Chinese Boiled Chicken

Pak Cham Kai

(literal translation from Cantonese : White Cut Chicken)

This is a recipe for chinese boiled chicken or in Cantonese – pak cham kai.  Boiled chicken meat is called for in many other recipes, and is a wonderful basic recipe to have for many uses.  You can use this for Hainanese Chicken Rice, for example.

I like to use free range chicken or corn fed chicken.  The flesh is juicier and firmer when cooked.  I also like to have my chickens yellow in colour.  It makes it so much tempting and mouth watering.  And so, I add a teaspoon of turmeric powder.

Turmeric is one of nature's most powerful healers. The active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin.  Recent research has revealed that turmeric is a natural wonder, proving beneficial in the treatment of many different health conditions from cancer to Alzheimer's disease.

Ingredients

1 chicken, free range

10 cups of water

2 tbsp salt

1 tsp turmeric powder

Method

Wash the chicken under cold running water.  Remove any excess fat.  Rub chicken inside with about 2 tbsp of salt.  Rinse again under cold running water and drain.

In a heavy pot, put in 10 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add in turmeric powder.

Place the chicken in the pot, chest facing down.  Make sure the water level is higher than the chicken and the chicken is totally submerged.  Turn chicken over midway.  Boil for about 20 minutes.

Turn off the heat and let the chicken simmer  in the poaching liquid for another 20 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the pot, drain well, and cut into bite-sized pieces. Serve with ginger and shallots dipping sauce.

P.S.  Chicken can also be chilled.  You can add in some Chinese cooking 

         wine. Sliced chicken, add in the cooking wine. Refrigerate for at least

         2 hours before serving.

         I also use this chicken when I do Hainanese Chicken Rice.  For the rice,

         I cheat a little.  I  buy a packet of Hainanese chicken rice paste.