Weeknight Grilling: Grilled Chicken with Ginger - Scallion Pesto - actually Cold Ginger Chicken Sauce (aka Kwai Fei Chicken Sauce)

Here's a quick recipe for grilling on a week night. Hawaii has its own style of Chinese food, dishes like "Cake Noodle", "oyster sauce chicken", and a big favorite "Cold Ginger Chicken", were a big part of my youth. We didn't have much money, so Chinese food was something special. As I grew older, and my income larger, I enjoyed meals from now defunct places like McCully Chop Suey (the first air conditioned Chinese restaurant in Honolulu!), Hee Hing, King Tsin, and our neighborhood Chinese restaurant Kwok's. And for special occasions like weddings, there were places like Oceania, a floating Chinese restaurant.... the first place I ever had duck, there's a really funny story, perhaps someday I'll do a post. Lau Yee Chai is still around.... though we considered it very "high maka maka" (snobby) in those days, I wonder what its like now?

Anyway, waaay back when we first moved to San Diego, I was feeling, well, kinda homesick, in a food related way. Having dinner with a friend, "Howard" who has long moved back to Oahu, he mentioned the Kwai Fei Chicken at a place called Golden City, which was then located on Convoy. I couldn't wait to try it out. Over the years, Golden City has moved, the Kwai Fei Chicken has been decent on most days, and I've even gotten the chance to introduce some of my favorite food bloggers to the dish; which may be off putting to some since it's a cold chicken dish where the chicken is an off white in color....looking very pale, and to some even perhaps close to raw?

At this point, I've pretty much taken more time typing this post than it took to get my hardwood charcoal going in the chimney, so I'll stop with the digression. The point of all this is....

 

Now the cold ginger chicken I make from a recipe on an old index card is chicken that is blanched in hot water with star anise until barely done, carry-over cooking will finish the job, It is then brushed with sesame oil, cooled and refrigerated overnight... and has been hit and miss for me as well. I'm pretty sure that the Kwai Fei Chicken at Golden City is rubbed with five spice and salt and steamed.

Well, it's a weeknight... and even when it's not, I really don't want to be doing the blanch chicken thing....I believe I'll try the steamed soon. So....... I bought some boneless chicken legs from Marukai. Even though the meat takes a bit of work, removing excess skin, trimming off sinew and fat, etc, etc..... the skin to meat ratio is great. If you're not on a diet. All of this can be done while the charcoal is getting lit....as can making the ginger-scallion mixture, all of which I did by hand. By the time the coals were ready, so was the chicken, which had been rubbed with sea salt, white pepper, and five-spice. Oh, and this was also done:

 

I didn't even use the food processor. I grated the garlic and ginger, mixed in the scallion and cilantro, added the hot (not smoking) peanut oil. By that time the coals were hot, I poured the coals out, arranged them in the typical two level grilling thingy, placed the grate on the grill to heat. Came back in....by this time the oil had cooled enough to taste...I then added sea salt and white pepper to taste.....with the understanding that the flavors will become stronger over time. I put the entire thing in the the fridge to cool (actually in the freezer for a couple of minutes, then the fridge). You could do the whole sauce thing the day before.....

When the chicken was nearly done, I brushed on a coating of sesame oil......

Not quite a work of art.......but it looked, and tasted quite good.

 

Cold Ginger Chicken Sauce - makes about a cup plus change
2 cloves garlic finely minced
3-4 Tb ginger finely minced
1/4 cup green onion finely minced
3 Tb cilantro finely minced
1 tsp sesame oil
salt and white pepper to taste
1/2 cup peanut oil

One item on my recipe card that I did not use was MSG. I don't keep any in the house. But just in case your sauce is missing a bit of umami......

Combine first five ingredients
Heat oil until hot, but not smoking
Remove oil from heat source and let sit for 30 seconds
Pour over the ginger mixture
When the mixture is cool enough add salt and pepper to taste
Refrigerate completely before using

Now I know all you folks are really observant.......and will notice that I'm not using a whole "cup plus" of this stuff...especially since the Missus still doesn't eat chicken. Remember that I threatened to use the sauce for Char Siu Lamb Chops on chicken? Well, I bought one of those jumbo packs of chicken and actually marinated some chicken that night.

 

 And made Char Siu Chicken Sandwiches (on yet another weeknight - you gotta love the long days!)....which actually tasted pretty good!

So what does this have to do with the cold ginger chicken sauce? Well, the Missus loves the sauce on rice.... but geeez, rice and a sandwich? Maybe for FOY (friend of yoso) "AZ", but I can't do it. So I grilled some potato slices.....real easy...microwave first, slice, brush with canola oil, salt, and grill. The potatoes are already cooked, and pretty darn hot (be careful handling), so grilling will create a nice crust. And dipped into some of this sauce.......... 'nuff said. It had the Missus seal of approval.

 
Don't let my over-long post scare you..... this is real easy stuff....even on a week night!

Comments

[Nate]

Cold Ginger Chicken is one of my all time favorite dishes...

[tofugirl]

Ooh, thanks for posting that ginger/scallion sauce recipe! It's one of my favorite sauces and I practically have to beg the guy at my favorite HK roast meat place to give me an extra container...but now I can make it myself! Yes! In your face, cranky cashier guy!

[Dennis]

Yay. The recipe. I can put that Kwai Fei sauce on everything! :) Thanks Kirk.

[Kirk]

It's one of mine too Nate!

Hi TFG - Yes, you can now make it yourself.

Hi Dennis - Yes you can.... and it tastes good on so many different things.

[Jeff C]

Kirk, I've been really diggin' your weeknight entries of late. It really seems your tastes are similar to my tastes. This scallion pesto is great. I had a version from the Monterey Park Sam Woo's that they used to serve with there Jiang you ji and I always assumed that the oil was a mix of chicken fat and vegetable oil. I may be wrong.
Take care,

[Carol]

Looks beautiful and delicious to me Kirk!

[Cathy]

Photos look really good and thanks for the simple recipe ideas. You are the one who introduced me to Kwai Fei and I wanted it for my birthday last year. The Mister was apprehensive, based on the pale color. Now he wants it each time we go to GC.

Did I tell you we bought boneless skinless legs at 99Ranch a few months ago? They were on sale and all in one piece, perfectly cut. Don't mess with the butchers there!

[kat]

haven't had cold ginger chicken in ages...yours looks better than what I remember the chinese restaurants used to serve...

[Kirk]

Hi Jeff - It could very well be that they use rendered chicken fat, or even concentrated chicken stock/jelly....though it can be quite cloudy and will congeal at a very low temp! I'm glad you're enjoying the cooking posts, we've been eating at home quite a bit recently.

Thanks Carol!

Hi Cathy - The look of the chicken does give people pause.... but once they taste it their usually hooked!

Hi Kat - Actually, I've been craving it for a while..... it's too bad that it seems most places don't do it very good nowadays.

[kirbie]

My brother loves Kwai Fei chicken. I know he's going to read this recipe for this sauce and make a mess in the kitchen again. Heh

[James]

OMG thanks for posting this recipe. I can taste that sauce just looking at the pictures!

[Kirk]

Hi Kirbie - LOL! This isn't very messy....at least it shouldn't be! ;o)

Hi James - This is pretty easy one to make, I hope it turns out well for you!

[Lynnea]

I love your cooking posts!! everything always looks so easy and delicious, but I know that making things properly always takes a bit of time and experience =)

[Kirk]

Hi Lynnea - Thanks.... but most of what I make is quite easy. Though you're right in that many of the dishes I make I've made many times over the years.....

[Peter K. Pascal III]

If there is any left over or extra ginger sauce try make fried rice... You might want to stir fry cut up chicken then add cooked rice and ginger sauce. Ho "broke da mouth"

[Sam]

I use a Costco rotisserie chicken rubbed with five-spice while it's warm then refrigerated and it's the bomb! Saves time and tastes better than most cold ginger chicken recipes. I also add a tablespoon of Oyster sauce to the sauce!