Steamed Chicken With Cilantro Oil
- 1 3 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
- Zest of one lime, minced
- 1 3 1/2- to 4-pound free-range chicken, cut into 8 pieces
- 4 cups packed cilantro leaves
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Fine sea salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
- Ground black pepper to taste
- Puree the ginger in a food processor.
- Place the puree in a piece of cheesecloth and, over a bowl, twist it to extract as much juice as possible -- you should get 2 teaspoons.
- Discard the pulp.
- Stir lime zest into the juice.
- Gently peel back the skin on the pieces of chicken and rub the ginger-lime mixture over the meat.
- Replace the skin and pat it into place.
- Tie the wings to the breasts with kitchen twine.
- Let the chicken marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Add the cilantro and cook for 30 seconds, then transfer to a bowl of ice water.
- Drain and pat dry.
- Put the leaves in a food processor, add 1/4 cup of the olive oil and pulse to a paste.
- With the processor running, add the remaining 3/4 cup oil.
- Season to taste with salt.
- Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in the bottom of a steamer.
- Place the chicken in the top of the steamer basket, cover and steam until the chicken is nearly done, about 20 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken to a rack to dry.
- Heat the grapeseed oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it is hot but not smoking.
- Brown the chicken on one side, then season it with salt and pepper, turn and brown it on the other side, seasoning it again.
- To serve, place the chicken in the center of four serving plates (preferably white).
- Surround each serving with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the cilantro oil.
- (Reserve extra oil for another use.)
ginger, lime, chicken, cilantro, extravirgin olive oil, salt, grapeseed oil, ground black pepper
Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/7761 (may not work)