(Chicago) – Chicken rice is one of the reasons why I love Singapore. I clearly remember a particular week, when I was still based there many years ago, that I only ate chicken rice from Boon Tong Kee every day. I just love it! The ginger flavor and aroma of the chicken and the rice itself are just addicting.
Apparently, this dish is not difficult to make. The recipe is straight-forward and the ingredients are inexpensive. Here’s the one I made for Chinese New Year pot luck this year.
Ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken
- 2 teaspoons salt + 1 teaspoon
- 16 cups water
- 4 thumb sized ginger, smashed
Directions:
Prepare the chicken. Trim excess fats/skin around the cavity. Rub inside and out with 1 teaspoon of salt and let it rest for a few minutes.
Bring the water to a boil in a large pot and then as add remaining salt, ginger and chicken, breast down. Bring back to a boil. Then lower heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes, partially covered. Remove pot from heat and let the chicken stand in the broth for 30 more minutes, covered.
Remove chicken from the broth, drain and immerse it in big bowl with ice and cold water. Let the chicken cool and drain in a colander. Pat dry with paper towel before cutting into serving pieces. Drizzle with ginger scallion oil. See recipe here.
Ginger scallion oil recipe: http://markcads.com/cuisine/filipino-cuisine-2/embotibol
