serves 4-6

Ingredients: 

For the chicken:

1 whole chicken (approx 2kg, trimmed of fat, keep fat for later)

50g ginger 

50g garlic 

½ bunch spring onions

1 tsp salt

water to cover the chicken

For the Garlic Chilli Sauce:

10g Thai red chilli

5 cloves garlic

1 inch piece ginger

2 limes (juice)

2 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp white or rice vinegar

1 tbsp brown or palm sugar

For the Spring Onion Sauce:

½ bunch of spring onions (just the white, use the green for the stock)

3 cloves of garlic

1 inch piece of ginger 

½ tsp sugar

½ tsp salt 

1 tsp sesame oil

50ml veg or peanut oil

For the rice 

300g Jasmine rice 

Leftover fat from trimmed chicken

500ml chicken poaching stock

½ tsp salt

1 cucumber to serve

Method:

Start by cooking the chicken.

Take a large enough pot to hold the chicken and fill it ¾ of the way with cold water. Bring to a boil.

When boiling add the chicken, roughly chopped ginger, garlic and spring onion and salt and bring back to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 45-55 mins depending on the size of your chicken. Cook to an internal temperature of 73 degrees and then remove to cool and rest. 

Next make the garlic chilli sauce by adding all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. 

To make the spring onion sauce blend the spring onion, ginger and garlic and heat the veg oil in a pan until very hot, add the blended ingredients to the pan and take off the heat immediately, add the salt, sugar and sesame oil and stir until incorporated.

To make the rice, take the trimmed chicken fat and chop into small pieces. Fry in a saucepan until crispy, add the rice and coat it in the fried chicken fat and then pour over the hot chicken stock, bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cook until water is absorbed. Once the water is gone turn off the heat and place a lid on top and allow to steam for another 5-10 mins. 

Carve the chicken by taking the breasts off the bone and then taking the legs and wings off. Serve with the rice, chilli sauce and spring onion sauce and a finely sliced cucumber for some freshness.