White Cut Chicken (bok cheet gai) with Ginger-Scallion Oil, Cantonese comfort food
One of my favorite things about Chinese home cooking is that it is often incredibly simplistic. Just a few ingredients, clean, vibrant flavors, and no fussiness.
This recipe for poached chicken with ginger-scallion oil is one of my staple dishes when I feel the need to recharge. Served over a bowl of steaming jasmine rice, it is pure comfort and nourishment.
You see this dish at a lot of Chinese wedding banquets or New Year celebrations. As is customary for many Chinese foods, there is a special symbolism to this dish. The white chicken symbolizes happiness and purity, and if it is served whole, it symbolizes family as well.
I am always surprised at how flavorful this chicken is, considering all you're doing is boiling it. However, the combination of the salt rub and the salted water infused with ginger and garlic must make one phenomenal Jacuzzi bath, because something wonderful happens to that chicken. The meat becomes tender and juicy, and the sesame oil massage adds a warm, nutty fragrance to the skin.