Chinese Glazed Chicken 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 HONEY CHICKEN

Steps:

• Marinate chicken: In a large bowl mix the chicken with the rest of the marinade ingredients together. Mix well, making sure to break up the egg white. Marinate for 15 minutes.
• Make the sauce: In another bowl combine all the sauce ingredients together and whisk well.
• Coat the chicken: Add the flour to the bowl with the chicken, including the marinade) and toss everything together well.
• Preheat oil: Fill a wok with vegetable oil ⅓ of the way through. Heat over high heat until oil reaches 325°F.
• Fry the chicken: Shake excess flour from chicken and fry in batches about 3 minutes or until cooked through and golden. Mine took 3 batches to finish all the chicken. Transfer cooked chicken to a paper towel lined plate.
• Finish the chicken: In a clean wok, add about 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and heat over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 20 seconds until fragrant. Add the sauce mixture to the garlic and cook until the sugar dissolves and the liquid start to boil a bit. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. Toss in the cooked chicken pieces until each piece is evenly coated.
• Serve and garnish: Transfer the chicken to a serving plate, drizzle any leftover sauce over the chicken and garnish with sesame seeds. Serve over rice.

ASIAN GLAZED CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• Whisk the vinegar, honey, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, chili garlic sauce, garlic, and salt in a bowl until smooth. Pour half the marinade into a large plastic zipper bag; retain the other half of the sauce. Place the chicken thighs into the bag containing marinade, squeeze all the air out of the bag, and seal. Shake a few times to coat chicken; refrigerate for 1 hour, turning bag once or twice.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Pour the other half of the marinade into a saucepan over medium heat, bring to a boil, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often, to thicken sauce. Remove the chicken from the bag; discard used marinade. Place chicken thighs into a 9x13-inch baking dish, and brush with 1/3 of the thickened marinade from the saucepan.
• Bake 30 minutes, basting one more time after 10 minutes; an instant-read thermometer inserted into a chicken thigh should read 165 degrees F (75 degrees C). Let stand for 5 or 10 minutes; meanwhile, bring remaining marinade back to a boil for 1 or 2 minutes, and serve chicken with marinade. Sprinkle with green onions.

CHINESE GLAZED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Turn broiler on and cover broiler pan with aluminum foil.
• Wash and dry chicken. Cut each breast into quarters. Put chicken in the broiler pan.
• Combine onion, ginger, soy sauce, sherry, honey and garlic in oil. Spoon some over chicken and put under broiler 2 or 3 inches from source of heat. Broil until chicken begins to brown, about 7 minutes. Turn and spoon remaining glaze over chicken and continue broiling until chicken is done, 10 to 12 minutes total.
• Chop cilantro. Serve chicken with its pan juices, sprinkling cilantro over the top.

GLAZED ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a small saucepan, bring wine to a boil; cook until wine is reduced by half, 3-4 minutes. Stir in preserves and mustard. Reserve half of the glaze for serving., Place chicken on a rack in a shallow roasting pan, breast side up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tuck wings under chicken; tie drumsticks together., Roast 45 minutes; baste with glaze. Continue roasting chicken until a thermometer inserted in thigh reads 170°-175°, basting occasionally with glaze. Cover loosely with foil if chicken browns too quickly. Remove chicken from oven; tent with foil. Let stand 15 minutes before carving. Serve with remaining reserved glaze.

HONEY GLAZED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Put 2 chicken breasts, skin side up in a small baking dish and season.
• Squeeze the lemon into a bowl and stir in the honey and soy sauce. Spoon the mixture over the chicken, then tuck the squeezed-out half of lemon between the pieces (this will moisten and add flavour to the chicken).
• Roast the chicken breasts in a baking dish, uncovered, for 30-35 minutes in a preheated oven (190C/gas 5/fan oven 170C). Cook until done and richly glazed, basting with the juices at least twice. To check if they are done, prod the chicken with your finger - if it's still a bit soft, give it a bit longer.
• Serve with salad and potatoes roasted with herbs and garlic.

HONEY GLAZED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Whisk honey, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes in a bowl.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir chicken in hot oil until lightly brown, about 5 minutes. Pour honey mixture into skillet and continue to cook and stir until chicken is no longer pink in the center and sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes more.

HONEY & SOY CHICKEN

Steps:

• Using a sharp knife, score the chicken thighs twice through the skin, season and transfer to a bowl.
• Whisk the honey with the soy, lemon juice, ketchup, ginger, garlic, chilli flakes and fennel seeds. Pour this over the chicken, making sure that each piece is coated, then cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 2-3 hrs, or overnight if you have time.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Line a large roasting tin with foil and put in the oven to heat up for 10 mins. Gently shake the excess marinade off the chicken thighs, reserving the bowl of leftover marinade, then carefully arrange in a single layer in the hot tin. Drizzle with the oil and roast for 10 mins.
• Meanwhile, pour the reserved marinade into a small pan and bring to the boil over a medium-low heat, stirring often. Cook for 7-10 mins, or until thick and syrupy.
• Remove the chicken from the oven and carefully pour any juices from the tin into the pan with the syrupy sauce and continue to cook for 5 mins until the sauce is the consistency of double cream.
• Spoon the sauce over the chicken, then return the roasting tin to the oven for 10-15 mins more, or until the thighs are sticky and tender, and the juices run clear when pierced with a knife. Slice some spring onions along their length and scrape a knife along the shreds to curl them, if you like, then scatter over the chicken. Serve warm or at room temperature with rice and salad or steamed greens.