Double Boiled Chicken with Chilli Sauce
Double-boiled chicken is such a treat for the family. With the absence of water and steam, the flavours and aroma are sealed within the inner pot, stewing into a concentrated broth and reabsorbed into the juicy meat. With the Thai-style chilli dip made from the chicken’s broth and vegetables, this meal is a complete package with a plate of steaming hot rice.
While it does take 2 hours of double boiling to concentrate all those flavours and soften the chicken until melt-in-the-mouth tender, it is worth both the effort and time. It is also super healthy as no oil is used!
In fact, this recipe for double-boiled whole chicken is perfect as the main dish at a dinner party!
Serves 8 adults.
Ingredients
Whole chicken, which is our main protein. I also used the giblets, which are the gizzard, liver, heart and chicken feet. These are optional for the recipe. The bird should be small enough to fit the inner pot of the double boiler.
Salt, to season the chicken.
Pepper, to season the chicken.
Ginger, peeled and cut into strips. It’s used to absorb the raw smell from the chicken, while added a little spice and heat to the chicken.
Garlic, peeled. A portion of them are crushed and added to the double-boiled chicken for sweetness and rich flavour. Another portion is blended to make the chilli sauce.
Cilantro with the roots. The roots are added to the double-boiled chicken, while the stalks are chopped finely before being blended with the chilli sauce, and mixed in as-is. They add colour, a fragrant aroma and herbal flavour to the chilli sauce.
White radish, to sweeten the stock.
Spring onions, to add fragrance to the dish.
For the chilli sauce:
A mix of green and red bird’s eye chilli for spiciness. Use more red chillies for a spicier sauce, and less for a less spicy sauce.
Sugar, to balance the spiciness and mellow out the spiciness of the chilli sauce.
Fish sauce, to add saltiness and umami-ness to the sauce.
Steps
Here are the brief steps to make Double Boiled Chicken with Chilli Sauce:
- Prepare the double boiler.
- Marinate the chicken.
- Boil the chicken and vegetables.
- Cut the vegetables into serving sizes.
- Make the chilli sauce.
- Mix the chicken stock with the chilli sauce.
- Cut the chicken into serving sizes.
- Drizzle chilli sauce over the chicken & serve.
Tips
- The chicken is stuffed with various herbs to both absorb the raw smell and to add sweetness to the meat of chicken.
- Kailan stems are good for sweetening soups and stocks.
- The chicken stock will be very concentrated, fragrant and delicious. It can be served as-is.
- I added 1/2 tbsp of fish sauce to the chilli sauce once mixed with the chicken stock as I found it lacked saltiness.
- Make sure to watch the full video to see how I made it exactly!
Storage Instructions
This dish is best enjoyed immediately after assembling for rich flavours and fragrance. Leftovers can be kept in a fridge for not more than a day if mixed with the chilli sauce. It can be kept for 2 days max if unmixed with the sauce.
It can be kept frozen in the fridge for not more than a week as well.
As for the chilli sauce, it is best to consume it within 3-4 days, as the chicken broth was not cooked with the blended chilli and garlic. Be sure to keep it chilled in the fridge for that duration as well.
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- Steamed Chicken with Lime
- Stir Fry Black Pepper Chicken
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Double Boiled Chicken with Chilli Sauce
Equipment
- Double Boiler
- Sharp Kitchen Knife
- Chopping Board
- Hand Blender
- Silicone Spatula
Ingredients
- 1.7 kg whole chicken
- chicken giblets, feet, liver, gizzard; optional
- 3/4 tbsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 30 g ginger
- 50 g garlic
- 4 cilantro, stem and roots separated
- 280 g white radish, peeled and sliced
- 3 spring onions
Chilli Sauce
- 2 tbsp lime juice, squeezed from 2 limes
- 40 g mixed bird eye chilli
- 30 g garlic
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1/2 tbsp fish sauce, optional
Instructions
- Add 2 Litres of water to the double boiler. Heat it for 15 minutes over medium heat.
- Marinate the whole chicken. Sprinkle salt and pepper and rub them into the chicken evenly. Make sure to marinate evenly under the wings, in the crevices, on the back of the chicken and inside the chicken cavity. If using chicken innards, marinate them with a pinch of salt and pepper as well. Leave them aside.
- Slice the ginger into thin strips and place on a plate. Crush the peeled garlic. Remove the stalk from the radish, and peel the skin. Cut the radish into half, before slicing them into semi-circles. Set aside with the ginger and garlic. Bundle the spring onions into a tight knot and set them aside on the same plate.
- Cut the cilantro roots from the stalks and set aside with the ginger and garlic. Chop the cilantro stalks finely and set them aside.
- Cut the leaves of the kailan from the stalk. Set all the leaves aside on a plate. Then, cut the bottom of the stalk and discard it. Slice each stalk thinly and place them apart from the leaves.
- Next, stuff the chicken with half of the ginger strips, a handful of crushed garlic, 2 cilantro roots, 2 pieces of radish, and the bundle of spring onions.
- Line the inner pot of the double boiler with a layer of radish. Place the chicken on the radish, surrounded with the giblets if included. Sprinkle the rest of the ginger strips, crushed garlic, cilantro roots and radish pieces, and the sliced kailan stalks, over the chicken.
- When the water in the double boiler is at a rolling boil, carefully put the inner pot in it. Cover both the inner pot with a lid and the outer pot. Cook the chicken this way for 2 hours over medium heat. Check regularly on the water level, and add more water accordingly if needed.
- After an hour, carefully open both lids. Rotate the chicken if possible so it will soften evenly. Then, place the kailan leaves on top of the chicken. Cover both pots securely and allow it to continue cooking.
- After 2 hours, switch off the heat. Transfer the inner pot from the double boiler to a steamer stand.
- Transfer the kailan leaves onto a serving plate arranging them. Cut them into bite-sized pieces, or to your desired size. Set it aside.
- Carefully pour out all the chicken stock into a separate bowl. Place the inner pot on the steamer stand and cover it to keep warm.
- Next, make the chilli sauce. Cut the lime and remove the seeds.
- Place the red and green birds eye chillies, garlic, 1/2 of the cilantro leaves, sugar and fish sauce into the hand blender. Blend the ingredients until very fine. Transfer the chilli mix into a mixing bowl.
- Add 200ml of chicken stock into the mixing bowl with the chilli. Stir until combined. Give it a taste and adjust according to preference.
- Squeeze the lime juice into the chilli sauce and stir until combined. Taste and adjust. Then, stir in the rest of the cilantro leaves. Leave the chilli sauce aside.
- Transfer the chicken onto a chopping board and carve the chicken according to preference. Arrange on the serving plate with the kailan leaves. Optionally, scoop and drizzle about 2 tbsp of the chilli sauce over the chicken. Serve immediately.
Notes
- The chicken is stuffed with various herbs to both absorb the raw smell and to add sweetness to the meat of chicken.
- Kailan stems are good for sweetening soups and stocks.
- The chicken stock is very concentrated, fragrant and delicious. It can be served as-is.
- I added 1/2 tbsp of fish sauce to the chilli sauce once mixed with the chicken stock as I found it lacked saltiness.
- Make sure to watch the full video to see how I made it exactly!