# Ginger Chicken



## Keith Sinclair (May 23, 2018)

Darrell asked me how to make ginger chicken

Bring steam kettle to a boil and turn down heat to a simmer put in fresh chicken. By simmering you don't mess up the skin it stays intact. When cooked fish them out with a Chinese strainer try to get from the bottom so no tear on the skin. Chill birds in walk in refrig. 

When chopping with bone cleaver remove legs, thighs, wings. Split the body in half. Place wings in center on platter (two birds per platter) I was making at least 8-12 platters at a time so would place chopped legs & thighs on one parchment paper sheet pan, & the Breasts with ribs attached on another pan. Build all the platters at once. If just making one platter can build it as you cut. The legs & thigh pieces go on after wings in the bottom center. They will fill the plate, then put the breast pieces on top. Cover with saran wrap & put in frig.

Ginger Chicken Sauce

I learned this from Tin Fu my Chinese buddy(fellow carbon junkie) it is as good as I have ever tasted. I learned some Chinese cooking from that dude.

Peel ginger the more the better cut in pieces, put in Cuisinart with just a little garlic. Grind with oil until well chopped (not mush but fine chop)

Put in a metal container add Hawaiian salt. Heat some more oil on the stove( very hot but not burning level) pour this hot oil over the ginger mix this will melt the rock salt and slightly cook the ginger. Then pour in some cold oil to stop the cooking. This is important you do not want to overcook the ginger it will turn color and look like crap. You have to have the cold oil on hand ready to pour when you add the hot oil.

Green onion cut up and add to the mix.


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## panda (May 23, 2018)

keith dont you have a combi oven? would think is much easier than kettle.

this feels like you left some ingredients out or is it really that simple?


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## Keith Sinclair (May 23, 2018)

Don't want the skin browned at a.ll. Cooking a batch of birds in kettle no problem. Yep simple & tastes good just use lots of ginger


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## dafox (May 24, 2018)

Thank you Keith!
Looking forward to making some.


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## slickmamba (May 24, 2018)

If you like a thick fatty layer, the secret is to go from he pot to a ice water bath so that the fat reconfeals into deliciousness


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## cheflivengood (May 25, 2018)

Need pictures of final preparation please!


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## slickmamba (May 25, 2018)

slickmamba said:


> If you like a thick fatty layer, the secret is to go from he pot to a ice water bath so that the fat reconfeals into deliciousness



re-congeals' didn't realize how much typing on my phone destroyed the spelling of this word, haha


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## parbaked (May 25, 2018)

Sounds very similar to Singapore Hainan Chicken or Thai Khao Man Gai.
Best when you serve it with rice that's been cooked in the fatty poaching liquid.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hainanese_chicken_rice

I make it all the time for a quick dinner with chicken thighs poached in chicken stock instead of water.
Poach, ice bath, debone while cooking rice in the chicken broth.
Serve it with the scalded scallion, ginger & garlic sauce. I add a splash of sesame oil after porting hot oil on the minced scallion, garlic & ginger.
You traditionally serve it with a small bowl of the poaching liquid, which should be a flavorful broth.


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## gstriftos (May 25, 2018)

How to make *ginger* chicken:

1) Let nature have it's way:



Spoiler



[video=youtube;BTAnUHkd-54]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTAnUHkd-54[/video]




2) On a more serious note, whilst a trip in Shenzhen they had ginger chicken in various restaurants and in all of the them the bird was simply boiled, to my astonishment (I thought it would be roasted), and then served just split in half with head and claws intact. Chicken then was marinated, after boiled, for at least 24-48 hours with a sauce made mainly of ginger and soy, plus some spiced peppers. Reheated if asked by customer but all locals asked it as cold dish.
Despite my concerns it tasted ''gingery'' spiced.
Coming back home I tried to replicate it with the outcome being an epic fail.. :laugh:


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## Mucho Bocho (May 25, 2018)

I've done it several times, there are a few secrets.

1.) Young small birds are most desirable. Make sure to loosen the skin
2.) Make the brine with smashed ginger and garlic. I just simmer it until till perfumes the water. Then chill, do not dilute the brine with ice. You want just enough water to cover bird.
3.) Put bird in cold brine, put on a low flame and do not let the water boil. I usually cook them for 1hr, then leave in the water for another hour, then chill completely 24hrs in refrigerator.

Crack off the schmaltz and serve cold w rice and a sweet soy/ginger sauce.


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## dafox (May 28, 2018)

Got around to making Keith's version, delicious. For the first run i used chicken thighs, later on I'll try making it with a whole bird, but just using thighs made it easy. When I made the sauce it didn't seemed cooked enough to me so I very quickly stir fried it. Served the dish warm. It's a keeper, I'll be making it again, will probably become a favorite.


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## Keith Sinclair (May 29, 2018)

dafox said:


> Got around to making Keith's version, delicious. For the first run i used chicken thighs, later on I'll try making it with a whole bird, but just using thighs made it easy. When I made the sauce it didn't seemed cooked enough to me so I very quickly stir fried it. Served the dish warm. It's a keeper, I'll be making it again, will probably become a favorite.



Glad you liked it. My version is for cold Ginger Chicken. Most for cold do not poor hot oil over ginger & rock salt. It makes a major flavor difference instead of raw.

Of coarse ginger is great in hot dishes along with garlic. Curries, Soy sauce chicken(more ginger less sugar mo betta), Kulua pork and cabbage, thin slices good for all kinds of fish dishes. Fresh Ginger is one of the great spices that goes well with all kinds of food and is very healthy.

Also a fan of ginger drinks. Favorite is Big Island Hawaiian Gingerade. Best price Costco here 15.00 for twelve 16oz glass bottles. Organic lemon ju., organic agave nectar, organic fresh pressed ginger. Not too sweet with a very strong ginger kick. Not for people who like super sweet ginger drinks with no ginger bomb.


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## apicius9 (May 30, 2018)

Keith Sinclair said:


> Of coarse ginger is great in hot dishes along with garlic. Curries, Soy sauce chicken(more ginger less sugar mo betta), Kulua pork and cabbage,.....



Wait, you put ginger into Kalua pig? Wha else, and how do you make it - if that does not derail it from the great-sounding ginger chicken too much. I put that on my list.

Stefan


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## Keith Sinclair (May 30, 2018)

Stef as you know good quality Kalua pig is available in many stores here. I use a big 14" glass covered skillet. Like plenty cabbage use one large head to one pound of smoked kalua pig. Smash a couple pieces of ginger with a cleaver & add to the mix. Little olive oil, water, soy sauce, dash of Worcestershire, fresh ground blk pepper. Soy & pig have enough salt. As the dish cooks on a low heat the flavor of the ginger comes out.

Do you know where I can get good raw Sauerkraut? Can only find pasteurized here which kills the beneficial bacteria.


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## parbaked (May 30, 2018)

Keith Sinclair said:


> Do you know where I can get good raw Sauerkraut? Can only find pasteurized here which kills the beneficial bacteria.



Wilbrine should be widely available in HW or by mail order: http://wildbrine.com
They have a locator: http://wildbrine.com/where-to-get-wild/
I'd also try Whole Foods...


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## Keith Sinclair (May 30, 2018)

Thanks for the site. Raw Kim Chee you can get all over, but Sauerkraut harder to find. No luck at Down to Earth or Safeway figured they would have. Found no hormone nitrates chicken dogs & of coarse healthy sausages available, even whole wheat buns I will try Whole Foods. I like sauerkraut with sausages & dogs.

I watched this show on things that live inside us, figured eat more probiotics.


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## apicius9 (May 30, 2018)

You can always make your own kraut. Check out seriouseats.com and search for sauerkraut, they have pretty good instructions. Over here, my first place to look for raw kraut would be a Jewish deli, but I dont even remember seeing on on Oahu. Myself, I by the German style pre-cooked sauerkraut at Aldi. Not quite as good as raw but still healthy enough. 

Stefan


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## parbaked (May 31, 2018)

Keith Sinclair said:


> Thanks for the site. Raw Kim Chee you can get all over, but Sauerkraut harder to find.



Wildbrine sell all kinds of sauerkraut as well as Kim Chee. Maybe you missed it on their site:
http://wildbrine.com/product-categories/sauerkraut/


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## chinacats (May 31, 2018)

Keith Sinclair said:


> Thanks for the site. Raw Kim Chee you can get all over, but Sauerkraut harder to find. No luck at Down to Earth or Safeway figured they would have. Found no hormone nitrates chicken dogs & of coarse healthy sausages available, even whole wheat buns I will try Whole Foods. I like sauerkraut with sausages & dogs.
> 
> I watched this show on things that live inside us, figured eat more probiotics.





parbaked said:


> Wildbrine sell all kinds of sauerkraut as well as Kim Chee. Maybe you missed it on their site:
> http://wildbrine.com/product-categories/sauerkraut/



They're based in CA but the local Whole Foods carries their products...guessing that if your WF doesn't that they just need to be prodded

Thanks for the link Parbaked...on my shopping list now.


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## panda (May 31, 2018)

jim, you can find home made kimchi sold at korean grocery store on congress st. in portland. sun oriental market


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## chinacats (May 31, 2018)

panda said:


> jim, you can find home made kimchi sold at korean grocery store on congress st. in portland. sun oriental market



Cool... didn't know about that place yet... but do now


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## Keith Sinclair (May 31, 2018)

The best Kim Chee comes from Korean markets fresh.


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## chinacats (Jun 1, 2018)

Best I've had was homemade by a Korean mother (not my mother) so that makes perfect sense.


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