Wineshark Home Cooking - 50. Salty Chicken

Ingredients (for 4):

• Chicken - 1 (around 1250g)
• Ginger - several slices
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Chinese yellow wine - 1 tbsp
• Ginger - 1 piece (around 30g, flattened)
• Spring onion - 4 (with head)
• Coriander - 4 (with head)
• Shallot - 2
• Cao guo - 1 (smashed)
• Salt - 4 tbsp full
• Water - 3 cups

Procedures:

1. Heat a pot under medium heat, then add oil to saute ginger, spring onion, shallot, coriander and cao guo until fragrant.

2. Add the Chinese yellow wine and then 3 cups of water.

3. When it boils, turn the heat to low and cook until the sauce is reduced by half.

4. Add salt and stir till fully dissolved, then turn off the heat to cool.

5. Put the sauce in fridge overnight.

6. Prepare some ice cubes and a bottle of iced water.

7. Clean the chicken on both inside and outside, then drip dry.

8. Place the chicken in a large pot, pour in water until fully submerged. Then take the chicken out.

9. Heat the water till boils, then add ginger and put back the chicken, with the back on bottom.

10. Insert a wooden spoon inside the chicken and put it upright, then use a ladle to pour the soup inside the chicken. Repeat until the soup boils again, and put the chicken back with the chest on the bottom this time.

11. When the soup boils, turns to low heat and cover with lid to cook for 10 minutes.

12. Remove the lid and turn the chicken over, then cover with lid and turn off the heat. Let the soup to cool down.

13. Check the chicken is fully cooked by poking a skewer into the thigh. If no blood comes out, then it is done. Otherwise heat the soup again till it boils, then turn off the heat to soak the chicken.

14. Place the chicken in a large bowl, fill the torso with ice cubes, with back at the bottom. 

15. Pour in the salty sauce and add iced water to fully submerged. Cover with plastic wrap and put in fridge for at least 2 hours.

16. Take the chicken out and turn it over. Then continue to soak for 2 hours, or preferably overnight.

17. Reheat the soup to boils, then put the chicken in to heat it up. Then can cut to serve.