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1
Fill a pot large enough to submerge the chicken with water. Bring to a full boil, then reduce the heat until the temperature holds at 70–80°C — confirmed by a probe thermometer. The surface should show only the faintest, intermittent tremor; no rolling boil.
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2
Prepare the ice bath before proceeding: fill a large bowl with ice and cold water and set it beside the stove. It must be ready before the chicken leaves the pot.
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3
Lower the chicken, breast-side up, into the water. Maintain the temperature at 70–80°C for the entire poaching period — this is where the dish lives or dies. A rolling boil produces rubbery skin and dry breast meat; a temperature below 70°C leaves the flesh unsafe. Monitor with a probe thermometer throughout, adjusting the heat continuously. The chicken is ready when a skewer pierced into the thigh produces juices that run clear with only the faintest pink tinge; residual heat will complete the cooking.
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4
Lift the chicken immediately from the pot and plunge it into the ice bath. Hold it submerged until the skin has fully contracted and the bird is cold to the touch — this sets the gelatinous layer between skin and flesh that is the mark of good technique.
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5
Remove the chicken from the ice bath and rest it briefly on a rack so that pooling juices drain away. The skin should be taut, shining, and pale gold.
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6
Make the ginger-scallion oil: combine the finely chopped ginger, scallions, and salt in a heatproof bowl. Heat the neutral oil until it just begins to smoke, then pour it over the aromatics. The mixture should sizzle sharply on contact and release a clean, pungent fragrance.
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7
Chop the chicken through the bone into serving pieces in the Cantonese manner. Arrange on a platter and spoon the ginger-scallion oil over. The flesh at the bone should be just set, the skin gelatinous and intact.