Quick Tip Tuesday!
I use the term “poached” loosely because I am not poaching chicken in the classic way here where the liquid you’re poaching in shows just a bit of a ripple from the heat. But, what I get from this “new way” is the most delicous, moist and tender chicken, ever…as if it were poached to perfection without a lot of babysitting! The good news is, after you bring it to a boil then the pot sets for three hours off the heat while you go and get busy doing whatever. Then, after you’ve cooked the chicken in this way you just remove all the meat from the bones and create a wonderful dipping sauce, make chicken salad, and all the other myriad uses we find for cooked chicken.
Don’t throw away those bones. Let them cool after removing the meat and store in a zip-lock bag in the freezer until you have a few carcasses to make a new batch of chicken stock/broth.
I found this recipe, “Velvet Chicken” as they like to call it, in the “Cooking & Eating” Saturday section of the Wall Street Journal, November 12-13, 2011. I’ve made it several times this way and I love it! I mean, if you can boil water you can make this chicken.
This is the chicken I like to use for my spur of the moment chicken and veggie soup. Meaning, the cooked chicken is already cut up in the fridge along with some broth I had made previously. So, I just chop up some veggies and herbs, saute’ in some butter and extra-virgin olive oil, pour in my broth, bring to a boil, add in my chicken and simmer for about half an hour and season to taste with sea salt and fresh-ground pepper and some fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley at the very end of cooking. Or, if you want to follow a recipe then click here: Chicken & Veggie Soup Goodness. Bottom line…it’s all so healing & comforting any time of year.
Pouring in that brothy goodness!
Here is the recipe verbatim (with a few of my comments) from the newspaper because I would hate for the link to disappear on you one day. Although it’s so simple you’re likely not to forget it.
So, give it a try and let me know what you think?
Velvet Chicken
Serve with a warm ginger-soy vinaigrette and a tuft of pea shoots or micro-greens — or simply piping hot in a bowl of broth with snippets of chives. Serves 4
Rinse & dry 1 (4lb.) chicken and discard giblets. Tie the legs with chicken string (found no need for this). I also throw in some chicken thighes if the chicken’s running a little skinny. Put the chicken in an 8-quart pot. Add cold water to cover, about 5 quarts. Add 2 tablespoons kosher salt…I say use sea salt. Cover pot. Cook over high heat for 20-25 minutes until you hear the water in the pot boiling rapidly. Do not lift cover…really don’t lift the lid. Remove pot from heat; let sit for 3 hours. (No peeking!) Remove chicken from the broth. Cut into pieces, discard skin and bones……NO don’t discard bones…remember, save them for your next batch of bone broth. Don’t forget the meat from the wings. Serve warm with sauce below. And, if you’re making chicken soup with this do not use the water that the chicken was boiled in…it’s too salty so just discard it!
Warm Ginger-Soy Vinaigrette (optional): In small saucepan, stir together 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1/3 cup rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons mirin (rice wine), 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar ( I used honey), 1 tablespoon dark Asian sesame oil. Heat until just warm. Stir in 2 tablespoons minced scallions and 2 teaspoons slivered fresh ginger. Serve warm. Makes about 2/3 cup. I also found this to be a delicious salad dressing!
Enjoy!
