Black-Skinned Chicken Slow-Cooked in Coconut Sauce
Published January 16, 2007
Tony Cenicola/The New York Times
- Total Time
- 1 hour 40 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
1 1 ½ -pound black-skinned chicken, head and feet discarded, cleaned, rinsed and quartered
4 cups light chicken stock
1 cup Chinese rice wine
1 inch-long piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 13 ½-ounce can coconut milk
1 zucchini, trimmed, peeled, and cut into long julienne
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
Preparation
- Step 1
In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine chicken, stock, wine, ginger, onion, garlic, five-spice powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, covered, until chicken is very tender, 1 to 1½ hours. Remove chicken and set aside. Strain and reserve ½ cup of cooking liquid.
- Step 2
Place a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, and add oil. When hot, add ginger and garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in curry paste, tomato paste and coconut milk. Add chicken, reserved cooking liquid and a pinch of salt.
- Step 3
Cover and bring to a gentle simmer. Add zucchini and simmer just until cooked, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in lime juice and transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with chopped basil, and serve.
Chicken and rice wine can be bought in Chinese food stores. Curry paste can be bought in Asian food stores.
Private Notes
Comments
Rob, the breed of chickens called " silkies" is the answer to your question. Silkie Bantam chickens have black skin, and are beautifully feathered so that they look to have fur, more than a feathered look. They are very small birds, however they do come in a larger size too I think, but I'm not sure.
The black-skinned variety is common in Chinese cooking and is prized for its nutritional properties. It is used in herbal soups to maintain or restore health, popular as a post-partum soup ingredient. It is also thought to impart a better flavor to soups than regular chicken. I grew up with this as a Malaysian Chinese and was surprised and delighted to see it sold in some grocery stores in Manhattan's Chinatown.
Is there a reason that all the braising liquid isn't saved to be used for something else?
The black-skinned variety is common in Chinese cooking and is prized for its nutritional properties. It is used in herbal soups to maintain or restore health, popular as a post-partum soup ingredient. It is also thought to impart a better flavor to soups than regular chicken. I grew up with this as a Malaysian Chinese and was surprised and delighted to see it sold in some grocery stores in Manhattan's Chinatown.
What is "black skinned chicken" and where do you find it? I spent my teens living in Hong Kong and never encountered this fowl...can anyone help or tell me what difference it makes flavor wise?
Rob, the breed of chickens called " silkies" is the answer to your question. Silkie Bantam chickens have black skin, and are beautifully feathered so that they look to have fur, more than a feathered look. They are very small birds, however they do come in a larger size too I think, but I'm not sure.
Also, I believe... The Chinese consider this more a medicinal type bird.
I've seen black-skinned chicken in my local Asian market. I've never cooked one but this recipe has inspired me to try.