Poached Chicken with Scallion Sauce
"I'll do it later." –Vilina
... Words I utter when Mom asks for help ordering dog vitamins off Amazon, or setting up her iPad. And usually I pair those words with an exasperated sigh, like I just can't be bothered because I'm in the middle of a Netflix binge—which ironically inspired the desire to make poached chicken with scallion sauce.
Let's rewind. It's a cold Friday night in Brooklyn, which obviously means I'm curled up in bed with my laptop. I decide to see what all the hullabaloo is about surrounding Master of None via Call Your Girlfriend (a feminist podcast that turns my morning commute into something enjoyable). Cut to episode two, and oh my God, I'm practically watching a conversation with Mom.
The "Parents" episode sheds a realistic light on the first-generation American and immigrant parent relationship—something not often represented in television. Similar to Dev and Brian's conversation, Mom never expressed pride in my work. It was always, "That's it? You call that art? Why can't you do better?" She did this because she wanted us to push ourselves. She wanted us to be so good that no challenge would daunt us and every opportunity would be laid at our feet. She wanted more for us, more than she had. That's why she immigrated here.
I am confident that when I brush her off as an ungrateful child (sorry, Mom), she thinks about what it took to give Sis and me the amazing lives we lead today—mostly because she gives us the same look of disappointment Brian's parents give him. So I want to say thanks, Mom and Dad, for all your sacrifices. I can't promise that I won't get annoyed anymore when you ask me to do commonplace tasks, but I'll work on it.
And because watching Master of None also had me craving the featured chicken and rice dish in the same episode, I asked for the recipe. The Phan clan version pairs the chicken with a scallion sauce—a sauce that Mom didn't love until recently. She grew up dipping the chicken in a soy-oyster sauce, which isn't bad, especially if you're a fan of the salty-sweet flavor profile. But the scallion sauce is what dreams are made of—it's tangy and sharp with a hint of sweetness to round it out.
Because the chicken is poached, the sauce is the most important aspect of the dish. Each ingredient plays a vital role, so it's important that you don't skimp on quality—freshness is key!
Prep: 10 minutes Cook: 30 minutes + 1 hour to dry
INGREDIENTS (FOR 4-5)
| 4 lbs chicken* | 3 ginger slices |
| 3 tbsp olive oil | 1 tbsp rice vinegar |
| 3 stalks scallion** | 1 tbsp lemon juice |
| 2 garlic clove | 1 tsp sugar |
| 1/4 tsp salt |
*Generally a whole chicken is used, but single cut chicken works just as well.
**You can great really creative mixing and matching other green alliums. I've experimented with a combination of scallion, ramps, and wild garlic and it may have been the best thing I ever ate.
FOR THE CHICKEN
PREPARE
1. Fill a large pot with 12 cups of water (the chicken should be completely submerged when placed in pot).
COOK
1. Bring water to boil and submerge chicken for five minutes.
2. Turn down to a simmer and continue to cook the chicken for 25 minutes longer.
3. Take out the chicken and pat dry, then let it completely air dry on its own. This took me about an hour.
FOR THE SAUCE
PREPARE
1. Mince the scallion, garlic, and ginger.
COOK
1. Combine minced scallion, garlic, and ginger with olive oil, rice vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and sugar.
EAT
Serve the chicken over rice with the sauce on the side. As noted above, you can also serve with a soy-oyster sauce as well. Try both and see which you like better!