Drunken Chicken with Rice-Wine Granita: Diary of a Foodie : gourmet.com

Diary of a Foodie

Serves6 (First Course)

ADAPTED FROM JEREME LEUNG, WHAMPOA CLUB, SHANGHAI

January 2007

12 cups water
4 Turkish or 2 California bay leaves
2 whole star anise
2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
10 scallions, trimmed
1 (4-inch) piece fresh ginger, cut into 10 (1/3-inch-thick) slices
1 tablespoon white Chinese rice wine
1 1/4 cups plus 5 tablespoons fine-quality Shaoxing (amber-colored Chinese rice wine) or medium-dry Sherry
1 (3- to 3 1/2-pound) chicken

Combine 4 cups water with bay leaves, star anise, cinnamon sticks, salt, sugar, 5 scallions, and 5 slices of ginger in a 2-quart saucepan and bring to a boil over moderate heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely, about 1 hour.
Add white rice wine and 1 1/4 cups Shaoxing to cooled liquid, then pour through a sieve, discarding solids. Reserve half of marinade (about 2 1/2 cups) for chicken.
Pour remaining marinade into an 8- to 9-inch square metal baking pan (not nonstick) and freeze, uncovered, 1 1/2 hours. Scrape with a fork, stirring and crushing any lumps, and continue to freeze, scraping every hour, until evenly frozen, about 4 hours more. Scrape granita again to lighten texture, crushing any lumps. Cover and keep frozen until ready to use.

Bring remaining 8 cups water, 5 scallions, 5 slices of ginger, and 5 tablespoons Shaoxing to a boil in a wide 4- to 5-quart heavy pot over moderate heat. Add chicken, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until cooked through, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer chicken with poaching liquid to a large heatproof bowl, then set bowl into a larger bowl of ice and cold water and cool chicken completely (in poaching liquid), about 1 hour, replenishing ice as necessary.

Transfer poached chicken to a cutting board (discard poaching liquid or reserve for another use) and cut into 6 pieces (2 breasts with wings, 2 drumsticks, and 2 thighs). Keeping skin intact and pieces of chicken whole or in large pieces, carefully remove bones from meat, discarding bones. Put chicken in a bowl and pour reserved marinade over it. Marinate, covered and chilled, at least 5 hours.

Remove chicken from marinade (discard marinade) and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Divide among 6 stemmed glasses or shallow bowls and top with granita. (Scrape granita again to lighten texture if necessary.)

Cooks' notes:

Photograph by Romulo Yanes