Chinese Boiled Chicken Breast Food

CANTONESE POACHED CHICKEN (BAI QIE JI)

Steps:

• Make sure your chicken is at room temperature (trying to poach a cold chicken right out of the refrigerator will result in uneven cooking or undercooking). Clean the chicken by rinsing it under cold water, paying special attention to the cavity. Any giblets should already be removed but there may still be organs on the inside that should be removed or sometimes stray feathers that need to be plucked. Experts recommend that it's not necessary to wash your chicken before cutting and cooking but in this case for a whole chicken (especially if you get it from a live poultry place or even from Asian markets), it's a step that shouldn't be skipped, in my opinion. When washing and prepping the whole chicken, be very careful about splashing water and contaminating surfaces with unwanted bacteria. Be careful not to break or trim away any of the skin on the chicken, as you don't want the meat exposed to the boiling water as it cooks. This will ensure a moist, silky texture in the final product.
• Fill a large stock pot with water, just enough to submerge the chicken completely. You can determine this by putting the entire chicken in the pot, filling it with water until the chicken is submerged, and then removing the chicken. Do not turn on the heat while the chicken is still in the pot! This method of ensuring you have just enough water to submerge the chicken (and avoiding any extra) will ensure you have a more flavorful stock to save at the end. We used about 18 cups of water to submerge a 4 pound chicken in a deep stock pot.
• Once you have your water properly measured into the pot, add 2 scallions and 5 slices of ginger, and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, slowly lower the chicken into the pot, legs down and head up. It's ok if the breast is peeking out of the water a bit. The water will cool down and stop boiling when you add the chicken, so bring it up to a boil once again, and do not walk away from the pot.
• Once the water boils again, IMMEDIATELY lift the chicken out of the water very carefully. You can carefully hook two wooden spoons under the wings to lift the chicken up. The goal is to empty any colder water that may be trapped inside the cavity. Once you've released that water, lower the chicken back into the pot, and bring to a boil again.
• When the water is JUST starting to boil, turn the heat down. Keep it at barely a simmer. There should be very little movement in the water, but it also shouldn't be still. Cover the pot, and keep the heat around the lowest setting so the liquid continues to simmer slowly. Cook for about 35-40 minutes, roughly 10-11 minutes per pound. Depending on the size of your chicken, it may take more or less time to cook it through. You can check to make sure the water is bubbling slowly/gently and not boiling too vigorously, but try to avoid uncovering the pot while it's cooking.
• Poke a chopstick or skewer into the thigh to check for doneness. If the juices run clear, it's done. Carefully lift the chicken out of the pot and transfer it to a large bowl of ice water. Cool completely.
• While the chicken is cooling, make the sauce. You have the option to make two versions-one with just scallions, ginger, oil and salt, and one with soy sauce. The plain version is more traditional, as it really lets the flavors of chicken, ginger, and scallion shine through. Judy loves to add soy sauce, and it's also a tasty option! Start with the plain version, and then scoop some of it out into another bowl and add soy sauce. Try both and see which your loved ones like best!
• When the chicken is out of the ice water, you can brush it lightly with oil or some of the fat floating atop the poaching liquid to give it that enticing, shiny look!
• To serve, carve your chicken into pieces that you can easily grab with chopsticks. Serve with your sauce(s) and some steamed rice.

CHINESE COLD BOILED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Season the thighs generously with salt and pepper. Put them in a pot and barely cover with cold water. Add the ginger, garlic, star anise and the two whole scallions. Bring to a gentle boil and skim any rising foam. Turn the heat to very low, cover, and cook at a bare simmer for 1 hour.
• Transfer the thighs to a bowl to cool. Skim the fat from the surface of the cooking liquid. Over high heat, reduce the liquid by half, about 10 minutes, then strain it over the thighs. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight.
• To serve, arrange the chicken on a platter, leaving some of the jellied broth clinging to the thighs. (Alternatively, the skin may be removed and discarded, and the meat pulled from the bone and shredded.) Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with slivered scallions, cilantro and, if you like, jalapeño slices. Drizzle with sesame oil and surround with lime wedges.

VELVETING CHICKEN BREAST, CHINESE RESTAURANT-STYLE

Steps:

• Whisk egg white, vinegar, cornstarch, and salt together in a bowl until marinade is smooth. Add chicken; cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator, about 30 minutes.
• Bring water and oil to a boil in a pot over high heat. Reduce heat to medium.
• Pour excess marinade off the chicken. Add chicken to the pot; boil until white on the outside but still raw in the middle, about 1 minute. Strain off excess liquid.
• Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container until ready to use, up to a few hours. Heat until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

CHINESE BOILED CHICKEN WITH ONIONS - CHOW YOW GAI

Steps:

• Fill a large kettle with water and bring to a boil. (An 8-quart pot two-thirds filled with water works great for a 2 1/2 to 3-pound bird.)
• When the water boils, place the whole cleaned chicken into it. When the water stops boiling, take the chicken out.
• Cover the pot and when the water again boils, place the chicken back in the pot. Cover the pot and turn off the heat. Leave the chicken in the pot and the pot on the burner. After one hour, the chicken is done. Remove, and cool.
• Debone the chicken and tear the meat into small strips.
• Place them on a large platter.
• Clean the green onions, and split each onion down the middle. Then cut them up into 1/2-inch pieces and place over the mound of chicken.
• Pour the soy sauce and the sesame oil over the chicken.
• Pour the salt over the onions.
• When you are ready to serve, pour the hot peanut oil over onions and chicken.
• Toss like salad and serve.

BOILED CHICKEN, CHINESE STYLE (ADAPTED FROM THE FRUGAL GOURMET)

Steps:

• Fill a large kettle with water, add OXO (or Herb-Ox Chicken, in the US) and bring to a boil. (An 8-qt pot 2/3 filled with water works great for a 2 1/2 to 3 lb bird).
• When the water boils, turn off the heat source and place the whole cleaned chicken (or whole boneless chicken breasts) into the pot. When the water stops boiling, take the chicken out. Cover the pot, and when the water boils again, place the chicken back in the pot. Cover the pot and turn off the heat. Leave the chicken in the pot on the stove. After 1 hour the chicken is done. Remove and cool
• You can de-bone this chicken in very little time. For low fat chicken, remove the skin. Save the juices that flow from the bird when deboning because this liquid contains a great deal of natural gelatin and will help keep the bird moist if you decide to store the meat in the refrigerator.
• The chicken is ready to use in a salad such as this:
• Chicken Salad
• cooked chicken
• celery, chopped
• mayonnaise, sour cream or yogurt
• green onions, chopped
• capers, chopped (optional)
• salt and pepper
• lettuce
• Chop the chicken, and mix with all the remaining ingredients except lettuce.
• Serve on a bed of lettuce.
• source: Frugal Gourmet