Recipe - Chicken Poached With Star Anise

6 cup Water
1 One fourth cup Soy sauce
1 One fourth cup Chinese rice wine
or dry sherry
1 cup Honey
2 teaspoon Salt
4 Star anise
1 Cinnamon stick
2 Strips orange zest
1 Chicken (3 One half to 4 lb)
skinned and trussed
if desired
5 Scallions
whites left whole
greens finely chopped
for garnish
One fourth cup Chopped cilantro
for garnish
2 teaspoon Sesame oil (opt)

Combine all the ingredients except the chicken, sesame oil, and garnishes
in a deep pot just large enough to hold the chicken. Bring to a boil. Add
the chicken and simmer for 4050 minutes, or until cooked, turning the bird
form time to time to make sure it poaches evenly. Skim the mixture often
with a shallow ladle to remove any fat that rises to the surface. The
chicken is done when the juices run clear when a skewer is inserted into
the thick part of the thigh.

Drain the chicken, reserve the broth. Remove the trussing string; carve the
chicken and cut it into pieces. Sprinkle with scallion greens and cilantro.
Serve hot, at room temperature, or chilled.

To serve, place chicken in shallow soup bowls with broth ladled over it.
Sprinkle with chopped scallions and cilantro. Or brush the chicken pieces
with sesame oil and brown them on the grill or under the broiler, then
sprinkle with chopped scallions and cilantro.,

Note: The broth can and should be reused. Strain it and let it cool to room
temperature. Chill overnight in the refrigerator and skim off any fat that
collects on the surface. Freeze into you're ready to use it again. To
reuse, bring the broth to a boil, adding seasoning and water as necessary.
The flavor improves each time you use it.

HighFlavor, LowFat Cooking by Steven Raichlen ISBN 014024123X pg 134

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini