Sous Vide Hainanese Chicken and Rice
Chicken:1 Whole chicken ( 1 lb - 1.5 lbs, Air chilled, Organic, or Free Range)
6 Stalks of green onions
4 slices of ginger (skin on OK)
Salt
Water
English cucumber
Sous vide machine and container
Sous vide bags
Food sealer
Bowl with ice cubes
Clever
Chopping board
Large serving plate
Directions:
Wash Chicken remove any excess fat. Keep chicken fat for later. Fill the sous vide container with water. The volume should be a third of the container. Start sous vide machine and set target temperature to 76C (It will take approximately 30 minutes to reach temperature).
Prepare 2 sous vide bags large enough to hold half a chicken each and water. Cut the whole chicken into 2 halves lengthwise. Rub salt all over the 2 halves. Insert 1 half in each sous vide bag. Add 3 green onion stalks in with each chicken half. Smash each ginger slice with the flat of a knife and add 2 slices with each chicken half. Add enough water to each bag to cover chicken half. Seal each sous vide bag.
Add sealed bags to the sous vide container when the desired temperature is reached. You may have to remove water from the sous vide container to fit both sealed bags so it doesn't overflow.
Sous vide for 90 mins at 76 C. When chicken is done at 90 minutes remove the sealed bags from the sous vide container. Place the bags in a sink or large bowls where you can cut open the bag and hold spills
Prepare a bowl or container large enough to hold the 2 chicken halves. The bowl or container should be filled with enough ice cubes to cool the chicken.
Cut the sealed bags and remove the chicken halves. Save the chicken stock in the bags. Place chicken halves skin side down on the ice cubes. This will tighten the chicken skin and gelatinize the chicken juice from the chicken.
Prepare the chicken rice when done the chicken will be cooled. Cut it up Chinese style with the meat cleaver. Separate white and dark meat. Serve over sliced cucumber on the serving plate.