Poached Chicken In An Asian-Style Broth

It takes some time to make this poached chicken dish but it is really worth it. It is super-tasty and also really light, despite the coconut milk that I add to the broth.

Coconut milk is, along with other coconut products, quite nutritious. It does contain saturated fat but coconut is rich in medium-chain fatty acids which the body processes differently than other saturated fats. These medium-chain fatty acids promote weight maintenance without raising cholesterol levels.

Time-wise...Well, you have to poach a whole chicken for about 1 hour and 20 minutes (you need a big pot for this). But it's not difficult to make this dish. There is plenty of time to prepare the vegetables for the stir-fry while the chicken is simmering – and probably enough time to read half the weekend newspaper as well.

Any left-over poached chicken could be used for a salad the next day, or be added to a soup.

For 4 people:

1 whole good quality organic or at least free-range chicken

1 onion, peeled and halved

thumb-size piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced

3 lemon grass, bashed

A bunch fresh coriander (cilantro), stalks and leaves separated (save the leaves for garnish)

3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

2 whole cloves

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon whole peppercorns

For the broth:

800ml, 1½ pint, 3½ cups, chicken stock from the water you’ve been poaching the chicken in

400ml, 3½floz, 1¾ cups, coconut milk

Salt and pepper

For the stir-fried vegetables:

2 tablespoons coconut oil - or use Extra virgin olive oil

Thumb-size piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped

2 red chillies, de-seeded and finely chopped

1 fat garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped

1 small head of broccoli, cut into small florets, stem sliced

1 medium-sized carrot, peeled and cut into matchstick batons

1 red pepper (bell pepper), de-seeded and roughly chopped

2 spring onions (scallions), sliced

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

To serve:

Juice of 2 limes

Coriander (cilantro) leaves

1.    Place the chicken in a large pot and cover with water. Add the onion, ginger, lemongrass, coriander (cilantro) stalks, garlic, cloves, salt and peppercorns to the pot. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 1 hour 20 minutes. Skim off any scum, white froth, that forms.

2.    Take the poached chicken out of the pot, discard the skin and use a fork to shred as much meat as possible off the bones. Strain the stock into a large bowl and throw away the solids.

3.    Add 800ml/3½ cup of the stock and the coconut milk to a pot (you can freeze the rest of the stock). Bring to a simmer, taste and add a bit of salt and pepper if needed.

4.   For the stir-fried vegetables, add the oil to a wok or large frying pan over quite a high heat. Once the wok or pan is hot, add the garlic, chilli and ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add the broccoli, carrots and red pepper (bell pepper) and keep everything moving, stirring frequently for 3 minutes. Add the spring onion (scallion) and the soy sauce and stir-fry for a further 30 seconds. Remove the wok or frying pan from the heat.

5.    Add the juice of 2 limes to the simmering broth. Divide the chicken meat between 4 bowls, ladle the broth over the chicken, top with the stir-fried vegetables and scatter some coriander (cilantro) leaves over each portion.

“So long as you have food in your mouth, you have solved all questions for the time being.” Franz Kafka

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