STEWED GINSENG CHICKEN

Yield: 10 portions of 2 legs each or 20 single leg portions

Ingredients Amount

Chicken legs and thighs 20 ea.

Filing:

Rice, medium grain, soaked 1 Cup before cooking.

Scallions, minced 5 ea.

Chinese red dates, halved, pits removed ½ cup

Pine Nuts, toasted ½ cup

Salt 1/2 tsp.

Poaching liquid:

Garlic cloves, peeled 30 each

Onion, quartered 2 ea.

Asian pear, quartered 1 ea.

Spicy green chili (jalapeno, or other) 1 ea.

Chinese Red Dates ½ cup

Scallions, bruised 6 each

Ginger, peeled, sliced ¼” thick 1/4 #

Ginseng root, dry 1 large pinch

Mirin 1 Tbsp.

Thin Soy Sauce 2 Tbsp.

Sugar 2 Tbsp.

Water 3 qts.

House made stock 1 qt.

Bones from chicken legs as available

Freshly ground black pepper t.t.

Salt t.t.

For Garnish:

Ginger, very fine julienne 2” pieces 1 oz.

Scallions, bias cut 2” long strips, very fine 3 ea.

Mushroom soy sauce 2 Tbsp.

Sesame Oil 1 Tbsp.

Poached garlic heads(recipe to follow) 6 ½ heads

Method

1. Rinse and soak rice for 30 minutes, par cook for 10 minutes, cool and combine with pine nuts, scallions, and Chinese red dates (jujubes).

2. Remove bones from chicken legs + thighs as demonstrated, to form package for rice filling

3. Place individual leg/thigh pieces onto non-pvc plastic wrap, caul fat, or cheese cloth sheets large enough to hold and wrap around filled chicken.

4. Spoon par-cooked rice mixture onto chicken, allowing enough space to roll and seal into a “torchon”

5. For poaching liquid, place all ingredients for the solution in a rondo just large enough to accommodate the chicken, bring to a simmer. Taste with chef and adjust seasonings with salt and fish sauce if needed. - this is important!

6. Bring poaching 180F, add chicken, add additional liquid to cover chicken if needed, check that liquid is between 165-180F on top of range and poach hens to internal temp of 165F. Check seasoning of liquid and hold hens warm in liquid until service

7. To serve, remove cooked legs from broth, remove from wrapper, “paint” with soy sauce and sesame oil, slice and place into wide bowl with hot poaching broth . Garnish with dates and garlic cloves from poaching liquid. Place 1 poached garlic head in bowl next to chicken. Scatter with fresh scallion + ginger julienne just prior to serving.

Poached Garlic Heads:

Ingredients Amount

Fresh, whole garlic 8 heads

Mirin ½ cup

Light Soy sauce ½ cup

Water 1 cup

Method:

1. Combine mirin. Soy sauce, water together in a small sauté pan

2. Carefully cut away the top 1/3 of of each garlic head - just above the “equator” – be careful to keep heads root end and cloves intact.

3. Place garlic heads in pan with liquid, bring to gentle simmer, and cover.

4. Allow to simmer until garlic is very tender when pierced with a knife

5. Remove garlic to small holding pan and pour remaining liquid over.

6. Hold at warm room temperature for service.