POACHED CHICKEN WITH GINGER SCALLION SAUCE

Ingredients

For the Chicken

  • 961g (7 pcs) skinless chicken drumsticks

  • 3 stalks scallion

  • 4 cloves (12g) garlic

  • 1 piece (25–30g) ginger

  • 2 tbsp (30ml) Shaoxing wine

  • 2 tsp (10g) salt

For the Sauce

  • 1.5 tbsp (15ml) neutral oil

  • 1 tbsp (15ml) soy sauce

  • 1½ tbsp (22ml) oyster sauce

  • 1 tbsp (15ml) broth

  • 1 tsp (4g) sugar

  • extra scallion greens, thinly sliced

For the Cucumbers

  • 372g (about 2–3) cucumbers

  • 3 tbsp (45ml) soy sauce

  • 2 tbsp (30ml) black vinegar

  • 1 tbsp (15ml) hot sesame oil

  • 1 tbsp (15ml) honey

  • 1 tsp (1g) red pepper flakes

Method

  1. Poach the Chicken – Add chicken drumsticks to a pot with scallion, ginger, garlic, Shaoxing wine, salt, and enough water to cover. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until the chicken is fully cooked through and tender.

  2. Make the Cucumber Salad – In a bowl, combine soy sauce, black vinegar, hot sesame oil, honey, and red pepper flakes. Add the cucumbers, toss or shake, and set aside.

  3. Shred the Chicken – Remove the chicken from the liquid and shred it.

  4. Infuse the Oil – In a small pot, add neutral oil, ginger, and scallion whites. Heat gently to infuse the oil, then remove the ginger and scallion whites once fragrant.

  5. Sizzle the Scallion Greens – Place your thinly sliced scallion greens in a heat-proof bowl and pour the hot infused oil over them.

  6. Finish the Sauce – In a separate bowl, mix soy sauce, oyster sauce, broth, and sugar. Add in the scallion-oil mixture and stir everything together.

  7. Serve – Pour the finished sauce over the shredded chicken, serve with white rice, add your cucumber salad on the side, and garnish with sesame seeds.

Additional Notes

Traditional recipes recommend poaching the chicken for 10–15 minutes and then shocking it in an ice bath to stop the cooking. I don’t personally do that, but if you want to follow the classic method, that’s how it’s typically done.

This would also go really well with broccoli, either steamed or sautéed — something green to balance everything out.

You don’t need to make the full cucumber salad either. You can absolutely just use raw cucumbers. I made a salad because I wanted more flavor and acidity in the dish, but plain cucumbers work perfectly fine.