Poached Chicken with Ginger Scallion Sauce
A simple dish that can be served as an appetizer or a main course inspired by one of my favorite dishes from Din Tai Fung.Skin-on chicken thigh fillets are poached with ginger and scallions, cut into strips, arranged in a bowl, drizzled with Sichuan chili oil, and topped with ginger scallion sauce that is traditionally served as a dipping sauce for Hainanese chicken.
Ingredients
Ginger scallion sauce
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions
- salt (see notes after the recipe)
- 3 to 4 tablespoons peanut oil
To cook the chicken
- 3 slices ginger
- 2 stalks scallions
- 6 chicken thigh fillets skin on
- 2 tablespoons sweet rice wine
- ½ teaspoon salt
To serve
- ¼ to ⅓ cup Sichuan chili oil sauce
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Make the ginger scallion sauce by mixing together all the ingredients in a bowl. Cover loosely and set aside.
Poach the chicken
- Put the ginger and scallions in a pot and pour in the rice wine and two cups of water. Stir in the salt.
- Pat the chicken thigh fillets dry with kitchen paper and slide into the pot.
- Set the heat to high and bring the chicken to the boil. Cook the chicken, uncovered, for three minutes (that allows the internal temperature of the chicken to reach or even go over 165F so you don’t get salmonella).
- Cover the pot, turn off the stove and leave the chicken thigh fillets to finish cooking in the residual heat for seven minutes to ten minutes, depending on how thick they are.
- Scoop out the chicken thigh fillets, dump into a bowl of icy water and leave them there for 30 seconds. Scoop out and drain well.
Assemble the dish
- Slice the chicken thigh fillets and arrange in a bowl.
- Drizzle the Sichuan chili oil sauce over and around the chicken.
- Gently drop ginger scallion sauce on the chicken using a teaspoon.
- Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds and serve.
Notes
If you’re a fan of Din Tai Fung like me, you might have tried their poached chicken with ginger scallion sauce. That was the foundation of this recipe. Adding Sichuan chili oil is a personal touch.
How much salt to use for the ginger scallion sauce depends on your preference. As a guide, start with half a teaspoon, taste and add as needed.
For a more loose sauce, add another tablespoon of peanut oil.
Will skinless chicken fillets work? Not for me. Chicken breast meat, skin on or off, is especially terrible.
