Ginger Scallion Chicken With Asian Salad 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.

GINGER-SCALLION CHICKEN

Steps:

• Cut the scallions in quarters lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1 1/2-inch-long pieces. You should end up with thin blades of scallions. Separate out the dark green tops from the pale green and white parts. (You don't have to be very thorough; some mixing of colors is fine.)
• Heat oil in a wok or 12-inch skillet over very high heat. When it's shimmering but not smoking, stir in chicken and salt. Cook, stirring almost constantly, until chicken is barely cooked and no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer chicken onto a serving plate, leaving the oil in the pan. Immediately scatter cilantro and scallion greens (not whites) over hot chicken.
• Return wok to medium-high heat. Make sure there are at least 2 tablespoons oil in the wok. If not, add more oil. Stir in ginger and cook until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Stir in scallion whites, soy sauce and sugar, and cook for another 30 seconds (if using a skillet, remove from heat). Immediately spoon the contents of the pan evenly over chicken and herbs. Serve right away.

GRILLED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH GINGER SCALLION SAUCE

Steps:

• To make the scallion sauce: Add the scallions, vegetable oil, vinegar, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil and garlic to a small bowl and stir to combine. Add 2 tablespoons of the ginger scallion sauce to a large bowl and keep the rest refrigerated until ready to serve the chicken.
• For the chicken thighs: To the bowl with the 2 tablespoons reserved ginger scallion sauce, add the oil, soy sauce, vinegar and sambal oelek. Whisk to combine, then add the chicken thighs. Stir to coat the chicken in the marinade. Let the chicken marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken to a paper towel-lined baking sheet, smooth-side up. Sprinkle the smooth side with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Transfer the chicken to the heated grill pan, seasoning-side down. Sprinkle the underside with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Grill for 10 minutes, rotating the chicken once. Flip the chicken and cook until it is 165 degrees F all the way through and has nice grill marks, an additional 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate.
• Serve the chicken with the remaining ginger scallion sauce.

GINGER-SCALLION CHICKEN WITH ASIAN SALAD

Steps:

• Combine ginger, garlic, and scallions with 2 tbs sesame oil, 3/4 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper.
• Set aside 1 tbs and smear the remaining mixture on the chicken.
• Broil or grill the chicken 5-7 minutes per side.
• Combine carrots, snow peas, and sprouts.
• Blend reserved garlic mixture with cilantro, lemon juice and zest, red pepper, sugar, sesame seeds, and the remaining sesame oil, salt, and pepper.
• Toss vegetables with this dressing and serve with the chicken breasts.

SCALLION-GINGER SAUCE

Steps:

• Stir together the ginger, scallions and 1 teaspoon salt in a heatproof medium bowl.
• Heat the oil over high heat in a small pot until it just starts to smoke or registers 375 degrees F on a digital thermometer, 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully pour the hot oil over the scallion-ginger mixture and stir to combine. Mix in the sugar and 1/2 teaspoon white pepper. Serve as a condiment for bai qie ji (white cut chicken).

ASIAN CHICKEN AND SCALLIONS

Steps:

• whisk together first 7 ingredients in a small bowl in a wok, heat 1 tsp oil until very hot stir fry the scallions until they start to look golden (30 sec- 1 minute) and remove heat remaining oil, stir fry chicken until it is browned and almost done (2- 3 min).
• remove, pouring any juices over chicken add the mixture from the small bowl to the pan and boil until it gets syrupy add chicken and juices and cook until chicken is done and liquid looks like it is glazing the chicken (about 1 minute) remove from heat and fold in scallions.