Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from chef Neil Perry's book Rockpool. Neil also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. For your convenience, we've converted the measures — with as much accuracy as possible — from Australian to American. For those who have metric equipment and wish to follow Neil's recipe to the milliliter, we've included the original measures too.
This recipe is an accompaniment for Lobster, Soy Chicken, and Mango Salad .
Master Stock Chicken is to me the Chinese equivalent of a beautifully roasted chicken with garlic. I find the best thing to do with the chicken the next day is to fry it.
Recipe information
Yield
Serves eight as part of a shared meal
Ingredients
Three dipping sauces:
Preparation
Step 1
Remove all visible fat from the chicken and wipe down the cavity with paper towels.
Step 2
Bring all the ingredients except the chicken and dipping sauces to the boil in a pot just big enough to fit the chicken. Turn down and simmer for 20 minutes. Submerge the chicken in the stock, breast-side down, and bring back to the boil. Lower the heat to a strong simmer for 20 minutes.
Step 3
Turn the chicken and allow to simmer for another 3 minutes. Put a lid on and remove the pot from the heat. Allow the chicken to cool in the stock.
Step 4
Once the stock has cooled, remove the chicken. The master stock should then be strained, brought up to the boil, cooled and refrigerated. It can then be added to the pot the next time it is needed. As the stock gets older it will grow in strength and its flavour will intensify. Add water if necessary to dilute the stock.
Step 5
The chicken is now ready for use in a salad or chopped up Chinese-style and re-formed on a plate. It is delicious served with coriander (cilantro) and any of the three dipping sauces. You will find this chicken silky and delicious, and I'm sure it will change your mind on boiled chook from now on.
Step 6
To make a simple Chinese roast chicken, heat 4 cups of peanut oil in a wok and fry the chicken on all sides until golden brown and the flesh is heated through. Serve with Sichuan salt and pepper and lemon juice.
