Poached Chicken with Ginger and Mushrooms and Brown Rice
- 1 whole chicken, about 3 1/4 - 4 pounds
- 1 yellow onion, unpeeled, cut in halve
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 carrot
- 1 5 inch piece ginger, roughly chopped
- 1 head garlic, cut in half
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups brown rice
- 1 pound Maitake mushrooms, root ends trimmed and mushrooms cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 bunches scallions, root ends trimmed
- Ponzu, Soy or Tamari, to taste
Rinse chicken, inside and out, under cold running water. Place in a large pot and fill with enough cold water to cover chicken by about 2 inches. Add onion, bay leaves, carrot, ginger and garlic. Set over high heat and bring liquid to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, water should be just barely simmering, and poach chicken until cooked through, about one hour. Add salt to stock.
Remove chicken from stock. Strain stock and discard solids. Use 3 cups of stock (instead of water) to cook rice according to package instructions. Return remaining stock to pot and bring to a simmer. Add scallions and mushrooms and cook until tender, about 8 minutes.
Remove meat from chicken and shred into long tender pieces. Mound cooked rice in serving bowls. Add chicken and top with vegetables and hot stock. Season to taste with ponzu, soy, or tamari.