White-cut chicken with ginger and spring onion oil on rice
Chicken legs gently poached and chilled for smooth skin and tender meat, served with homemade ginger and spring onion relish, choi sum and rice — simple and clean.
- 40 min
- Serves 2
- Poach
- Easy
Why it suits you: Special, allergy-prone constitutions do best with fresh, simple food and a short ingredient list, and Liqiu's humid heat makes rashes and itching more likely. White-cut chicken needs only chicken, ginger, spring onion and salt — no seafood or nuts. Chicken warms the middle and boosts qi, ginger and spring onion support the body's defensive qi, and poaching keeps it light.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 25 min- 1Rinse the chicken, pat dry and let it come to room temperature. Grate most of the ginger, keeping 2 slices. Bring the water to the boil with the ginger slices, the spring onion roots and half the salt.
- 2Add the chicken, bring back to the boil, then turn the heat right down, cover and poach for 18–20 minutes. It's done when a chopstick pushed into the thickest part releases clear juices.
- 3Plunge the chicken into the cold water for 10 minutes to firm the skin, then drain and chop into pieces.
- 4Mix the grated ginger with the chopped spring onion and the remaining salt, pour over smoking-hot oil and stir to make the relish.
- 5Blanch the choi sum in the poaching water for 1 minute and serve with the chicken, rice and relish.
Cautions
- Make sure the chicken is cooked through with no pink juices by the bone; go easy on the ginger relish during colds, fevers or acute skin flare-ups.
Chef's tips
- Keep the water barely shivering rather than boiling so the skin doesn't split; add a few ice cubes to the cold water for even silkier skin.
The TCM view
Chicken is sweet and warm, warming the middle, boosting qi and replenishing essence. Ginger is pungent and slightly warm, dispelling wind-cold and settling the stomach; spring onion is pungent and warm, freeing yang and dispelling cold; choi sum is sweet and cool, clearing heat and easing the bowels. Nourishing without dryness and with few ingredients, it helps allergy-prone people strengthen their defences.
