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Chinese White-Cooked Chicken with Ginger-Soy Dressing
It’s easy to take a skin-deep approach to chicken, paying lots of attention to getting a golden brown crust only to end up with dull, bland—and too often overcooked—meat. We avoid that trap by adopting the Chinese technique of whole-bird poaching to create a chicken with simple, clean flavors and a silky, tender-but-firm meat primed for a variety of vibrant sauces. Simmered without soy sauce (and therefore white), the classic Cantonese dish is known as white-cooked or white-cut chicken. Poaching—
in which the chicken is slowly cooked in liquid just below a simmer—delivers heat evenly, so no worries about dry breasts or pink thighs. The whole process takes about the same amount of time as roasting, most of it hands-off. In fact, the last 30 minutes of cooking occurs off the heat entirely. Poaching results in blond skin that you may wish to discard (though Chinese cooks leave it on and consider it perfectly tasty). The bright aromatics of raw scallions and ginger worked best in a soy sauce–based dressing, which we thinned with some of the poaching liquid.
4
Servings
Tip
Don’t use cooking sherry for this recipe; it usually has added sodium and little, if any, actual sherry flavor. Look for a high-quality (but affordable) dry sherry, and keep the remainder refrigerated to use in pan sauces, soups or even cocktails. Mirin, a rice wine, is a decent stand-in and usually is available in the Asian foods aisle of the grocery store. If possible, opt for hon-mirin over the sweeter aji-mirin.
2 hours
30 minutes active
Ingredients
-
1
3½- to 4-pound chicken, giblets discarded
-
1
bunch cilantro
Directions
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01Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature while making the broth. Reserving a few sprigs for garnish if desired, cut the cilantro bunch in half crosswise, separating the stems and leaves. Use kitchen twine to tie the stems and scallions into a bundle. Chop enough of the cilantro leaves to measure ½ cup and set aside (save the remaining cilantro leaves for another use). In a large pot (at least 8 quarts), combine the cilantro-scallion bundle with the remaining broth ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat.
Reviews
October 21, 2025
Everyone loved it
This turned out great, although like all recipes I didn't quite stick to the instructions. I used parsley instead of cilantro, Chinese cooking wine instead of mirin, and I tossed in some jalapeños into the broth which gave it some heat. Oh yeah, I also used bone-in chicken thighs because I didn't have a whole chicken. Served it with rice and it was a big hit. It's now in our regular rotation. Thanks Milk Street!
January 22, 2025
Phenomenal and easy chicken
This recipe was such a hit. I didn't have 2 cups of Mirin, so I did 1 cup and added about 1/2 cup of soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of chicken bullion to the broth. I also added cilantro, sesame seeds and MSG to the sauce.
August 2, 2022
Moistest .. Most Delicious .. Chicken .. Ever
This is my go to way to cook a whole chicken not only for this recipe but any time I'm looking for cooked chicken, it' s hit. When I am wanting a more generic flavour, say chicken caesar salad, I use white wine instead of sherry or mirin, add half an onion along with the scallions and follow the recipe!
May 21, 2025
Cilantro
Hi is there a substitute for cilantro?
February 4, 2025
Excellent mid week dish.
Easy and sumptuous. Great choice for late winter, early spring or mid summer. Can be warm, room temperature or cold. The dressing can be used over chicken, fish, tofu or cabbage salad.
I have made this many, many times since the recipe first appeared. I live in a remote area without ready access to decent mirin or sherry; I use a fruity, unoaked white wine, with very good results. The stock is excellent, and the chicken is very tender and flavorful. If you do not use an organic [leaner] chicken, go ahead and cut the biggest, flabby skin flaps off the chicken before poaching.
Hi Jo Ann -
I definitely think you could poach chicken parts instead of using a whole bird. However, because this recipe is so timing-specific, since some of the cooking is actually done off the heat, it would be very challenging for us to give you appropriate timing for pieces without significant testing.
Best,
The Milk Street Team
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I have a hard time getting a consistent simmer on my electric stove so cooked it in my large crockpot. I got distracted and did not turn it down from High and it was cooked in 5 hours. I added 2 T each fish sauce and soy sauce and 1/4 t cayenne pepper to the broth.