A super succulent poached chicken recipe, infused with Asian flavours, that benefits from being given the barbecue treatment.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, quartered
- 2 celery stalks, halved
- 1 leek, white only, halved
- 2 carrots, quartered
- 250ml Madeira wine
- 1 garlic bulb, halved lengthways
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 3 star anise
- 1 orange, halved
- 2 red chillies, halved
- Handful of fresh coriander stalks
- 80g fresh ginger, roughly chopped
- 2 litres chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 4 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 (about 2.3kg) free-range, corn-fed chicken
Method
- 1. Heat a large saucepan over a moderate heat, pour in the olive oil, then add the onion, celery, leek and carrot. Brown well for 10-15 minutes. Add the Madeira and simmer for a few minutes until syrupy. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the chicken, and bring to a simmer.
- 2. Carefully add the chicken to the pan and top up with water if the chicken isn’t fully submerged. Cover the pan with a lid. Turn down the heat and simmer gently for 1 hour.
- 3. Preheat the barbecue. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to sit for a further 20 minutes. Using 2 slotted spoons, carefully remove the chicken from the stock and place on a tray. Cover and set aside.
- 4. Strain 200ml of the cooking liquid into a heavy-based saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce for 5-10 minutes until the sauce has a thick, syrupy consistency. Brush the chicken all over with the sauce, then cook on a moderate barbecue, turning occasionally, until blackened all over.
Nutritional info
Per serving: 426kcals, 10.5g fat (2.4g saturated), 62.8g protein, 12.7g carbs, 11.6g sugar, 0.9g salt