Hainan-style poached chicken with ginger

This style of briefly poaching chicken and allowing it to cool in the stock ensures the chicken remains juicy and tender. Don’t remove the chicken from the stockpot for at least one hour. Serve hot or cold with steamed Chinese greens and rice for a complete and utterly delicious meal.

• serves

  4–6

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1–1.5 kg chicken, washed 
• 3 spring onions 
• 1 cup coriander leaves and stems 
• 1 tsp salt 
• 7–8 cm piece ginger, sliced
• 6 white peppercorns
• steamed Chinese greens, to serve  
• steamed rice, to serve 

Dipping sauce

• 2 spring onions, finely sliced  
• 1 tbsp finely grated ginger 
• 1 tsp salt 
• 125 ml (½ cup) peanut oil

Resting time 1½ hours

The following recipe has been tested and edited by SBS Food and may differ slightly from the podcast.

Instructions

Place the chicken and remaining ingredients in a large stock pot and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer gently, covered, for 13 minutes.

Turn off the heat and leave the chicken to cool in the stock until cool enough to handle, about 1 ½  hours.

Meanwhile, combine spring onions, ginger and salt in a heatproof bowl. Heat oil in a small saucepan until smoking then carefully pour over the spring onions. Allow to cool.

When cool enough to handle, remove the chicken from the stock pot and slice into pieces. Pour over spring onion sauce and serve with steamed greens and rice.

Photography by Alan Benson

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.