Ginger Scallion Chicken Parchment Pack Recipes

GINGER-SCALLION CHICKEN BREASTS BAKED IN PARCHMENT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. If using shiitake mushrooms, place them in a small bowl; pour the boiling water over, and let the mushrooms soak until soft, about 15 minutes. Lift mushrooms from bowl; reserve soaking liquid for another use (such as making stock or risotto), or discard. Cut mushrooms into 12 thin slices.
• Stir together soy sauce, oil, vinegar, honey, and sliced ginger in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; set aside. Stir together the chopped scallion and grated ginger in a small bowl; set aside.
• Rinse chicken, and pat dry. Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise to make 4 pieces total; trim any fat. Using a sharp paring knife, make a long, deep horizontal cut in one side of each chicken piece to create a pocket, being careful not to cut all the way through. Spoon the scallion-ginger mixture into each piece, dividing evenly and spreading.
• Transfer stuffed chicken pieces to baking dish with soy-sauce mixture. Marinate at room temperature, turning halfway through, 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place a rimmed baking sheet in oven to heat. Prepare packets (for tips on folding parchment, see Enlightened Cooking). Stack packets; weight with a baking sheet until ready to use (to help seams stay sealed).
• Open one short end of each packet. Using a spatula, slide a chicken piece inside. Top each piece with 3 mushroom slices. Crease firmly to reseal.
• Carefully transfer packets to preheated baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes; the chicken should be cooked through. Transfer packets to plates. Serve immediately, opening packets at the table. Garnish with remaining scallions.

GINGER-SCALLION CHICKEN

Steps:

• Cut the scallions in quarters lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1 1/2-inch-long pieces. You should end up with thin blades of scallions. Separate out the dark green tops from the pale green and white parts. (You don't have to be very thorough; some mixing of colors is fine.)
• Heat oil in a wok or 12-inch skillet over very high heat. When it's shimmering but not smoking, stir in chicken and salt. Cook, stirring almost constantly, until chicken is barely cooked and no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer chicken onto a serving plate, leaving the oil in the pan. Immediately scatter cilantro and scallion greens (not whites) over hot chicken.
• Return wok to medium-high heat. Make sure there are at least 2 tablespoons oil in the wok. If not, add more oil. Stir in ginger and cook until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Stir in scallion whites, soy sauce and sugar, and cook for another 30 seconds (if using a skillet, remove from heat). Immediately spoon the contents of the pan evenly over chicken and herbs. Serve right away.

WHITE CUT CHICKEN WITH GINGER SCALLION SAUCE (白切鸡姜葱酱)

Steps:

• Set the stove to high heat and start boiling a generous amount of water in the pot you'll be using.
• Wait for the water to come to a boil.
• While we wait for the chicken to cook, we'll start on our sauce by mincing our green onions and ginger​.
• We'll heat up our wok on high heat and add corn oil.
• We'll add salt and sesame oil to the bowl, and mix for 30-60 seconds.
• Grab a big bowl and dump a few handfuls of ice into it. Fill it roughly halfway with cold water.
• Once the time draws near, we can uncover the pot. Poke the thickest part of the chicken (around the thigh) deeply with a chopstick.
• Carefully take two chopsticks under the chicken wings, and lift it over the pot.
• This could honestly be its own blog post, but for now it will live in a very detailed step in this recipe.

SCALLION-GINGER SAUCE

Steps:

• Stir together the ginger, scallions and 1 teaspoon salt in a heatproof medium bowl.
• Heat the oil over high heat in a small pot until it just starts to smoke or registers 375 degrees F on a digital thermometer, 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully pour the hot oil over the scallion-ginger mixture and stir to combine. Mix in the sugar and 1/2 teaspoon white pepper. Serve as a condiment for bai qie ji (white cut chicken).

SALT-BAKED SPATCHCOCK CHICKEN WITH GINGER SCALLION SAUCE

Steps:

• Measure out 1 tablespoon salt from the box into a small bowl; add the 1 tablespoon sand ginger powder and the white pepper and mix well until combined. Measure out 1/4 teaspoon salt from the box into a medium heatproof bowl. Set both bowls aside.
• Pat the chicken dry all over with paper towels then transfer to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Brush both sides of the chicken with the Shaoxing wine; evenly sprinkle both sides with the sand ginger mixture and rub in. Let sit, skin-side up, in a cool place away from direct sunlight for 1 hour.
• During the last 30 minutes of the hour, pour the remaining salt from the box into a Dutch oven. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the temperature of the salt reaches 450 to 500 degrees F, 20 to 30 minutes. It's okay if the salt darkens slightly. Lower the heat to low.
• Prepare two 2 1/2-foot-long sheets of parchment paper on a work surface. Add the ginger slices and scallion segments in an even layer to one of the sheets; place the chicken on top with the legs pointing toward a short side of the parchment. Fold the long sides of the parchment over the chicken, followed by the short sides to fully wrap the bird. Feel free to roll the short sides for a tighter seal. Slide the twine under the parchment and tie up the package like a gift, crossing the ends across the middle lengthwise and crosswise. Repeat wrapping and tying the chicken with the second sheet of parchment and second piece of twine.
• Carefully transfer half of the hot salt from the Dutch oven into another medium heatproof bowl and set aside.
• Level the remaining salt in the Dutch oven with a wooden spoon to create an even layer at least 1/4 inch deep. Nestle in the wrapped chicken, breast-side up. Pour the reserved hot salt directly on top. Cook, covered, over medium-high heat for 50 minutes. Remove the Dutch oven from the heat and let sit, covered, for 30 minutes. The residual heat will continue to cook the chicken.
• Meanwhile, add the sugar, grated ginger, minced scallions and remaining 1/4 teaspoon sand ginger powder to the reserved 1/4 teaspoon salt; mix until well combined then set aside.
• Add any reserved fat from the chicken to a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until the fat is rendered and any solids are dark brown and crispy, 10 to 15 minutes (depending on the amount of chicken fat). If rendering the fat does not yield 1/2 cup of liquid, make up the difference with the store-bought rendered fat or neutral oil and heat until hot. Add 2 tablespoons of the hot fat at a time to the ginger scallion mixture; if it bubbles up, let it settle for about 15 seconds after each addition. Stir until everything is combined. Set aside until ready to serve.
• When the 30 minutes are up for the chicken, remove the lid and brush off as much salt as possible with a wooden spoon. Carefully transfer the parchment package to a large cutting board or rimmed baking sheet. Cut the twine and unwrap the chicken. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken should reach 165 degrees F and the juices should run clear. Allow it to rest, unwrapped, for 15 minutes.
• To carve the chicken, remove the legs and cut each into drumsticks and thighs. Carve out the wings then remove each breast and slice it to your desired thickness. Arrange the chicken on a serving platter. Feel free to pour any accumulated juices over the chicken or serve on the side in a bowl. Serve with the ginger scallion sauce on the side.