Chicken Rice

Chicken rice is one of my all time favourite dish! Growing up, you could buy it at the hawker stall for about RM3.00 (which, believe or not, is less than C$1.00). You would get hot steamy rice, cooked in homemade chicken broth, tender pieces of steamed or roast chicken and a couple slices of cucumber. I would sometimes change it up by getting it with BBQ and roast pork, but nothing is as good as the chicken!

I have attempted this recipe time and time again but as tasty as it was, I could never get the chicken right. It wasn't as tender or 'smooth' and it would frustrate the heck out of me. After some internet research, I finally found a way to get it just as good as the hawker stalls I used to go to!!!

Serves 4-5 people

Ingredients:
A 3 lb to 4 lb chicken (You can use a bigger one if there are more people eating)
5 pieces of thumb sized ginger
6-8 stalks of green onions
A whole cucumber
Cilantro
Salt
Soy Sauce
Sesame Oil
3 cups of long grain rice

Instructions:
1. Wash and rub the chicken with coarse salt.
2. Stuff the chicken cavity with as much ginger and green onions as you can (!)
3. Bring a big pot of water to a boil and gently lower the chicken into the pot. Immediately turn the heat down and poach the chicken for about 45 minutes (For a 3 pound chicken). Remember to salt the water generously. Add in more ginger into the poaching liquid.
4. After 45 minutes, lift the chicken out and dunk it into a large bowl of iced water. This tightens up the chicken and gives you the smoothest, most tender meat!

5. Set the chicken aside and get started on the rice. For this recipe, we used about 3 cups of long grain rice. Boil the rice with the poaching liquid instead of plain water. For an added kick, I used a couple teaspoons of a store bought chicken rice mix. You can find it at most Asian grocery stores. If you can't find it, it is okay to just use the poaching liquid!
6. After about 15-20 minutes, you can remove the chicken from the ice bath and start carving.
7. Once the rice is done, serve with the chicken and sliced cucumber. I garnished the dish with lots of cilantro to brighten up the taste.

** A good tip is to mix 2 tablespoons of soy sauce with a half a cup of broth. Add in a couple drops of sesame oil and pour it all over the chicken and cucumber before eating. YUM!