peace in my pans: Poached Chicken with Ginger Scallion Soy Sauce

I love working with a whole chicken because I can do so much with the broth. For example, I will use the broth to make soups (or freeze the broth to be used later), rice, and of course, the sauce! It's also a simple dish that is low maintenance. I drop the entire chicken into the pot of water and allow it to cook on very, very low heat until it is tender. The secret to having clear broth is cooking with very low heat.

It's the perfect meal on this rainy day. It's been raining NON-STOP for 3 days in Boston! I'm no longer feeling well and my throat is scratchy. I'm tired. I want to move. That reminds me, we didn't make it to East By Northeast but we did having delicious soup dumplings at Gourmet Dumpling House in Chinatown. I think it's hilarious that their walls are adorned with photos of celebrities who have visited the place. I keep going in hopes of bumping into Blake Lively or maybe, Kate Hudson. Who knows?!

I dropped my young bird in a pot with about 8 cups of water. I mean, you will need just enough water to cover the bird 3/4 of the way and then cook it covered. I added about 2 T of kosher salt. Add less salt w/ less water especially if you're planning to use your broth later for other recipes.

Cook for a few hours until tender.

In the mean time, chop up some scallions, ginger, and thai chili peppers.

(Sorry, the next few photos will have a blur in the same spot, this was my failing to wipe the lens!)

Halves the whites of the scallions the long way.

Slice the greens as thinly as possible.

Slice the ginger also as thinly as possible to prep for julienning them.

Layer the ginger slices on top of one another then julienne them.

Chop up the red peppers to a medium-mince (best way to describe...).

In a medium pot, add 3 T of canola oil and 2 T of sugar. Turn your stove on to a medium heat.

Wait until it's hot, then throw in the ginger and scallions. Cook them together for a bit then throw it your red peppers. Allow the ingredients to simmer for a bit.

Now, go and you check on your chicken with a fork. If the meat comes out, it's tender... Remove the chicken to a large bowl to allow it to cool and prep for shredding.

Look at how clear that broth is!!!

Back to the sauce pot. Now pour in a 1/2 cup of broth to the sauce pot then add a 1/4 cup of soy sauce. Throw it the scallion whites. This should now smell quite divine.