Poached Chicken with Ginger Scallion Oil

Poached Chicken with Ginger Scallion Oil is a classic Chinese poached chicken dish that’s surprisingly easy to make at home. It may look refined, but it’s incredibly simple, resulting in meat that’s juicy, tender, and full of flavor. Paired with aromatic ginger scallion oil, it’s the perfect healthy chicken dinner for any night of the week. Let’s get started!

Poached Chicken Recipe

Serving: 4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour

For the sauce:
1/2 cup avocado oil or other high-smoking point oil
2 stalks scallions, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, grated
1/2 teaspoon salt
For the chicken:
1 (4-pound) organic chicken
1 teaspoon salt
8 quarts water
3 quarts ice water
2 stalks scallions
6 slices ginger

Poached Chicken Instructions

1. Make the ginger scallion oil:

• In a bowl, mix scallions, grated ginger, and salt.
• Heat avocado oil until smoking hot. Carefully pour the hot oil over the scallion-ginger mixture and whisk.

2. Prepare the chicken:

• Clean the chicken thoroughly and pat the skin with a paper towel to remove any pin feathers.
• In a large stockpot, bring water to a boil. Hold the chicken by the neck and dip it into the water three times to help the skin tighten and hold its shape.
• Transfer the chicken to ice water to set the skin and lock in moisture before poaching.

3. Poach the chicken:

• Refill the stockpot with water and bring it to a boil. Add salt and stir.
• Dip the chicken again three times, then fully submerge it in the water.
• Reduce to low heat. Add scallions and ginger and poach for about 45 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C). This gentle method produces incredibly tender poached chicken.

4. Serve:

• Remove the chicken and serve immediately with sauce. You can shred or slice it as desired. For extra firmness and ease of slicing, you can dip it in ice water again before serving.

Tips & notes

• Poaching technique: The double-dip method before poaching helps cook the chicken evenly and preserves skin texture.
• Ginger scallion sauce also pairs wonderfully with noodles, rice, or tofu—it’s a versatile Chinese condiment.
• Whole chicken presentation: Keeping the head and tail symbolizes “有頭有尾” (you tou you wei)—starting and finishing with integrity in Chinese tradition.