Ginger-Scallion Chicken and Rice

Gentle poaching keeps chicken wonderfully juicy, while the cooking broth gives the rice far more flavour than water alone. The lively ginger-scallion sauce is what pulls the whole plate together.

Ingredients

• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, sliced
• 3 spring onions
• 250 g jasmine rice, rinsed
• 1 cucumber, thinly sliced
• Fresh coriander, to serve

For the sauce

• 2 spring onions, very finely sliced
• 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
• 3 tablespoons neutral oil
• 1 tablespoon tamari or certified gluten-free soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar

Method

Put the chicken, sliced ginger, and three spring onions in a saucepan. Cover with cold water, add a generous pinch of salt, and bring just to a simmer. Cook very gently for 25 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave covered for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the sauce spring onions and ginger in a heatproof bowl. Heat the oil until shimmering and carefully pour it over them. Stir in the tamari and rice vinegar.

Lift out the chicken and strain the broth. Cook the rice using 375 ml of broth, or the amount recommended for your rice. Keep the remaining broth for soup.

Remove the chicken bones and slice the meat. Spoon it over the rice with cucumber, coriander, and plenty of ginger-scallion sauce.