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1
Fill a pot large enough to submerge the chicken entirely with water. Add the ginger slices and bruised scallions and bring to a full boil. Lower the chicken in, breast-side up. Return the water to a simmer. The surface should shiver, not roll.
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2
Reduce the heat to the lowest possible point. Poach the chicken for 12–15 minutes per kg — approximately 18–22 minutes for a 1.5 kg bird — maintaining a barely trembling surface throughout. The water must never boil. This is where the dish lives or dies: a rolling boil toughens the breast and destroys the silky texture the dish depends on. The Cantonese tradition accepts flesh that is slightly pink at the bone as correctly cooked.
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3
Lift the chicken immediately from the pot and submerge it entirely in the prepared ice bath. Hold it under for 10–15 minutes. The skin will tighten and take on a smooth, slightly gelatinous surface — the defining characteristic of bai qie ji.
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4
While the chicken rests in the ice bath, combine the grated ginger and sliced scallion whites with the flaky sea salt in a heatproof bowl. Heat the neutral oil in a small pan until it just begins to smoke, then pour it directly over the ginger and scallion mixture. The sauce should spit and sizzle violently on contact, blooming the aromatics.
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5
Remove the chicken from the ice bath and drain. Chop through the bone into pieces following the Cantonese method — segments of approximately 3–4 cm — and arrange on a serving platter. The cut surfaces should reveal cool, tender, just-set flesh that is pale gold at the surface and faintly pink at the bone.
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6
Serve the ginger-scallion-salt sauce alongside, with light soy sauce offered separately at the table for individual seasoning.