Chinese Cold Boiled Chicken Recipes

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.

BOILED CHICKEN, CHINESE STYLE

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 - 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 1 hour the chicken is done. Remove and cool.
• You can debone this chicken in very little time. If you are on a low-salt/low-fat diet, be sure to 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 should decide to store the meat in the refridgerator. The chicken is ready to serve or use.

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.

COLD POACHED CHICKEN WITH CHINESE GARLIC SAUCE

Steps:

• Poach chicken: In a 1 1/2-quart saucepan bring water to a boil with gingerroot, Scotch, and salt to taste. Add chicken and simmer, covered, 12 minutes, or until just cooked through. Transfer chicken with tongs to a bowl and chill, covered, 20 minutes.
• Make sauce while chicken is cooling: In a bowl stir together sauce ingredients until sugar is dissolved.
• Halve chicken and cut across grain into thin slices. Spoon sauce over chicken and sprinkle with coriander.

COLD SESAME CHICKEN

Steps:

• Season chicken with salt and sprinkle with five-spice powder, rubbing seasoning into the flesh.
• Transfer chicken to a soup pot or Dutch oven. Add 4 to 6 cups water, just to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to a bare simmer. Add scallions, ginger slices, star anise and turmeric. Simmer very gently until tender, about 45 minutes.
• Remove chicken to cool on a baking sheet. (For faster cooling, submerge chicken in ice water.) Reserve 1/2 cup cooking liquid.
• Make the glaze: Put soy sauce, sugar, cayenne, garlic, toasted sesame oil, ginger and 1/2 cup cooking liquid in a shallow saucepan or small skillet over medium-high heat. Simmer rapidly until thickened, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Chop bone-in chicken into 1-inch chunks with a sharp cleaver or large chef's knife. (Remove bones before chopping, if preferred. If using drumettes or boneless thighs, leave whole.) Arrange chicken on a serving platter.
• Brush glaze onto the meat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and peanuts. Add chiles (if using), cilantro and scallions. Surround with mustard greens or lettuce leaves, if using. Serve chilled or at room temperature.