Hainanese Chicken

Mmmm, Hainanese chicken. I absolutely loved eating this as a lunchtime treat in Taipei - if you happen to be reading this and physically in Taipei, my favourite store was at 221 Zhongxiao E. Road, Sec. 3 just along from Exit One of Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT station - but sadly as you might imagine, these versions of the dish aren't exactly waistline friendly. So imagine my surprise and delight when the Weight Watchers' Cook it Quick recipe book (pg. 74) had an 8 ProPoints version of it! I had to try it, even though it isn't technically Gordon. Here's how it went down...




Serves 4  |  8 ProPoints per serve (includes rice)

2 cups (500ml) chicken stock
1 whole star anise
1 cinnamon stick
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs shaoxing cooking wine
600g lean chicken breast (skin off)
1 tbs peanut oil (or cooking oil)
3 green shallots, thinly sliced
1 cup bean sprouts
1 long red chilli, de-seeded and finely sliced
1 bunch gai lan (can substitute spinach)
2 cups of rice, cooked

1. Wash your rice and set to cook in your handy-dandy rice cooker. If you don't own one of these, immediately leave what you're doing and get one. 
2. Combine the stock, star anise, cinnamon stick, soy sauce, shaoxing wine and 1 cup (250ml) of boiling water together in a fairly large saucepan. Bring this to the boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. 
3. If the chicken breasts are of the heftier variety, cut them lengthwise to make sure all meat cooks through at the same rate. Add the chicken to the stock mix and simmer for five minutes. 
4. Once you're confident the chicken is not going to give someone salmonella, remove from the heat, cover and put aside. Reserve the stock. 
5. Heat a wok over a high heat and add half of the oil (1/2 tbs) and heat until glossy and shimmering. Chuck in the sliced shallots, bean sprouts and sliced chilli and stir fry for one minute.  Prepare for a fragrance sensation to overtake your nostrils and for this to bring anyone else in the same house (or street for that matter) piling into the kitchen to ooh and ahh over what's for dinner. Once cooked, remove and put aside in a small bowl.
6. Reheat the wok with the rest of the oil (1/2 tbs) and heat for 30 seconds before chucking in the gai lan (or spinach) and stir fry until the stems are tender and the leaves are just wilted. 
7. Thinly slice your cooked chicken breast in readiness for serving.
8. To serve, divide the rice amongst the bowls. On top of this layer the gai lan, then the chicken. Pour over the reserved broth, then top it all off with the shallot, bean sprout and chilli mix.