White Cut Chicken with Scallion Ginger Sauce
A classic Cantonese dish featuring tender poached chicken served cold with a fragrant dipping sauce. The chicken is briefly simmered in an aromatic broth and then left to soak, resulting in incredibly juicy, flavorful meat.
Story
This dish, known as bai zhan ji in Chinese, is a staple of Cantonese cuisine and is traditionally served at celebratory dinners. The secret lies in the brief cooking time followed by a long soak—the chicken finishes cooking in the residual heat while staying incredibly moist.
Ingredients
whole chicken
about 3 pounds
scallions
4 stalks, roughly chopped
ginger
a 2-inch piece, sliced
star anise
3 whole
cloves
4 whole
Chinese rice wine
1/4 cup
salt
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon
vegetable oil
3 tablespoons
light soy sauce
3 tablespoons
sugar
1 teaspoon
sesame oil
1 teaspoon
Instructions
1
Prepare the poaching liquid
Fill a large pot with enough water to fully submerge the chicken. Add the scallions, ginger slices, star anise, and cloves. Stir in 2 tablespoons of salt and the rice wine. Bring to a vigorous boil over high heat.
2
Cook the chicken
Carefully lower the whole chicken into the boiling liquid. The water should return to a boil within a minute. Once it does, reduce the heat to low and let the chicken simmer gently for exactly 5 minutes. Turn off the heat completely, cover the pot, and let the chicken rest in the hot liquid for 20 minutes.
3
Cool and set the chicken
Remove the chicken from the pot and transfer to a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and tighten the skin. Let it cool completely, about 10 minutes. Drain well. The chicken can be served warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
4
Make the dipping sauce
While the chicken cools, make the sauce. Heat the vegetable oil in a small pan until it shimmers. In a bowl, combine the light soy sauce, remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, sugar, and sesame oil. Pour the hot oil over the mixture (it should sizzle loudly), then add the sliced ginger and finely minced scallions. Stir well.
5
Carve and serve
Pat the chicken completely dry with paper towels. Using a sharp knife, carve the chicken into serving pieces—separate the legs and thighs, cut the breast into thick slices, and split the wings. Arrange on a platter and serve with the dipping sauce on the side.
