Here’s something you may not know about me - I don’t like to cook when it’s just for myself.

So, when my wife was out of town for two nights this week, I needed to come up with a way of feeding myself that didn’t involve too much effort, since I was already disinclined to be in the kitchen anyway.  On the first night, I stopped at the supermarket and picked up a hoagie for dinner, and a small chicken.  I ate the hoagie the first night, and the second night I made this dish.

When I was growing up, my mom used to always refer to this as “Chicken in Water” which is pretty much what it is.  It’s more technique-based than ingredient-based, but the charm of this preparation is that it requires almost no effort beyond boiling water, and results in absolutely foolproof, perfectly cooked chicken.  The key is to let the chicken steep in the hot stock long enough so that the heat penetrates the bird throughout, bringing the temperature up so that the meat is fully cooked.

Chinese White Cooked Chicken

1 small chicken, rinsed
A pot of water, enough to fully submerge the chicken
Ginger
Garlic
Chinese rice wine (optional, but good if you have it)
Salt

Bring the pot of water to a boil.  While you’re waiting for the water, slice a knob of ginger into four or five pieces, and smash three or four cloves of garlic, and add both of these to the water along with a cup or so of rice wine.

When the water is at a full boil, add a splash of salt (as you would for pasta, about that much).

Carefully lower the chicken fully into the boiling water, making sure the water fills the cavity of the bird, and bring the water back to a gentle, bubbling boil.

For small chickens, let this cook for about 10 to 15 minutes.  Put a lid on the pot, and turn off the heat.

That’s it.  Now all you have to do is let the chicken sit in the water for at least an hour, and it will be fully cooked.  You can even let it sit longer and it won’t dry out.  Plus, you’ll end up with a nice pot of chicken stock that you can use for soup later on.

To serve
Use a pair of tongs and fish the chicken out and onto a platter.  Remove and discard the skin, and use forks to pull the meat from the bones.  A good pairing is to serve this over buttered rice topped with a little bit of soy sauce or sesame oil, and scallions or chives.