Poached chicken and brown rice bowl

A really, simple and tasty lunch that starts with an Asian-inspired poached chicken and is finished with fresh herbs, brown rice and a sweet chilli dipping sauce. #RecipeForLife

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 4 cups cooked brown rice (see Note)
• 1 cup fresh bean shoots
• 1 carrot, peeled and julienned
• 1 cucumber, julienned
• 200 g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 4 spring onions, finely sliced
• ½ cup coriander leaves
• ½ cup Vietnamese basil leaves
• 4 tbsp toasted sesame seeds 

Poached chicken

• 1 whole chicken (size 20), rinsed and dried
• 600 ml soy sauce
• 250 ml (1 cup) rice wine
• 120 g palm sugar, shaved
• 1 large knob ginger, sliced
• 6-7 shards licorice root
• 6 star anise
• 4 cardamom pods
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds 

Dipping sauce 1

• juice of 2 limes
• 1 tbsp grated palm sugar, or to taste
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 red chilli, seeded and finely sliced
• 1 cm piece peeled ginger, finely sliced

Dipping sauce 2

• 250 ml (1 cup) strained master stock
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Resting time: 1 hour

Instructions

For the poached chicken, place all the ingredients in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over high heat, then remove from the heat immediately. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and stand the chicken in the cooking liquid for 1 hour. Remove the chicken, then strain and reserve the master stock. Discard the chicken skin and bones and shred the meat into bite-size pieces.

For the dipping sauces, combine the ingredients in separate bowls and set aside.

To serve, divide the cooked brown rice among 4 bowls and top with a handful of each of the salad ingredients. Add a handful of shredded chicken to each bowl and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Pour over whichever dressing you prefer, or both!

Note

• To make 4 cups cooked brown rice, you will need approximately 295 g (1⅓ cups) uncooked brown rice. Place the rice in a saucepan with plenty of cold water and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until tender. Drain well. 

Any leftover chicken can be refrigerated and kept for another use.

Shane Delia's Recipe For Life airs 8pm, Thursdays on SBS and then on SBS On Demand. You can find the recipes and more features from the show here. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.