Master Stock Chicken

• BASIC-EASY

Ingredients

1. 3 1/2 pounds corn fed chicken, left whole
2. 6 1/3 cups or 1.5 litres water
3. 1 cup or 250ml light soy sauce
4. 1 cup or 250ml Shaoshing Wine
5. 5.3 ounces or 150g yellow rock sugar
6. 2 pieces of dried mandarin orange zest
7. 2 sticks of cinnamon
8. 4 star anise
9. 1 large knob fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
10. 3 garlic cloves, sliced

1. Remove all visible fat from the chicken and wipe out the cavity with paper towels. In a pot just big enough to hold the chicken, bring all the ingredients except the chicken to a boil. Turn down and simmer for 20 minutes. Submerge the chicken in the stock, breast side down and bring back to a boil. Lower the heat and cook a strong simmer for 20 minutes. Turn the chicken and let it to simmer for another 3 minutes. Cover the pot from the heat. Let the chicken cool in the stock.
2. Once the stock has cooled, remove the chicken. The master stock should then be strained, boil, cooled and refrigerated for future use. As the stock ages its flavor will intensify. Add water if necessary to dilute the stock. The chicken is now ready to be used in a salad, or chopped up Chinese-style and reformed on a plate. Hang chicken at room temperature to dry if you intend to fry it.