White-Cut Chicken

Take the chicken out of the fridge to let it come up slightly in temperature, remove any remaining pinfeathers and innards, rinse the cavity and pat dry; take care not to tear the skin.

Pour enough water into a large pot to fully cover the chicken, add half of the sliced ginger and half of the roughly chopped scallions. Bring to a boil.

Lower the chicken into the boiling water, legs down. Once the water returns to a boil, carefully lift the chicken out for a few seconds to let the cold water drain from the cavity, then lower it back into the pot. Bring to a boil again, cover, and poach at the barest simmer over the lowest heat for 35–40 minutes.

Check for doneness by piercing the thickest part of the thigh: the juices should run clear. Transfer the chicken to a bowl of ice water for 10–15 minutes to cool the meat quickly and firm up the skin.

For the sauce, finely mince the remaining ginger and scallions and mix with salt. Heat the vegetable oil until almost boiling but not smoking, then pour it over the ginger-scallion mixture.

Remove the chicken from the ice bath and pat dry, then chop it Chinese-style into serving pieces: separate the legs, wings and breast, then slice the meat across the grain.

Serve the white-cut chicken warm or at room temperature with the ginger-scallion oil.