White Cooked Chinese Chicken

This recipe is based on a recipe from Stephanie Alexander’s “The Cook’s Companion”.

There are many versions of this recipe, and it is very easy to cook without the Thermomix, but for anybody who doesn't have a stove, this shows the potential of this wonderful machine.

You need to try not to allow the skin to be damaged - you can see the tear in the leg of my first attempt - keep the speed at soft and you should be able to avoid this mistake.



White Cooked Chinese Chicken


Ingredients:

1 size 13 (1.3kg) chicken with
parson’s nose removed
3 litres boiling water
60 ml Shaoxing rice wine or sherry
3 spring onions, sliced into 2 cm lengths
2 cm fresh ginger, cut into slices
1 tsp sesame oil


Method:




To start, clean as much fat away from inside the cavity. Then carefully pour half of the boiling water into the cavity of the chicken to blanch and clean the blood from inside. Drain the chicken and carefully place it in the TM bowl, bottom end down over and around the blades. Push chicken down carefully so it is firmly set on the blades. Do not tear the skin.



Put the wine, spring onions, ginger and oil into the cavity through the opening at the neck. Position the lid on the TM bowl and then carefully pour about 1500 ml boiling through the hole in the lid to barely cover the chicken. It may want to float, but it should still be OK. There should be about 1 cm clearance from the top.

Set the Thermomix for 10 minutes at 100°C on speed soft. Keep a check on the chicken. It should slowly rotate in the bowl without problems. Place the steamer basket over the opening in the lid.

Then set the Thermomix for 30 minutes at 50°C on speed soft. Place an inverted cup or bowl over the opening in the lid to help keep steam in.

After the time has been reached, turn off the Thermomix, and leave the chicken in the bowl for another 30 minutes. Then, very carefully remove the chicken to a bowl with some iced water being careful not to tear the skin. Cover the chicken with ice cubes and, let the chicken sit for another 60 minutes to thoroughly cool.

When the chicken has cooled sufficiently, drain the water away. Remove chicken to a board and cut into serving pieces. You should find that a delicious jelly forms between the skin and the flesh. The bones may look a bit pink, but it should have a velvety and soft flesh.

Traditionally the chicken is served with slices of spring onion and ginger covered with very hot vegetable oil (it spits as it hits the onions and ginger so beware) and some sesame oil drizzled over.