White-cut Chicken

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

1 (2.3kg) chicken, cleaned and left whole
4cm piece ginger, sliced
2 stalks spring onions, cut into short lengths
1 tbsp wine
1 tsp salt
10-12 cups (2.5-3litres) water


Method:

1. Bring the water to the boil. Add ginger and spring onions.
2. Add chicken, wine and salt.
3. Bring to the boil again and simmer 10 minutes.
4. Turn off heat and cover pan. Let chicken cook in hot water for 1 hour. Drain.
5. Let chicken cool; cut up into bite-size pieces and serve with various sauces.

Cutting the chicken:

1. Cut through the skin where the thigh joins the body. Twist the leg out sharply to break the thigh joint. Repeat for the other leg.
2. Slit along both sides of the breast bone, then tear the breast bone area apart. Turn the chicken over and cut along 1 side of the backbone to half the chicken.
3. Cut the backbone and rib bones from each of the breast halves, leaving the wings still attached to the breast.
4. Cut each breast piece in half, leaving some breast meat on each wing. Do likewise for the leg between the thigh and drumstick. This gives you 8 pieces.