Poached Chicken and Rice with Soy and Vinegar Green Onion Sauce

chicken skin doesn't always need to be crispy to be delicious!

Sunday family lunches at my grandparents’ house were a regular occurrence growing up. They normally coincided with bi sun, which was a ceremony my Taoist grandmother practiced to pay respects to our ancestors. I remember the smell of incense burning, the sun shine through the kitchen windows, and the smell of soup and chicken simmer on the stove. A platter of chopped boiled chicken always (and still does) made an appearance on the table and I would have to fight my brother or cousins for a drumstick.

The plate might look familiar to you if you’ve heard of or eaten Hainanese Chicken, but when translated from Cantonese to English, the version I grew up eating roughly translates to “White Boiled Chicken”. Not the most glamorous or appetizing name, but it’s truly one of the most flavorful dishes. I made this once a week for a month and never got tired of it, instead I got giddy thinking about the next time we were going to eat boiled chicken and rice.

This is a recipe where the details really matter because the technique is so simple. I’m using whole chicken legs in this recipe because I’m a dark meat girl. Traditionally this is made using a whole chicken, which you can absolutely do. But utilizing whole legs or even just thighs, breast, and drums is perfectly fine and cuts down on the cooking time (also managing a whole chicken being fully submerged in hot water can be difficult). You start off by heavily salting your chicken and giving the chicken skin an exfoliating treatment. This not only helps getting the seasoning deep into the chicken but gives the skin a clean and even finish when cooked. I choose to not rinse my chicken (a debate I’ve been having with my mother since the beginning of time), and instead allow the salt to also season the poaching liquid which will ultimately be our soup.

The chicken then is simmered in a pot with water, ginger, garlic, and green onion - the holy trinity. My grandma will occasionally throw in some star anise or goji berries too. Let the chicken gently simmer away until it’s very tender. It’s important to not actually boil the chicken, despite the name, because a true boil is a little too hot and your chicken will run the risk of being on the tougher side. Tender and silky is the goal here!

Once your chicken is done, submerge the chicken in an ice bath or just cold water will do the trick. This allows the chicken skin to firm up a bit, giving it a lovely texture. While the chicken is cooling, skim the broth and remove the aromatics until you just have a beautiful golden chicken broth. Scoop some out to cook your rice in and then give the broth a taste and season to your liking! I normally only need to add a pinch or two of salt.

The chicken fat rice is debatably the best part of the plate you see below. The fat coats every grain of rice and the broth infuses the pot with the intense flavor of chicken and aromatics. To serve on the side I like to make a quick smashed cucumber salad (let me know if you want that recipe too and I’ll share it in the comments!) and a tangy sauce of green onions, soy, and vinegar. This is a perfect perfect plate! Give boiled chicken a try : )

Poached Chicken and Rice with Soy and Vinegar Green Onion Sauce

serves 4

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3 lb (3 to 4) whole chicken legs

1 tbsp coarse salt

10 cups water

3” piece of ginger, cut into thick slices

6 garlic cloves

6 green onions, cut into 3” pieces

2 cups jasmine rice

for the sauce:

1/3 cup green onions, thinly sliced

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp chinese black vinegar

1 tbsp maple syrup or honey

1/4 tsp coarse salt

1. Transfer the chicken to a plate or cutting board and pat dry. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and rub the salt into the chicken skin. Allow the chicken to come up closer room temperature while you boil your water.

2. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the chicken, ginger, garlic, and green onions. Bring the water back up to a simmer and reduce the temperature to medium-low or low to maintain a simmer. Continue to simmer the chicken until very tender, 35 to 40 minutes (less time if using just thighs or smaller cuts). Transfer the chicken to an ice bath or bowl of cold water. Remove all the aromatics from the broth and reserve 2 1/2 cups of broth for the soup. Taste the broth and add a pinch or two of salt if needed.

3. In a saucepan or bowl of your rice cooker, rinse the jasmine rice until the water mostly runs clear. Add the 2 1/2 cups of broth and bring to a simmer, cover with a lid, reduce the temperature to low and steam until fluffy, 12 to 15 minutes or press “on” or “cook” on your rice cooker. Once the rice is ready, fluffy with a spoon.

4. To make the sauce, combine the green onions, soy, vinegar, maple syrup, and salt in a small bowl and stir together.

5. Remove the chicken from the water and shake off any excess water or pat dry. Serve the chicken bone-in or de-bone by cutting along the bone on the underside of the chicken. The chicken might be tender enough that the bones easily pulls away, otherwise you can carefully carve the meat away from the bone. Slice the chicken and serve with a scoop of chicken fat rice, bowl of soup, and a drizzle of the sauce.