Thai Poached Chicken Rice

Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 cup jasmine rice
• 2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
• 3 whole garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 whole white peppercorns
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 2 whole scallions, white and light green parts, finely sliced
• 3 tablespoon neutral oil
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 whole garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 whole Thai bird's eye chile
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• ½ whole cucumber, peeled and sliced into spears
• 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions

1. 1

   Rinse 1 cup of jasmine rice under cold running water in a fine-mesh strainer, stirring gently with your fingers until the water runs mostly clear — this removes excess starch so the grains stay separate and fluffy.

2. 2

   Pour 3.5 cups of water into a large pot with a lid and bring to a boil over high heat. Add 1 lb of chicken thighs, 3 whole garlic cloves, a 2-inch piece of fresh ginger sliced into 4-5 coins, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and 4 white peppercorns. Reduce heat to medium and simmer gently for 12-15 minutes — the chicken should be mostly submerged and the water should barely bubble. You'll know it's done when the thickest part of a thigh reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.

3. 3

   Using tongs, carefully transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board and set aside. Strain the cooking liquid through the fine-mesh strainer into a glass measuring cup, discarding the ginger, garlic, and peppercorns — you should have about 2 cups of fragrant broth.

4. 4

   Return the strained broth to the pot and add the rinsed jasmine rice. Stir once with a wooden spoon, bring to a simmer over high heat, then cover with the lid. Reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid — the rice needs uninterrupted steam to cook evenly. After 15 minutes, remove from heat and let the rice rest, covered, for 5 minutes. This final rest allows carryover heat to finish cooking any slightly firm grains.

5. 5

   While the rice cooks, prepare the ginger-scallion sauce: mince 1 inch of peeled fresh ginger on a microplane into a small bowl and slice 2 scallions (white and light green parts only) into paper-thin rings. Heat 3 tablespoons of neutral oil in a small saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to shimmer and smell fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour the hot oil over the ginger and scallions, add 0.25 teaspoon of kosher salt, and stir gently. Set aside — the residual heat will soften the ginger and scallions while infusing the oil.

6. 6

   Prepare the garlic-chile sauce: Peel 3 garlic cloves and place them in a mortar with 1 Thai bird's eye chile (use the whole chile for medium heat, or slice it open and remove some seeds for less heat) and 0.25 teaspoon of kosher salt. Using the pestle, pound and grind the ingredients together until you have a coarse paste — this should take 30-45 seconds. Add 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice and 1 tablespoon of low-sodium soy sauce, stir to combine, and taste. Add more salt or lime juice as needed.

7. 7

   Once the chicken has cooled enough to handle, cut it into thin slices or bite-sized pieces — you should have about 1.5 cups of tender, moist chicken.

8. 8

   Fluff the rice gently with a fork to separate the grains. Divide the warm rice between two shallow bowls, leaving a small well in the center. Nestle the sliced chicken on top of each portion of rice.

9. 9

   Spoon 1-2 tablespoons of the ginger-scallion sauce over the chicken and rice. Place the garlic-chile sauce in a small bowl alongside for dipping — each diner can adjust the heat to their taste. Arrange cucumber spears on the side and scatter fresh cilantro leaves over the top. Serve immediately while the rice is still warm.

Tools you’ll need

• large pot with lid
• fine-mesh strainer
• instant-read thermometer
• tongs
• glass measuring cup
• wooden spoon
• microplane
• small bowl
• small saucepan
• mortar and pestle
• cutting board
• knife
• fork
• shallow bowls

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