Looking for the simplest way to cook a whole chicken? This Chinese poached chicken recipe is what you should follow which only requires blanching and simmering the chicken. Enjoy the poached chicken with two delicious dipping sauces: ginger scallion sauce and light soy sauce with shallots sauce.
What Is Chinese Poached Chicken?
Chinese Poached Chicken, also referred to as white cut chicken or “bai qie ji” in Mandarin, holds a special place in Guangdong cuisine, celebrated for its simplicity and delicate flavors.
Whether you are avoiding deep-frying or are looking for the easiest way to cook a whole chicken, this is the perfect recipe to include in your meal plan or celebrations. It is so easy to make this dish that you can prepare it anytime you feel like you’re too lazy to cook. In this recipe, it makes use of the poaching method, a moist-heat cooking technique where you heat the chicken by submerging it in water without oil.
I blanched the chicken with green onions, ginger, dried gardenia fruit, and salt for extra flavor and aroma. I let it blanch for 10 seconds, took it out, and repeated these steps at least three times before simmering. After blanching, I let it simmer on low heat for 25 minutes.
And that’s it! You have a fully cooked chicken that acts like a blank canvas that you can flavor with your favorite dipping sauce. Serve this with steamed rice, side vegetables, and fried rice like Chinese sausage fried rice or egg fried rice (蛋炒饭).
If you want to explore more chicken dishes, here are some recipes to check out:
- Air Fryer Chicken Gizzards
- 5-Step Steamed Chicken
- Air Fryer Chicken Katsu
- Lo Mai Gai (Lotus Leaf Sticky Rice Chicken)
- Black Chicken Soup (Chinese Silkie Chicken)
- Air-Fried Chinese Chicken On A Stick
- Chicken Floss
- Yu Shiang Chicken
- Chicken Feet Soup
- Pickled Chicken Feet
All About The Ingredients
- Whole chicken: Use a whole chicken with the head and feet still on. You can get this in Asian grocery stores, which are usually smaller than local grocery stores. Make sure the chicken is clean with all feathers plucked out and giblets removed. Before poaching the chicken, it should be brought to room temperature to ensure it cooks consistently. Moreover, be careful not to tear open the skin. Otherwise, the meat will be in contact with the boiling water and the texture may change.
- Blanching ingredients: You will need a pot filled with water, green onions, ginger, slices, dried gardenia fruit, and salt.
- Green onions: Blanching with green onions imparts a mild sweet onion taste to the chicken. You do not need to chop the green onion since it can be added as a whole stalk. This can be replaced with chives if needed.
- Ginger slices: Adding ginger slices enhances the chicken with its earthy and peppery taste.
- Dried gardenia fruit: When added, this adds a yellow hue to the water and provides a depth of flavor to the chicken. It lends a mild fruity taste with a subtle bitter taste.
- Salt: Salt is key in maintaining moisture in the chicken. Thus, it makes the chicken tender and juicy. Moreover, salt helps preserve the color of the chicken and bring out the flavors of all the ingredients.
- Ice water: After simmering the chicken, it needs to be soaked in ice water to prevent it from cooking further. This keeps the skin intact and preserves the juiciness of the meat. Moreover, it gives it a crispy and slightly chewy texture.
Ingredients And Kitchen Tools Needed
Make sure you have a large pot with a lid that fits the whole chicken and can let it fully submerge in water. Moreover, it is best to have a cleaver or a large broad knife to make it easier to chop a whole chicken. Here’s what you need to get started.
Kitchen Tools:
- Pot with lid
- Large bowl or pot (for ice water)
- Cleaver (a large knife that is best for chopping a whole chicken)
- Wooden chopping board (preferably large and thick for stability)
- Serving plate
- Dipping sauce bowls
Ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken
- Water (to fill the pot)
- 1 knot of green onions
- 2-3 slices of ginger
- 3 pieces of dried gardenia fruit
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1 large bowl of iced water
- Dipping sauce #1:
- 50g of sand ginger
- 50g of diced shallots (or red onions)
- ½ cup of hot oil
- 2 tbsp of light soy sauce
- Dipping sauce #2:
- 80g of minced ginger
- 1 tbsp of chopped green onions
- ½ cup of hot oil
- ½ tsp of salt
Instructions: 5 Easy Steps To Make Chinese Poached Chicken
Follow my 5 easy, detailed steps to successfully poach chicken. It’s as simple as dipping the chicken in boiling water 3 times and letting it simmer for 25 minutes. The tough part is chopping the chicken into small pieces, but with a lot of practice, you will surely get the hang of it soon!
Don’t forget to check out my tutorial video as well via my Instagram or TikTok social media accounts. When you are done making this recipe, let us know how it went by leaving a comment in the comments section. To share your dish with us, post a photo and tag me @kitchenmisadventures.
- Prepare a large pot of water and add green onions, ginger, dried gardenia fruit, and a pinch of salt. Then, bring to a boil. Blanch the chicken in boiling water for about 10 seconds, lift it out, and repeat these steps three times to ensure the chicken has a balanced temperature on the inside and outside. The dried gardenia fruit turns the water yellow. Before blanching, you can stretch out the chicken legs to help cook it evenly and prevent undercooked parts.
- Next, cover the pot and simmer the chicken on low heat for 25 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the ice water bowl. To know if the chicken is cooked, gently prick the thickest part of the meat, usually the thigh, with chopsticks or a fork. It should have a clear fluid oozing out and not red blood. If there is still blood left, let it cook for a few more minutes.
- Once the chicken is cooked and ready, remove it and immediately soak it in ice water for about 3 minutes until cooled. This step is crucial since it stops the chicken from cooking further and gives it a crisp texture and tender meat.
- Tip: Don’t throw out the water from the simmered chicken since you can use it as chicken stock for your other recipes.
- Optional step: After soaking the chicken in ice water, you can brush the skin with oil to keep the skin moist and have a bit of shine.
- Chop the chicken into small pieces. You can start by removing the head, neck, and feet. If including the chicken feet, make sure to trim the nails. Then, chop off the wings, thighs, and drumsticks. Split the chicken into two halves and chop it into smaller pieces. When done chopping, lay the chicken cuts onto a serving plate and decorate it looking like a whole chicken laid on its back.
- Prepare dipping sauce #1: In a small bowl, mix sand ginger, shallots, hot oil, and light soy sauce. Prepare dipping sauce #2: In a small bowl, mix ginger, green onions, hot oil, and salt. If you want the sauce to be hot and spicy, you can add chili oil or chopped chili peppers.
5-Step Chinese Poached Chicken (With 2 Dipping Sauces)
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken
- Water to fill the pot
- 1 knot of green onions
- 2-3 slices of ginger
- 3 pieces of dried gardenia fruit
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1 large bowl of iced water
Dipping sauce #1:
- 50 g of sand ginger
- 50 g of diced shallots or red onions
- ½ cup of hot oil
- 2 tbsp of light soy sauce
Dipping sauce #2:
- 80 g of minced ginger
- 1 tbsp of chopped green onions
- ½ cup of hot oil
- ½ tsp of salt
Instructions
- Prepare a large pot of water and add green onions, ginger, dried gardenia fruit, and a pinch of salt. Then, bring to a boil. Blanch the chicken in boiling water for about 10 seconds, lift it out, and repeat these steps three times to ensure the chicken has a balanced temperature on the inside and outside. The dried gardenia fruit turns the water yellow. Before blanching, you can stretch out the chicken legs to help cook it evenly and prevent undercooked parts.
- Next, cover the pot and simmer the chicken on low heat for 25 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the ice water bowl. To know if the chicken is cooked, gently prick the thickest part of the meat, usually the thigh, with chopsticks or a fork. It should have a clear fluid oozing out and not red blood. If there is still blood left, let it cook for a few more minutes.
- Once the chicken is cooked and ready, remove it and immediately soak it in ice water for about 3 minutes until cooled. This step is crucial since it stops the chicken from cooking further and gives it a crisp texture and tender meat.
- Tip: Don't throw out the water from the simmered chicken since you can use it as chicken stock for your other recipes.
- Optional step: After soaking the chicken in ice water, you can brush the skin with oil to keep the skin moist and have a bit of shine.
- Chop the chicken into small pieces. You can start by removing the head, neck, and feet. If including the chicken feet, make sure to trim the nails. Then, chop off the wings, thighs, and drumsticks. Split the chicken into two halves and chop it into smaller pieces. When done chopping, lay the chicken cuts onto a serving plate and decorate it looking like a whole chicken laid on its back.
- Prepare dipping sauce #1: In a small bowl, mix sand ginger, shallots, hot oil, and light soy sauce. Prepare dipping sauce #2: In a small bowl, mix ginger, green onions, hot oil, and salt. If you want the sauce to be hot and spicy, you can add chili oil or chopped chili peppers.
