This simple steamed chicken is usually served cold, and it’s refreshing on warm summer days, like a good chicken salad. Shaoxing wine, with its full, distinctive flavor, is best for this dish, but Fino (dry) sherry is a good substitute. Start this as long as a day in advance; the more marinating time, the better. If you don’t have a large steamer, you can use a big pot with a rack set inside. Or simply poach the chicken, as in the variation.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 to 6 servings

　　1 tablespoon salt, plus more to taste

　　1 tablespoon sugar, plus more to taste

　　One 3- to 4-pound chicken, trimmed of excess fat

　　4 scallions, trimmed and cut into 3-inch lengths

　　Five 1/4-inch-thick slices peeled fresh ginger

　　1/3 cup Shaoxing wine or dry sherry

　　

Step 1

Put at least an inch of water in a large steamer, cover, and bring to a rolling boil. Meanwhile, sprinkle the salt and sugar in the cavity and all over the outside of the chicken. Place half the scallions and 2 slices of ginger in the cavity of the chicken. Place the chicken in the steamer and top with the remaining scallions and ginger. Set a kettle of water to boil.

　　

Step 2

Cover and steam for about 50 minutes, adding water from the kettle if necessary. Carefully transfer the chicken to a large bowl. When the chicken has cooled, cut it into small serving pieces.

　　

Step 3

Meanwhile, combine the wine with 1/4 cup of the steaming liquid and add a pinch of salt and sugar to taste. Pour this mixture over the cut chicken and cover. Refrigerate for at least 5 hours and preferably overnight.

　　

Poached Drunken Chicken

Step 4

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add the chicken, salt, sugar, scallions, and ginger. Cover, turn the heat as low as possible, and cook for 35 minutes. Carefully transfer the chicken to a large bowl and proceed as directed, substituting the boiling liquid for the steaming liquid.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.