New York Times Ginger-Garlic Chicken

A few months ago, my mom showed me a new recipe that had caught her eye from the New York Times cooking section. Having looked through that recipe, and having had it prepared for me before preparing it myself for my family several times since then, I've come up with this recipe inspired by the original from the newspaper. 

Our first order of business: equipment. Readers who also happen to be avid watchers of Joshua Weissman or Uncle Roger might think I'd recommend that the rice in this dish-- particularly because it's Asian-- should be cooked in a rice cooker. I don't have one, so I just use a small saucepan. 2 1/2 or 3 quarts is totally fine. (But if you have the Zojirushi, of course, use it!) I will make 2 recommendations about the rice, though, precisely because this is an Asian dish:

1. Wash your rice several times, until the liquid comes out clear and 
2. If at all possible, make the rice ahead of time, chill it, and use it 24 hours after it was prepared, just like you would do for fried rice.

I will admit, in the interest of full culinary transparency, that I can't always follow Step 2. Even when I can't follow Step 2-- you might not plan dinner that far ahead either-- I recognize, and you should too, that Step 1 is absolutely non-negotiable. The secret to good quality Asian-style fluffy rice is the removal of the free starch coat on the outside of each granule of rice by washing the rice until that coat is gone and the washing water runs clear, rather than an almost milky white in the beginning.

Now for a note about cooking methods. I'm not sure if this comment refers to an adaptation my mom made, or to a comment by the original designer of the recipe, but the first time I heard about the recipe, I was told it would be a good idea to cook the rice and the chicken in the same pan, at the same time. If this, in fact, came from the original recipe, let me be so bold as to say that that piece of advice should be thoroughly and permanently disregarded because the way one cooks rice and the way one cooks chicken for this recipe are fundamentally incompatible with one another and thus they must be cooked separately. 

It would be a good idea, if you have the time and planned ahead, also to marinate the chicken for a day. In a pinch, ginger-garlic paste from a jar or tube will work, but I always process my own. While we're on the subject of the chicken, let's discuss the cuts to use. The breast can work, but I always prefer the thigh for two reasons: first, dark meat is much more forgiving over high heat than white meat. Second, you can save the rendered chicken fat from the thighs and use it to either help flavor the rice or to cook the greens-- or use it for something else entirely.

Especially if you choose breast, marination, even for 30 minutes, is essential. For our family, we usually make 2 breasts, and with that, I usually go with about an inch and a half of ginger and 4 to 6 garlic cloves. Peel the garlic, and use a spoon to remove what you can of the skin from the ginger; if there's some skin left, don't worry. Then throw the ginger and the garlic-- and the greens of a bunch of scallions, if you have them-- into a food processor and process the alliums into a paste. If you like the heat they provide, you can add some red pepper flakes to the paste. 

Cut the chicken into about 1-inch pieces. Liberally coat the chicken pieces with the marinade. Leave the chicken marinating for at least 30 minutes, and up to a day.

When it is finally "go time," make sure you have set mise en place. I have mentioned "mise en place" dozens of times here already, but for any new readers: get everything you need within your field of view and no further from you than arms-length away. Portion out all the ingredients into individual containers, and wash, peel, and cut whatever you need. Have everything "in its proper place" before you ever turn your stove on. Most critically: 

1. The chicken should be readily accessible
2. The rice should be available
3. You should have soy sauce nearby
4. You should have one bunch of the leaves of collards, spinach, turnip greens, mustard greens, or something similar washed and chopped, with the stems cut into coins
5. Whisk together a slurry of 2 tablespoons each water and corn starch

For final assembly, I like to work out of my 8-quart stainless steel Dutch oven, starting over about medium-high heat. The bottom of the cooking surface should be coated in a thin film of good cooking oil (that is not olive, and especially not extra virgin olive). Once the oil shimmers, the marinated chicken should go in, and be moved around constantly to prevent charring or burning. We want good color, but no burning and this is how we will replicate the traditional "wok hei" flavor experience despite not having a wok or wok burner.

Once the chicken has good color, but is not quite all the way cooked through, transfer it to a plate momentarily. Even with the constant motion, there should've still developed a considerable fond on the bottom and sides of the Dutch oven by this point. There will be plenty of moisture in the greens you have chosen, so the natural release of that moisture should be enough to deglaze that fond. If not, add water about an ounce at a time until you can deglaze. Lower the heat to medium-low and allow the greens to wilt down. Turnip, mustard, and other greens are very similar to spinach in that when cooked, they lose a lot of volume very quickly, so start with more than you think you need, and know that you'll end up with less than you probably thought you would. 

Return the chicken to the Dutch oven, together with the slurry. While European dishes have sauces either thickened by reduction by time, or by a roux (butter and flour), Asian dishes instead generally opt for a 1:1 mixture of cornstarch and water. Stir. Add the rice. Stir again to coat the rice in the first iteration of the sauce. Add soy sauce to taste (both to increase the amount of the sauce and to be the only real source of salt for the whole dish). Stir again. If the sauce has become too loose, add more slurry, and if it has become too tight, more soy sauce. 

Serve, optionally garnished with sesame seeds.