Boiled chicken

Ingredients

• chicken
• 2 slices ginger
• 2 scallion
• 3 shallot
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp chicken stock
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 bowl ice water

Instructions

• Rub with salt inside and out. Then rinse well and pat it dry. Into its cavity, add 3 slices ginger, 2 scallion, 3 shallots. These will infuse the chicken with a pleasant aroma as it boils. To keep the head in place, I use dental floss to tie up the wings and the neck of the chicken.
• Bring a large pot to a boil. Add 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp chicken stock. If you add the chicken into the boiling water, the skin is most likely to tear because of temperature shock. So you can either add the chicken into the water and slowly bring to a boil. Or if using boiling water, ladle the hot water all over the skin to tighten it first. Then submerge the chicken into the water. Make sure the water is enough to fully cover it. Keep the water boiling for 5-7 minutes first. Then cover the lid, turn off the heat and leave for 15 minutes. If you prefer softer chicken, keep it in the pot for another 15-30 minutes.
• Heat a pan on medium and add the chicken fat to render out the fat. Remove the rinds and Add 1/4 tsp turmeric powder or if available use some fresh turmeric as I use here. The oil will turn yellow nicely. After 15 minutes, you can test the doneness by poking a toothpick into its thigh. If the water coming out runs clear, it should be cooked.
• Take out and soak in an ice water bowl to stop the cooking process and prevent darkening. Then brush the chicken with the yellow fat
• For offering you need the whole chicken with everything, head, legs, gizzard, liver, and heart. We normally stick a rose or a chili flower into its mouth and add some sea salt at the side. To serve, you can shred the chicken meat to make chicken salad, to eat with sticky rice or simply chop it up.