A friend had posted this recipe a long time ago and I only just got around to trying it. It is an easy way to prepare chicken that is tender and moist.
I served it over rice with the vinaigrette that he also shared. Another friend suggested the chicken was great to use in chicken salad. I think I will use the leftover meat tomorrow night to make chicken enchiladas.
Along with an Asian-inspired salad, it was a great meal.
Velvet Chicken
All you need is chicken, kosher salt, a large pot, and a bunch of water.
Remove the giblets and wash the chicken, and put it in the pot. Add 2 Tablespoons Kosher salt.
Add cold water to cover the chicken by a couple of inches, put the cover on, and put it on the stove. Turn on the burner and bring the pot to a full rolling boil. This will take about 25 minutes.
Once it is boiling madly, turn off the burner and take the pot off the heat. Do not take off the lid!
And let it sit for 3 hours.
When the three hours are up drain the chicken and remove the skin and bones. There's nothing pretty about deboning a chicken, so no pictures!
But here is a picture of the results. The meat is as advertised--silky in texture, and very moist.
Here's the recipe for the chicken and the vinaigrette:
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 and dry 1 (4-pound) chicken and discard giblets. Tie the legs with kitchen string. Put the chicken in an 8-quart pot. Add cold water to cover, about 5 quarts. Add 2 tablespoons kosher 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. Remove pot from heat; let sit 3 hours. (No peeking!) Remove chicken from the broth. Cut into pieces, discard skin and bones. Don't forget the meat from the wings. Serve warm with sauce below.
Warm Ginger-Soy Vinaigrette (optional): In small saucepan, stir together 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1/3 cup rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons mirin, 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, 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.
Ginger-Soy Vinaigrette
The only thing I didn't have was mirin. I googled around and found several suggestions for options. I ended up using 2 Tablespoons of Marsala and 1/2 tsp of sugar to replace the mirin.
There are plenty of options for how to use this chicken.
I had the chicken over rice, topped with the vinaigrette, and a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds.
It was delicious.
Labels: Main Dish
