Green Tea Poached 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.

GREEN TEA TERIYAKI CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place 2-1/2 teaspoons tea leaves in a small bowl; add boiling water. Cover and steep for 5-6 minutes. , Strain and discard leaves; pour tea into a large skillet. Add half of the onions. Stir in the honey, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and sesame oil. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until sauce is reduced to about 3/4 cup., Add chicken and remaining tea leaves; cover and cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 170°. Cut chicken into thin slices; serve with sauce. Garnish with remaining onions.

GREEN TEA POACHED SALMON WITH GINGER LIME SAUCE

Steps:

• Put the water into a straight sided skillet or pot with a lid. Add 3 of the lime halves (squeezing the juice into the water before adding), 5 tablespoons of the honey, the ginger, salt and peppercorns and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes to infuse the water with flavors. Remove and reserve 1/2 cup of this poaching liquid. Remove the pot from heat and add the tea. Allow the tea to steep for 3 to 5 minutes. Carefully slide the salmon into the water. Cover and poach until the fish is just cooked through and firm to the touch, about 6 to 7 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a small pot over low heat, simmer the reserved 1/2 cup of liquid along with the juice and zest of the remaining lime half, and remaining 1 tablespoon of honey. Cook until the liquid is reduced by 2/3 and thickened, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Remove the fish with a slotted spoon and arrange on serving plates. Drizzle a little bit of the sauce over each piece salmon before serving.

ASIAN-STYLE POACHED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place the green onion, brown onion, chiles, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, cooking wine, sugar and water in a large saucepan over high heat. Stir to combine and bring to the boil.
• Add the chicken, breast-side down. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 30 minutes.
• Remove from the heat, cover with a tight-fitting lid and allow to stand for 1 hour.
• Remove the chicken from the stock and allow to cool slightly. Shred the chicken, discarding the skin and bones, and set aside.
• Strain the stock into a large heatproof bowl, discarding the solids. Allow to cool. Skim any excess fat from the surface.

TEA-POACHED CHICKEN OVER GRAIN BOWL

Steps:

• Bring 2 cups water to boil in large saucepan. Add chicken and tea bags; cover. Simmer on medium-low heat 10 min. or until chicken is done (165°F).
• Meanwhile, pour remaining water into electric pressure cooker. Add farro; close and lock lid. Turn Pressure Release Valve to Sealing position. Cook 10 min. using HIGH PRESSURE COOK setting. When timer goes off, use Natural Pressure Release for 5 min., then do a Quick Pressure Release to release any remaining pressure. Turn pressure cooker off. Slowly remove lid.
• Transfer chicken to medium bowl; discard cooking liquid from saucepan. Add dressing to chicken; mix lightly. Toss onions with vinegar in separate bowl.
• Spoon farro into 4 medium bowls; top with chicken, onions, edamame, carrots and avocados.

GREEN TEA POACHED CHICKEN WITH GREEN TEA RICE

Steps:

• Bring water to a near boil, pour over tea, and let steep 1 minute. Strain tea into a medium pot. Add onion, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, and chile; let cool slightly, then add chicken. Bring up to a simmer over medium heat, reduce heat, and gently simmer until the chicken is cooked through and a thermometerinserted into the thickest part reads 160 degrees, about 7 minutes. Remove chicken from poaching liquid; strain liquid, discarding solids.
• Place 4 cups of strained liquid in a medium pot. Add rice, olive oil, 1 teaspoon of salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until all liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked through, about 50 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes.
• While rice is cooking, remove chicken from bone and shred into large pieces. Keep chicken in remaining poaching liquid and reheat just before serving. Season with 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and black pepper. Serve rice with chicken moistened with some of the reserved liquid. Top with sliced scallions, cold cucumber spears, and a squeeze of lemon.