Drunken Shanghai Chicken

Yield: 6-8 Servings

 

 

Ingredients

 

3 pounds boned chicken breasts

 

Brine solution (below)

 

1 teaspoon salt

 

1/2 teaspoon ground pink or a mix of various peppercorns

 

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger 

 

6 spring onions, white parts only, sliced lengthwise

 

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut in thin matchsticks

 

3 cups chicken stock

 

Ice cubes and water

 

Marinade (below)

 

Garnish

 

Green points from top of spring onions

 

 

Brine solution

 

Ingredients

 

¼ cup pickling salt (salt without iodine)

 

4 cups cold water

 

 

Steps

 

1. Bring cold water to a boil in a saucepan.
2. Add salt and stir until fully dissolved.
3. Remove saucepan from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
4. Pour brine into ceramic bowl.
5. Place chicken breasts in brine.
6. Place in icebox for 2 hours.
7. Remove brined chicken breasts from icebox and rinse. Pat dry. Discard brining solution
8. Pound the brined chicken breasts to ½ ” thick
9. Cut breasts longitudinally in 1” wide strips.
10. Roll each strip to create a wheel.
11. Place each on a tray in one layer, without any wheel touching its neighbor.
12. Mix the salt with the white and pink peppers.
13. Sprinkle top of wheels with the salt and pepper mixture.
14. Turn over and sprinkle this side with salt and pepper mixture.
15. Allow wheels to rest in the ice box for ½ hour.
16. Remove wheels from ice box and allow to come to room temperature for ½ hour.
17. Add chicken stock to a skillet large enough to hold the wheels in a single layer. Bring to a boil.
18. Add the white slices of spring onion and ginger to the broth. Turn broth down to a simmer.
19. Simmer for 5 minutes.
20. Use tongs to add each wheel to the simmering stock.
21. Return stock to a low simmer.
22. Use tongs to carefully turn each wheel over.
23. Cover and turn off the heat. Allow to poach for 1o minutes. Wheels should be white to the center.
24. Mix the ice cubes and water.
25. Use tongs to remove each wheel and place them in the ice cold water for 2 minutes.
26. Place wheels in a deep, narrow bowl.
27. Allow chicken stock to come to room temperature.

 

Marinade

 

Ingredients

 

1 cup strained chicken stock from simmering liquid

 

1 1/4 cup Shaoxing rice wine or sake

 

2 teaspoons Turbinado sugar

 

Steps

 

1. Stir chicken stock with the sugar and rice wine until the sugar is completely dissolved.
2. If a non-alcoholic version is desired, boil the marinade for 3 minutes and then allow to return to room temperature.
3. Pour marinade over poached wheels. Cover.
4. Place in icebox overnight.
5. Plate wheels over matchstick red bell pepper and garnish with green spring onion points.
6. Serve cold with a dipping bowl of the marinade to the side for each guest.