Steepedchicken Recipes

STEEPED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil in a covered 5- to 6-quart pan over high heat.
• Rinse chicken breasts.
• Add chicken to boiling water, cover, and return to a boil.
• As soon as water returns to boil, remove from heat and let stand, covered, until chicken is no longer pink in center of thickest part (cut to test), 12 to 18 minutes.
• If chicken is still pink, return it to the hot water, cover pan, and let steep a few minutes longer.
• Remove chicken from water and let cool, about 20 minutes.
• With your hands, tear chicken along the grain into shreds about 1/2 inch thick.

CANTONESE STEEPED CHICKEN

Steps:

• If the chicken is tied, undo it, then rub it evenly with the salt. Place in a large pan, cover with water and bring to the boil. (If your pan is not large enough cut the chicken into quarters.) Add the ginger and whole spring onions. Reduce the heat and simmer continuously for 30 minutes, skimming all the while. Cover tightly, turn off the heat and leave for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make the dipping sauce. Combine the spring onions, ginger and salt in a small heatproof bowl. Heat the oil until very hot and pour over the spring onion mixture. Allow to cool. This sauce can also be made hours in advance or even the day before.
• When the chicken is ready, remove it from the broth and discard the ginger and spring onions. At this point you can leave the chicken in the broth and chill up to a day ahead. Remove the chicken meat from the carcass. Remove and discard the chicken skin. Using a fork pull the meat into finger-sized shreds. Place on a platter, sprinkle with the shredded spring onions and serve with the dipping sauce.

EASY TEA-POACHED CHICKEN WITH RICE

Steps:

• Rub chicken with 1/4 cup kosher salt, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
• Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels.
• Mix short-grain rice, peanuts, apricots, and ginger together in a bowl; stuff the rice mixture into the chicken cavity. Tie legs together with a piece of kitchen twine.
• Pour chicken broth and water into a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Place chicken into the boiling mixture, breast side down; drop tea bags into the liquid. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer chicken for 45 minutes, turning chicken over in the broth after 30 minutes.
• Remove chicken from broth, transfer rice stuffing to a bowl, and cut chicken into quarters. Discard tea bags; strain broth, reserving any rice. Stir in soy sauce to taste and season to taste with salt. Serve chicken on a platter garnished with cilantro, with broth and rice stuffing on the side.

THE BEST ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Mix butter, garlic, thyme, rosemary, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a bowl.
• Loosen skin on chicken breast; rub butter mixture between skin and breast meat. Press on the skin to distribute evenly. Rub oil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper all over; place lemon halves inside cavity. Set in a baking pan.
• Roast in the preheated oven, basting after 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink, about 1 hour. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Let rest before carving, about 15 minutes.