Golden Oil Poached Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
Poached Chicken
- 16 oz boneless skinless chicken thighs
- ½ small onion, thinly sliced
- 2- inch piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- Salt, to taste
Golden Oil
- ¼ cup neutral oil, I used avocado oil
- ½ small onion, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
Sauce
- Finished golden oil
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
- Optional MSG, to taste
Optional Garnish
- Scallions
- Crispy caramelized aromatics
- Rice, for serving
Instructions
- Thinly slice your onion and do the same with your peeled ginger and garlic, keeping half of the garlic cloves whole.
- Lightly salt a pot of water, then add your sliced onions and ½ of your ginger along with the whole garlic cloves. Bring everything to a boil.
- Add your chicken thighs to the pot and gently poach for about 8 minutes, or until just cooked through. Remove the chicken and let it rest.
- While the chicken rests, heat the neutral oil in a pan and add the remaining onions, ginger, and sliced garlic. Stir constantly to avoid burning and cook until the aromatics are deeply golden and caramelized. Remove the aromatics from the oil and set aside.
- In a bowl, mix the hot golden oil with soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, sugar, and optional MSG until fully combined.
- Peel apart or slice your poached chicken to your desired thickness.
- Serve the chicken over a fresh bowl of rice and spoon the golden oil sauce over the top. Optionally garnish with scallions and the crispy aromatics.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Why This Golden Oil Poached Chicken Is Anything But Boring
The general consensus when someone mentions poached chicken is “boring,” but this Golden Oil Poached Chicken is literally one of the most flavorful things I have made in the past year. It looks simple, but the poached chicken serves as a perfect vessel to carry the deeply infused oil. This Golden Oil Poached Chicken is reminiscent of a Hainanese Chicken Rice dish, but without a ton of the sauces needed. All you’ll need is this salty, slightly sweet, and aromatic sauce which goes perfectly over the poached chicken and even more perfectly over fluffy white rice.
What Makes The Golden Oil So Good
Infusing oil sounds super fancy, but it’s actually not hard at all. All you need to do is fry your aromatics, such as the onions, garlic, and ginger, in a neutral oil to impart their natural flavors and give the oil an extra layer of depth. Afterwards, the soy sauce and oyster sauce help pronounce those natural flavors even more and give your sauce that super umami finish. The poached chicken stays tender and relatively clean tasting, but once you pour that sauce over, it transforms into an entirely different dish. I know I sound dramatic, but you have to try it and then you’ll believe me!
What You’ll Need To Make Golden Oil Poached Chicken
Poached Chicken
- 16 oz boneless skinless chicken thighs
- ½ small onion, thinly sliced
- 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- Salt, to taste
Golden Oil
- ¼ cup neutral oil (I used avocado oil)
- ½ small onion, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
Sauce
- Finished golden oil
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
- Optional MSG, to taste
Optional Garnish
- Scallions
- Crispy caramelized aromatics
- Rice, for serving
How To Make Golden Oil Poached Chicken
Thinly slice your onion, garlic, and ginger. Set aside half of the garlic to keep whole for poaching.
In a pot, lightly salt your water and add the sliced onions, half the ginger, and whole garlic cloves. Bring to a boil.
Add the chicken thighs and gently poach for about 8 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove and let rest.
While the chicken rests, heat the neutral oil in a pan and add the remaining sliced onion, garlic, and ginger. Stir constantly and cook until deeply golden and caramelized. Remove the crispy aromatics and set aside.
In a bowl, combine the hot golden oil with soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, sugar, and optional MSG.
Peel or slice the poached chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Plate over warm rice and spoon the golden oil sauce generously on top. Garnish with scallions and crispy aromatics.
Tips & Variations
In order to get the juiciest poached chicken possible, let the chicken rest! It will soak up more of those juices when resting and give you a more tender bite.
Don’t throw away the aromatics after straining them out of your oil! Those golden bits add so much flavor and texture to the final dish.
Once you finish poaching the chicken, you can reserve the broth and add salt and a pinch of sugar to make a really delicious chicken soup to sip on.
If you don’t have chicken thighs on hand, chicken breast and chicken drumsticks work just as well!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use chicken breast instead of thighs?
Yes! Just be careful not to overcook. A chicken breast can poach in about 6 minutes depending on thickness. I would also advise against slicing thinly so you can shred the chicken breast before serving.
What oil works best for the golden oil?
A neutral oil like avocado, canola, or vegetable oil works best so the flavor of the aromatics shines through. In past attempts, I’ve found that olive oil’s flavor is too strong.
How long does this keep in the fridge?
Up to 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat in the microwave for 2 minutes on the highest setting and cover with a paper towel.
What to Try Next
If you love simple chicken dishes, you’ll love my Chicken Bulgogi!
Craving a rich steak dish instead? Try out my Japanese Steak Bowl!
Want a simpler dish instead? Try out my Air Fryer Chicken Katsu!
