Hainanese Chicken Style

Ingredients:

1-1.5kg Whole Chicken

3 liters of water (just enough to submerge the whole chicken)

6 slices ginger

2 stalk scallions ~ tie knot

1 Basin Ice cold water

3 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp light soy sauce

Directions/Instructions:

1. Remove any feathers and innards from the cavity.  Exfoliate the inside and outside of the chicken with coarse salt to remove the smell.  Then rinse chicken thoroughly and drain dry.
2. Chop off the chicken feet and keep it for boiling soup.  Cut off any fats from the chicken and set them aside for later use.
3. Do not remove the head and neck of the chicken as it provides a good grip for dunking the chicken in and out of the boiling water.
4. Insert the 6 slices of ginger and scallions into the cavity of the chicken.  Use a toothpick to seal up the cavity to prevent the stuffing from falling out during the cooking procedure.
5. Add 3 liters of water to the tall pot and bring to a boil over high heat.  Once boiling, hold the chicken by the neck and dunk the whole chicken in and out of the boiling water 5 times.  On the final dunk, finally, immerse the whole chicken into the water and cover the pot.
6. Once the water is boiling (about 5 mins), turn the heat to low.  Let the chicken simmer for another 15 mins then turn off the heat but do NOT open the cover.  Let the chicken continue to stew in the hot water for another 40-45 mins.
7. Meanwhile, prepare a large basin of ice water.  Once the chicken is cooked, use a pair of chopsticks to lift it out of the pot from under the wings then plunge it into the ice water for about 20 mins.
8. Remove the chicken and transfer it to a plate.  Rub the whole chicken with sesame oil and light soy sauce.