Moist China Chicken
1 chicken
12 cups water, lightly salted
2 cups jasmine rice
2 bay leaves
Cavity Bowl
4 green onions, chopped
1" piece of ginger, crushed
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. white pepper
Rice Bowl
2 shallots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1" piece of ginger, chopped
2" piece of lemongrass, chopped
Soup Bowl
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1" piece of ginger, crushed
2 tsp. sugar
Condiment Bowls (one each)
soy sauce
sesame oil
green onion, chopped
cilantro, chopped
Ginger-Scallion Sauce (see recipe)
Set up all the Bowls (Cavity, Rice, Soup and Condiments).
The Chicken. Prep the chicken by cutting off (and saving) the lumps of fat around the cavities. Fill a soup pot with the 12 cups of lightly salted water and put over high heat. Pour the Cavity Bowl into the cavity and rub it in. Use toothpicks to close the skin flaps and seal the cavity. When the water is boiling, put the chicken in the pot, breast-side up. Boil the bird for 10 minutes, then cover and turn off the heat. Let the chicken sit undisturbed for 45 minutes. (Now you have 45 minutes of free time, so set up your Condiment Bowls). Set up a large bowl of ice water. When the 45 minutes is up, remove the chicken from the pot and plunge it into the ice water (save the chicken stock, this is your soup!). Let the bird sit in the ice water for 10 minutes before you take it out and dry it off.
The Rice. Once the chicken is cooked (you need the stock), use a hand processor to chop the Rice Bowl into paste. Put the reserved chicken fat in a large skillet over medium heat. When the fat is rendered (about 2 minutes), pour the paste in the Rice Bowl into the skillet. Stir for about 2 minutes until the ingredients just begin to brown. Add the rice and stir until the rice is evenly coated with chicken fat. Put the sauted rice into a rice cooker. Add 2 1/2 cups of chicken stock and the bay leaves to the rice cooker and turn it on.
The Soup. Put the pot with the remaining chicken stock over medium heat. When it begins to boil, pour in the Soup Bowl. Let it boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pot from the heat and fish out the ginger and garlic. Season to taste if necessary.
The Dinner. Carve and slice the chicken. Lay down a bed of rice and top with a few slices of chicken. Sprinkle with whatever combination of condiments looks good to you. Don't forget to serve the soup on the side.
Our comments: This is an entire chicken dinner ... on the lighter side ... and it is good! Add a salad if you must. Definitely a winner!