Subtle House's Cookbook

Ingredients

1 large chicken, about 4 to 5 pounds (1.8 to 2.3kg)
1 Tbsp peanut oil
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp baking powder

If putting herbs under skin
2 teaspoons (10g) chopped fresh parsley, thyme, rosemary, oregano, marjoram, savory, or a mix

If turning spine into jus
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
1 medium carrot, peeled and roughly chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 medium rib celery, roughly chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 bay leaf
1 cup (240ml) dry vermouth or sherry
1 cup (240ml) water
1 teaspoon (5ml) soy sauce
3 tablespoons (45g) unsalted butter
2 teaspoons (10ml) juice from 1 lemon

Equipment

Cutting boards and knives
Oven
Kitchen shears (for cutting meat)
Oven-safe wire rack
Baking sheet

If turning spine into jus

Saucepan
Wooden spoon
Measuring pitcher with strainer insert
Citrus reamer

Instructions

1. Mise en place. Gather your ingredients and tools. Place oven rack in upper-middle position and preheat oven to 450°F (232°C). Mince herbs and vegetables. Mix the kosher salt, black pepper, and baking powder together.

2. Spatchcock the chicken. Using sharp kitchen shears, remove backbone from chicken and cut spine into 5 to 6 one-inch-long pieces. Set backbone aside (freeze it to put into stock if not making jus). Flatten chicken by placing skin side up on a cutting board and applying firm pressure to breastbone. Transfer to a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. Position chicken so that breasts are aligned with center of baking sheet and legs are close to edge. Tuck wing tips under so they don't burn.

3. Prep the chicken. If using fresh herbs, gently loosen the skin and place herbs underneath it. Cover the skin with the salt/pepper/baking powder mixture. Drizzle peanut oil over the chicken and rub it in. Roast chicken until thickest part of breast close to bone registers 150°F (66°C) on an instant-read thermometer and joint between thighs and body registers at least 175°F (80°C), about 45 minutes.

4. Make the jus. Meanwhile, heat oil in a small saucepan over high heat until shimmering. Add chicken backbone and cook, stirring frequently, until well browned, about 3 minutes. Add onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add bay leaf and deglaze with vermouth or sherry and 1 cup (240ml) water, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from bottom of pan. Reduce heat to maintain simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Strain into the measuring pitcher and return liquid to pan. Boil over medium-high heat until approximately 1/3 cup (80ml) remains, about 7 minutes. Whisk in soy sauce, butter, and lemon juice off heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. Serve and store. Remove chicken from oven, transfer to cutting board, tent loosely with foil, and allow to rest 5 minutes before carving. Serve with hot jus.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (3.5 lbs, 1.8kg), preferably organic
kosher salt
4-inch section of fresh ginger, unpeeled, in quarter-inch slices
2 stalks green onions, cut into 1" sections (both the green and white parts)
1 teaspoon sesame oil

FOR THE RICE
2 tablespoon chicken fat or 2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1-inch section of ginger, finely minced
2 cups long-grain uncooked rice, washed and soaked in cool water for 10 min or longer
4 cups (or the amount that your rice package says should be used for 2 cups of rice) reserved chicken poaching broth
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt

FOR THE CHILI SAUCE
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoon reserved chicken poaching broth
2 teaspoon sugar
4 tablespoon sriracha chili sauce
4 cloves garlic
1-inch piece of ginger
a generous pinch of salt, to taste

Or make Francis Lam's ginger scallion sauce:

2 ounces ginger (about a 3-inch piece), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
6 ounces scallions (1 large or 2 small bunches), cut into 1-inch lengths
2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more to taste
1 cup peanut oil

FOR THE TABLE
1/4 cup dark soy sauce
Few sprigs cilantro
1 cucumber, thinly sliced or cut into bite-sized chunks

1. Boil a large pot of water. In the meantime, clean the chicken by exfoliating with kosher or coarse salt. Rinse chicken well, inside and outside.

2. PRE-BOIL CHICKEN: When water is at a hard boil, add the chicken. Return to hard boil, let scum come to the surface. Boil for 5 minutes. Discard all the water, including the scum.

3. Refill pot with clean water to cover the chicken by 1-inch, and add in the garlic, green onion and ginger. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, then immediately turn the heat to low to keep a simmer. Cook for about 20–30 minutes more (less if you're using a smaller chicken). Check for doneness by sticking a chopstick into the flesh under the leg and see if the juices run clear or insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh not touching bone. It should read 160F. The chicken will continue to cook to 165F during rest.

4. When the chicken is cooked through, turn off the heat. Immediately lift and transfer the chicken into a bath of ice water to cool. The quick cooling will stop the cooking process, keeping the meat soft and tender, and giving the skin a lovely firm texture.

5. To cook the rice: Drain the rice. Open a window. In a wok or pot (use a medium nonstick pot with a lid if you plan on cooking the rice on the stove top), heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the ginger and the garlic and fry for just a few seconds until your kitchen smells like heaven. Be careful not to burn the aromatics! Add in your drained rice and stir to coat, cook for 2 minutes. Add the sesame oil, mix well.

To make the rice on the stove: In the same pot, add your reserved poaching broth and salt. Cook according to rice package directions.

To cook rice in a rice cooker: Pour aromatics and rice (after frying) into your rice cooker, and add your reserved poaching broth and salt. Follow the instructions for your model (usually this will just mean "turn it on!") and the rice package directions.

6. While your rice is cooking, remove the chicken from the ice bath and rub the outside of the chicken with the sesame oil. Carve the chicken for serving.

7a. To make the chili sauce: Blend your chili sauce ingredients in a blender until smooth and bright red.

7b. To make the ginger scallion sauce: Process the ginger until finely minced but not mushy. Do the same with the scallion. Combine in a three-cup bowl and salt until it tastes a little too salty. Heat the oil in a pan until it begins to smoke, then pour it into the bowl with the ginger and scallions. It will bubble up like a volcano! Stir lightly. Let cool to room temperature and serve.

8. To make the soup: You should have six or seven cups of the reserved poaching broth left over to serve as soup. Just before serving, heat up the soup, taste and season with salt as necessary.

Serve the chicken rice with chili sauce, dark soy sauce, cucumber slices, and a bowl of hot broth garnished with cilantro or scallions.

Source: http://steamykitchen.com/5068-hainanese-chicken-rice.html

NOTE: Allow about two hours from the start of cooking to sitting down with bowls of stew.

NOTE: No matter how careful you are, unless you put the chicken in a silicone mesh bag or steamer basket before cooking it, you will end up with tiny chicken bones in your soup; they fall out during cooking as the meat softens, or at the end when you take the chicken bits out to shred them. Eater beware. The soup is much better with bones in it than it would be if you used boneless chicken parts, so it's worth the hassle.

Ingredients

3 Tbsp olive oil, divided into 1 and 2 Tbsp
0.5 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3–4 lb. of bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (more means a thicker stew)
0.5 tsp garlic puree, or 1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp ginger puree
1 Tbsp turmeric
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
3 cubes frozen dill, 1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill, or 1 tsp dried dill
1 cup chopped celery (about 4 stalks)
1 cup chopped yellow onion
2 cups carrots in large pieces (about 10 oz./one bag)
3 cups baby red potatoes in large dice (about 1 lb./2 large potatoes)
4 cups unsalted chicken broth or stock

Tools

Cutting board and knife
Measuring cups and spoons
Wooden spoons
A couple of large bowls
8-quart Instant Pot, preferably with nonstick liner

Instructions

0) Mise en place. Gather your ingredients and tools. Cut the vegetables. If the chicken isn't already in parts, cut it up if you want to. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper (any left over can go in with the onion). Verify that your Instant Pot lid seal looks to be in good shape.

1) Brown the chicken. Set the Instant Pot to Sauté, High, and pour in 1 Tbsp of oil. When the display says "Hot", brown the chicken or chicken pieces skin side down for about five minutes each. You'll need to do this in two batches. Remove the browned chicken to a large bowl.

2) Cook the onion, celery, and spices. Pour 2 Tbsp of oil into the pot and adjust the temperature to Sauté, Normal. Add the garlic, ginger, and turmeric, stir well, and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the onions and celery, stir well, and cook for about five minutes.

3) Add the remaining ingredients. Pour in about a cup of the chicken broth and deglaze the pot, scraping up any browned bits. Add the Italian seasoning and dill. Add dark meat pieces of chicken, then the light meat (or put the whole chicken in breast side up). Put the potatoes on top, then the carrots. Pour in the remaining broth.

4) Cook the soup. Lock the lid and set the valve to closed. Press the Soup button, or set to pressure cook on high pressure for 30 minutes (counting from when full pressurization is achieved). After pressure cooking, let rest 30 minutes. Quick-release the remaining pressure.

5) Finish, serve, and store. Remove the chicken to a non-staining surface (the turmeric will stain anything it can), shred the meat, and discard the bones and skin. Return the meat to the pot. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve in bowls that won't stain, and store in glass or ceramic containers (or plastic ones you don't mind turning yellow).

Source: https://www.onehappyhousewife.com/instant-pot-chicken-soup/

Ingredients

1 can full-fat unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup unsalted chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp crushed pepper flakes, or 1 small red chili pepper, diced
1 chunk ginger, roughly chopped
zest of 1 lime
2 Tbsp good olive oil
1 whole chicken, about 4 lb.
1/2 small yellow or white onion, roughly chopped
Potatoes (cut into small, even pieces) or rice
Green beans, bell peppers, zucchini, or other fast-cooking vegetables

Equipment

Stove (2 burners)
Oven
Dutch oven
Smallish nonstick pot
Knives and carving boards
Wooden spoons

Instructions

0) Mise en place. Gather your ingredients and tools. Preheat oven to 400F. Chop the basil and zest the lime. Pat the chicken dry and season it with salt and pepper.

1) Flavor the coconut milk. In a small pot, bring the coconut milk, broth, basil, pepper flakes or chili, ginger, and lime zest to a boil, then simmer.

2) Brown the chicken and onion. In the Dutch oven on the stove over medium heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Put the chicken in breast side down and scatter the onion around it. Brown 5 minutes. Flip the chicken onto its back and brown another 8 minutes.

3) Roast the chicken. Carefully and slowly pour the coconut milk mixture over the chicken; it will bubble and boil in the pot. Cover the Dutch oven, put it in the oven, and roast 45 minutes. Uncover, put a probe thermometer in the chicken, and roast until internal temp is 165F (breast) or 180F (thigh). If you're making potatoes, throw them into the broth now. If you're making rice, start the rice cooker now.

4) Cook the vegetables. Remove the chicken from the Dutch oven, tent it with foil, and let it rest so the juices settle. Returning the Dutch oven to the stove, simmer the fast-cooking vegetables in the broth until just cooked.

5) Serve and store. Carve the chicken and serve chicken, veg, and broth in a bowl or over rice. Optionally, cut the lime into wedges for squeezing at the table. Store leftovers in the broth and reheat them gently on the stove or in the microwave. Leftovers keep about a week.

Sources:
https://www.thevintagemixer.com/coconut-milk-roasted-chicken-recipe/
https://www.recipetineats.com/fragrant-coconut-pot-roasted-chicken-feel-good-food-cookbook-by-valli-little/
https://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/4022-french-chicken-in-a-pot

Note: For a vegan curry, omit the chicken and double the veg.

Note: Mild Jamaican curry powder is very, very mild and will give a nice flavor without a lot of kick.

Note: For a thinner sauce, skim the fat off the top of the coconut milk and use it to replace part of the rice cooking water.

Ingredients

4 Tbsp olive oil, divided into 1 and 3 Tbsp
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1" pieces
0.5 c diced onion (frozen or fresh)
0.25 c curry powder
25 to 30 oz full-fat coconut milk
2 large Idaho potatoes or other baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
1 lb cut vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, green beans, bell peppers, peas, etc.), fresh or frozen
1 c white rice
2 c water
Salt

Equipment

Cutting board
Sharp knife
Measuring cups
Mixing bowl
Scale (if using fresh veg)
Large pot with lid
Stove (1 burner)
Spoon
Rice cooker (or another stove burner and a small pot with lid)

Instructions

0) Mise en place. Gather your ingredients and tools. Skin, debone, and cut the chicken. Peel and cut the potatoes. Chop the onion and/or veg if using fresh. Start the rice cooking with the 2 cups of water.

1) Fry the chicken. In the large pot, heat 1 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Fry the chicken pieces for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned on all sides. Set the chicken aside.

2) Fry the aromatics. Add the remaining 3 Tbsp of oil to the pot and heat over medium heat. (It will look like a lot of oil. This is fine.) Add the onion (carefully! frozen onion will splatter) and fry briefly, stirring frequently, until it just begins to brown. Gradually add the curry powder, mixing it well with the oil to form a paste, and fry, stirring vigorously, for 60 seconds or until very fragrant. If it threatens to scorch, turn the heat down.

3) Simmer. Add the chicken and potatoes to the pot. Pour in the coconut milk and stir. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until the chicken and potatoes are cooked through.

4) Cook the veg. When the chicken and potatoes are cooked through, check the rice. It should be done; if it's not, turn off the heat under the pot. Once the rice is done, add the veg to the curry, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered until just cooked, about 3 to 5 minutes depending on which veg you're using. Taste the curry and season with salt as needed.

5) Serve and store. Fill bowls with rice and ladle curry on top. Before refrigerating or freezing leftovers, mix the rice into the curry; you may want to add a splash of water before microwaving refrigerated leftovers, since the rice will have soaked up a lot of the liquid. The turmeric will stain the containers no matter what you do, so don't worry about it.

Sources:
http://ohsnapletseat.com/2013/05/20/easy-coconut-milk-curry-chicken/
http://www.budgetbytes.com/2014/03/coconut-vegetable-curry/

Note: Many liquids can be used for poaching, including broth, stock, water, juice, beer, and wine. Tried-and-true variations include vegetable or chicken broth on its own; apple cider, apple slices, and bay leaves; diluted orange juice, tarragon, and thyme; and chicken broth, white wine, and thyme. Experiment!

Ingredients

3 lb bone-in chicken parts, with or without skin, either all white meat or all dark meat
1.5 qt (48 oz) liquid
12 sprigs of fresh herbs, or 3 tsp dried herbs (optional)
0.5 c fresh or dried fruit, roughly chopped (optional)
Salt and pepper

Equipment

Stove (1 burner)
Large pan with lid
Meat thermometer (optional)
Slotted spoon

Instructions

0) Mise en place. Gather your ingredients and tools. Rinse fresh herbs (no need to chop them--they can even stay on the stem). If using a thermometer, place it in the thickest part of the largest piece of chicken.

1) Prepare the chicken. Place any herbs or fruit in the pan in a single layer. Place the chicken in the pan, again in a single layer. Pour liquid over the chicken until it's completely covered. Add salt and pepper to taste.

2) Poach the chicken. Cover the pan with the lid. Heat over high heat just until the liquid begins to bubble. If cooking white meat, turn the heat off immediately. If cooking dark meat, turn the heat down to maintain a gentle simmer for 5 minutes, then turn the heat off. Let the chicken rest in the hot liquid, with the lid on, for 20 to 40 minutes or until completely cooked. (The length of time will depend on the size of the chicken pieces.)

3) Serve and store. Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken from the poaching liquid. Discard any chicken skin and the remaining fruit and herbs. Serve chicken pieces whole, or shred the meat off the bones and use it in another recipe. The chicken will keep in the fridge for several days. You can also save the poaching liquid for making soup, or for a future batch of poaching (best to only reuse it once). Most poaching liquid will keep in the fridge for about a week or in the freezer indefinitely.

Sources:
http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/poached-chicken-thighs
http://www.livestrong.com/article/448962-how-to-poach-chicken-thighs/
http://www.melindalee.com/resources/reference-center/poach-chicken/

Ingredients

3 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs
1.5 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp za'atar
.5 tsp cumin
.5 tsp ground ginger
.5 tsp urfa-biber
.5 tsp salt
.25 tsp ground coriander seed
.25 tsp cinnamon
2 cups + .5 cup chicken broth (2.5 cups + .5 cup if using Instant Pot)
1 Tbsp honey
1 lemon
2 carrots
1 small yellow onion
1 cup dried apricots
2 Tbsp fresh parsley or cilantro
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 bag slivered almonds

Equipment

Stove (2 burners), or Instant Pot
Oven
Measuring cups, spoons, and pitchers
Bowls of various sizes
Cutting board
Vegetable peeler
Vegetable knife
Tongs or flipper-type spatula
Large pot with lid, or Instant Pot
Large nonstick pan, or Instant Pot
Baking sheet
Aluminum foil

Instructions

Stove version:

0) Toast the almonds. Heat the oven to 350F. Line the baking sheet with foil and spread the almonds on it. Toast them for 10-15 minutes, checking and stirring them every 5 minutes or so, until just golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool (cooling is essential for achieving the ideal crunchy texture).

1) Mise en place. Gather your ingredients and tools. Trim the chicken and pat it dry. Measure all the spices and salt into a single dish, and rub the chicken with them. Cut the lemon into wedges and squeeze about 2 tsp of juice from one of them. Combine the lemon juice, honey, and 2 cups chicken broth in a measuring pitcher. Peel the carrots and slice them into half-inch-thick coins. Cut off the top and bottom of the onion, halve it pole to pole, and cut into quarter-inch slices. Quarter the apricots. Chop the parsley or cilantro.

2) Brown the chicken. Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in the nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer (you may need to cook it in multiple batches) and season it with salt and pepper. Fry for 5 minutes on each side. Set the cooked chicken aside in a bowl. When all the chicken is done, simmer .5 cup chicken broth in the pan and scrape up all the tasty browned bits.

3) Cook the aromatics. While the chicken is cooking, heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in the bottom of a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until the edges are browned but the pieces are still firm. If the chicken isn't done cooking yet, remove the pot from the heat until the chicken is ready.

4) Start the stew. Pour the chicken broth, honey, and lemon juice into the pot. Add the chicken and any accumulated juices, plus the chicken broth you used to deglaze the pan and the pan scrapings. Bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes. Add the carrots and apricots. Cover and simmer 10 minutes.

4.5) Optional: cut up the chicken. Remove the chicken thighs from the pot and cut them into bite-size pieces or shred them while the broth continues to simmer uncovered. Return the pieces of chicken to the pot.

5) Finish the stew. Continue simmering uncovered 5-10 minutes, until the carrots are tender and the broth has thickened slightly. Add parsley or cilantro and stir well.

6) Serve and store. Ladle the stew into bowls. Sprinkle with slivered almonds and serve with lemon wedges. The stew is very good over cous cous, or with bread for sopping. Leftovers keep in the fridge for 7 days and freeze extremely well.

=====

Instant Pot version:

0) Toast the almonds. Heat the oven to 350F. Line the baking sheet with foil and spread the almonds on it. Toast them for 10-15 minutes, checking and stirring them every 5 minutes or so, until just golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool (cooling is essential for achieving the ideal crunchy texture).

1) Mise en place. Gather your ingredients and tools. Start the Instant Pot heating on Sauté, high, with the nonstick liner in place. Trim the chicken and pat it dry. Measure all the spices and salt into a single dish, and rub the chicken with them. Cut the lemon into wedges and squeeze about 1 Tbsp of juice from one or two of them. Combine the lemon juice, honey, and 2.5 cups chicken broth in a measuring pitcher. Peel the carrots and cut them into two-inch pieces. Cut off the top and bottom of the onion, halve it pole to pole, and cut into quarter-inch slices. Chop the parsley or cilantro.

2) Brown the chicken. Put 1 Tbsp of olive oil in the Instant Pot (which should be hot by now). Add the chicken in a single layer (you may need to cook it in multiple batches). Fry until just browned on each side. Set the cooked chicken aside in a bowl.

3) Cook the aromatics. Reduce heat to Sauté, medium. Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in the Instant Pot. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until just browned. Pour .5 cup chicken broth into the pot and scrape up the fond.

4) Start the stew. Add the chicken broth, honey, lemon juice, chicken and any accumulated juices, carrots, and apricots. Seal and pressure cook on High for 20 minutes.

5) Finish the stew. Quick-release pressure. Confirm the chicken is cooked; optionally, remove it, shred it, and return it to the pot. Add parsley or cilantro and stir well.

6) Serve and store. Ladle the stew into bowls. Sprinkle with slivered almonds and serve with lemon wedges. The stew is very good over cous cous, or with bread for sopping. Leftovers keep in the fridge for 7 days and freeze extremely well.

Note 1: This meal requires a lot of clean-up, including serious scrubbing.

Note 2: Deep-frying is dangerous. Wear long sleeves (cotton, not anything flammable or meltable), long pants, and socks. Make liberal use of long-handled spoons and oven mitts. Only one person should be doing anything with the fry pot at any given time. Do not fuck around with hot oil. The recipe is listed as "hard" only because deep-frying is best attempted by experienced cooks.

Note 3: This version of the dish is very mild, and it omits the traditional dried chili peppers. If you prefer it spicy, add dried chili peppers instead of black pepper in step 4. This version also omits dried orange peel, which is traditional but hard to find. With GF soy sauce, it is gluten-free.

Note 4: This is based on Bee Yinn Low's recipe in the cookbook Easy Chinese Recipes. Low has an updated recipe on her website that calls for marinating the chicken in marmalade, coating it in a flour-based batter, and putting orange zest in the sauce. That sounds cool! But it is not this recipe, and no attempt has been made to combine the two.

Ingredients

Meat
2.5 lb skinless boneless chicken meat (white or dark)
1 cup cornstarch, divided into four quarter-cups

Veg
4 heads broccoli, chopped

Sauce
0.75 cup sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 cup orange juice, fresh-squeezed or Tropicana not-from-concentrate, any pulp strained out
0.5 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice wine
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil

Cooking
1 gallon canola oil
1 tsp chopped garlic, or 1 garlic clove
Freshly ground black pepper

Rice
2 cups rice
4 cups water

Equipment

Mixing bowls
Measuring cups and spoons
Whisk
Cutting boards
Chef's knife
Vegetable knife
Strainers
Nitrile gloves
Medium pot with lid
Large pot with metal steamer basket
Small nonstick pot
Large pan or wok
Stove (3 burners)
Deep-fry thermometer
Rice cooker
Wooden spoons
Slotted spoon
Large plates or platters, or a baking sheet
Paper towels
Two half-gallon jars
Small strainer

Steps

0) Mise en place. Have all your ingredients handy and measured. Pour the gallon of oil into the large pot, attach the thermometer, and start it heating over high heat. Put enough water in the medium pot to cook the broccoli, put the lid on the pot, and start it heating over high heat. Put the rice and water in the rice cooker and start it cooking. Cut up the chicken into bite-size chunks and divide it evenly into four batches, each in a separate bowl. Wash and cut up the broccoli. Cover two large plates or platters, or one large baking sheet, with two layers of paper towel.

1) Make the sauce. Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together, then add the rest of the sauce ingredients. Pour the sauce into a nonstick pot and simmer it over medium heat until it starts to thicken; then remove it from the heat but leave it in the pot.

2) Cook the broccoli. When the water boils, put the broccoli in it and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until just barely cooked. Immediately drain the broccoli and set it aside.

3) Deep-fry the chicken. When the oil reaches 350F, do the following for each batch of chicken:

a) Add .25 cup cornstarch to the chicken and mix thoroughly with gloved hands, separating all the pieces and making sure they're thoroughly coated. Add more cornstarch if necessary. You want each piece to be separate and pretty dry to the touch.

b) Place the chicken in the metal steamer basket, arranging the pieces in a single layer on the bottom of the basket. Carefully remove the thermometer from the oil and set it aside. Put on oven mitts, stand as far back as possible, and slowly lower the basket into the oil. The oil will foam up a lot; this is normal and fine. Immediately stir the chicken with a wooden spoon to separate the pieces.

c) Fry the chicken until it's golden-brown and fully cooked. Carefully lift the basket out of the oil and gently tap it to shake excess oil off of the chicken. Put the chicken on the paper towels. Return the thermometer to the side of the pot and bring the oil back up to 350F. While it's coming to temp, pat the chicken dry with more paper towels--both the chicken and the oil on it will still be very very hot.

When all four batches have been fried, turn off the heat and carefully move the pot to a back burner to cool.

4) Stir-fry everything together with garlic and pepper(s). Put the heat back on under the sauce and bring it up to a simmer, stirring it frequently to make sure it doesn't scorch. Meanwhile, in a large pan or wok, heat 2 Tbsp of the deep-fry oil over high heat. Add the garlic and fry until fragrant. Grind in some black pepper to taste (or add chilis if you're using them) and fry until fragrant. Put the chicken and broccoli in the pan and stir-fry them briefly until the garlic and pepper(s) are mixed in. When the sauce is quite thick, turn off the heat. By now the rice should be ready.

5) Serve. Put rice in a bowl, add chicken and broccoli, and spoon sauce on top to taste. Eat immediately before the sauce can make the chicken soggy.

6) Store. Store the rice, the chicken and broccoli, and the sauce separately. Combine just before reheating and serving. Everything should keep pretty well in the fridge. Strain the oil into the half-gallon jars and reuse it for future frying.

Sources:
Easy Chinese Recipes by Bee Yin Low. This recipe is mostly adapted from the orange chicken recipe on p. 90.