stalks of spring onions
- 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine, aka Shaoxing wine, or dry sherry (optional)
For the sauce:
- 2 tbsp neutral cooking oil
- 2 stalks spring onions, green and white parts separated, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
For serving:
- Steamed rice
- Freshly chopped coriander
- Chilli oil (recipe attached below)
Pair it with
Instructions
- Poach the Chicken: In a large pot, bring the water to a boil. Add salt, spring onions, ginger, sesame oil, and Chinese cooking wine.
- Carefully lower the chicken into the boiling water. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through as size of chicken may differ
- Prepare the Ice Bath: While the chicken simmers, prepare a large bowl with ice water.
- Cool the Chicken: Once cooked, remove the chicken from the pot and immediately transfer it to the ice bath for 10 minutes. This helps stop the cooking process and ensures the chicken stays juicy.
- Make the Sauce: While the chicken cools, finely mince the green and white parts of the spring onions. Heat a separate pan or wok over medium heat with sesame oil. Add the minced ginger and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.Add the white parts of the spring onion and cook for another minute, until softened. Then, add the green parts and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Season the Sauce: Pour in the soy sauce and stir to combine. Remove the pan from heat.
- Assemble and Serve: Shred the cooled chicken into bite-sized pieces. Place cooked rice on a serving plate and top with the shredded chicken. Drizzle generously with the ginger scallion sauce.
Tips:
- Simmer, don't boil, the chicken in water with aromatics (scallions, ginger) for even cooking.
- After simmering, dunk the chicken in an ice bath to lock in juices. Let it rest for extra tenderness.
- Season the broth with salt, sugar, and Shaoxing wine for a flavourful bird. Don't forget delicious dipping sauces like ginger scallion or chilli oil!
Video demonstration
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