Simple and easy Chinese white cut chicken, poached chicken or boiled whole chicken is the best to serve with ginger scallion sauce. Also, this Cantonese white cut chicken recipe uses an instant pot pressure cooker.
Love chicken? Check out these orange chicken, sesame oil chicken rice, soy sauce chicken wings and baked whole chicken recipes.
What is white cut chicken?
White cut chicken or white sliced chicken is a type of siu mei. However, it is unlike other roasted siu mei items such as roast duck and char siu.
It is a Cantonese cuisine and the whole chicken is boiled in hot water. When the water starts boiling, then turn off fire and let the residual heat continue to cook the chicken for around 30 minutes. This method the chicken’s skin color will remain and the meat will be quite tender and moist.
In this white cut chicken recipe, I am going to use the same principle to make it, but using an instant pot pressure cooker instead of top stove method.
What serves with white cut chicken?
White cute chicken or boiled whole chicken is the best to serve with ginger scallion sauce and rice. And, it is a very popular rice box lunch in Hong Kong.
When to eat boiled chicken or poached chicken?
Traditionally, Cantonese white cut chicken dishes serve during festival celebrations like Chinese New Year and other Chinese holidays. I remembered my mother made this dish during Chinese ancestors worshipping events and Chinese New Year. Now, many people and workers eat this dish for lunch all the time.
What are the ingredients for poached chicken?
The ingredients are very simple: whole chicken, ginger and green onion.
Cooking tips for instant pot Chinese white cut chicken:
- Put the whole chicken into instant pot and make sure the breast is up.
- Push the chicken down when you add water.
- Fill up water around 90% cover the whole chicken.
- Manual for zero minutes and natural release.
- After natural release pressure, put the whole chicken into an ice bath for a few minutes before cutting them.
FAQs:
How do you keep the breast moist?
Make sure to put the breast up, so it won’t over cook the breast and still moist and tender.
How to cut the whole boiled chicken?
It pretty much depends on how you like the chicken to be cut. From my experience, I started with the legs, wings and breast. Also, see the video below for details.
What is the difference between fresh and frozen chicken?
Most of the time when we make this white cut chicken, we use fresh chicken. When it boils in water, the skin still stays on and has a yellowish color. However, in the states most of the chicken are frozen and bleached, after boiling and cutting the chicken skin may come off easily or broken.
Definitely, the fresh chicken texture is better than the frozen one. But, if you cannot find fresh chicken, using frozen chicken is fine too.
Instructions for how to make instant pot pressure cooker Cantonese white cut chicken:
1.Wash and clean the chicken inside very well. Then, put the whole chicken into an instant pot, add 2 slices of ginger and 2 sticks of green onion.
Also, make sure the chicken breast is up. After that, push down the chicken and fill up water, make sure water is covered 90% of the whole chicken.
2. Cover the lid and close the vent. Push the manual button and adjust time to zero minute and natural release.
3. After the chicken is done, put the whole chicken into an ice bath for a few minutes before cutting them.
Enjoy this simple instant pot boiled Cantonese white cut chicken recipe! Also, check out these zucchini mushroom chicken, mushroom chicken and chicken chop recipes.
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White Cut Chicken
Equipment
- Instant pot pressure cooker
Video
Ingredients
- 5 pounds Whole chicken
- 2 slices Ginger
- 2 sticks Green onion
- some Water (90% cover the whole chicken)
- some Ice
Instructions
- Wash and clean the chicken inside very well. Then, put the whole chicken into an instant pot, add 2 slices of ginger and 2 sticks of green onion. Also, make sure the chicken breast is up. After that, push down the chicken and fill up water, make sure water is covered 90% of the whole chicken.
- Cover the lid and close the vent. Push the manual button and adjust time to zero minute and natural release.
- After the chicken is done, put the whole chicken into an ice bath for a few minutes before cutting them.
Notes
Cooking tips for instant pot Chinese white cut chicken:
- Put the whole chicken into instant pot and make sure the breast is up.
- Push the chicken down when you add water.
- Fill up water around 90% cover the whole chicken.
- Manual for zero minutes and natural release.
- After natural release pressure, put the whole chicken into an ice bath for a few minutes before cutting them.
Benny
Hi Tracy! Much thanks for the Instant Pot White Cut Chicken recipe. Instead of a whole chicken, will this procedure work if I just use chicken drumsticks or thighs? I'm too lazy to work with a whole chicken as I'm only cooking for two people. Much thanks.
Tracy O.
I totally understand! I haven’t tried only drumsticks or thighs. But, I think it should work too. Add water that covers 80-90% of the chicken, adjust time to 0 minute at high pressure and natural release pressure. I will try it and update the comment.