SAKE-STEAMED CHICKEN WITH GINGER AND SCALLIONS

Sake-Steamed Chicken With Ginger and Scallions image

"Steamed chicken is not the kind of dish that makes my mouth water," Melissa Clark wrote in 2011, when bringing this recipe to The Times. But she made an exception for this dish, inspired by Harris Salat, who helps run the website Japanesefoodreport.com. Here, a full chicken is steamed for about an hour and a half over a mixture of sake and water, leaving it soft and flavorful.

Provided by Melissa Clark

Time 2h

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

1 3 1/2 pound chicken, rinsed and patted dry
1 1/2 cups dry sake
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons mirin or sweet sherry
1 tablespoon chopped ginger root
1 large garlic clove, minced
3 thinly sliced scallions
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, preferably black

Steps:

Place a steamer basket in the bottom of a large stockpot. Pour in equal amounts of sake and water, enough to reach the bottom of the steamer basket. Bring to a boil.
Generously salt the chicken inside and out; set breast side up in the steamer basket. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Steam the chicken until the juices run clear when pierced with a knife, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Turn off the heat and allow to cool for about 20 minutes.
To prepare the sauce, in a small bowl whisk together the soy sauce, orange juice, rice vinegar, lemon juice, mirin, ginger and garlic.
Remove the chicken from the pot and place on a large cutting board; carve and set pieces on a platter. Spoon some of the sauce over the meat and sprinkle with scallions and sesame seeds. Serve extra sauce on the side for dipping.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 741, UnsaturatedFat 27 grams, Carbohydrate 8 grams, Fat 43 grams, Fiber 1 gram, Protein 52 grams, SaturatedFat 12 grams, Sodium 1220 milligrams, Sugar 1 gram, TransFat 0 grams