Hainan chicken is a treasure in Southeast Asia, and people can get real territorial over the “right” way to make the dish. I’ll be first to tell you, though, that my version is more of a riff on the dish rather than the real thing. I think I got it right, kind of . . .
SERVES 4 TO 6
One 5-pound chicken
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 cup chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 cup roughly chopped scallions
1 cup garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, quartered
2 kaffir lime leaves
One 3-inch cinnamon stick
Splash of Maggi seasoning
Splash of dark soy sauce
GARNISH
Handful of chopped cilantro
Jar of chili garlic sauce for the table
Rinse and dry dry dry the chicken. Coat it with the salt all over and let it sit for a few minutes as you bring enough water to cover the chicken to a boil in a big pot.
Once boiling, add everything but the chicken to the pot. Bring it to a boil again, then add the chicken and reduce the heat to produce a low simmer.
Cook the chicken, uncovered, low and slow, until tender, about 1 hour.
Remove the chicken and soak it immediately in an ice-water bath. Chill the chicken until the meat is still warm but the skin is cold, then remove it (it’s okay if the chicken is a little wet from the ice bath). Strain the broth (you can use it to make rice if you wish).
Serve the chicken by itself or over rice with the cilantro and the chili garlic sauce.
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