David Chang Really Wants You To Boil A Whole Chicken (Just Like At Momofuku)
When you think of boiled chicken, your mouth probably doesn't water. "It's the least cool name for a dish, which is why we love it so much," noted David Chang in a Momofuku YouTube video featuring his recipes. He's not wrong: "Whole boiled chicken" certainly doesn't sound glamorous, or even particularly appetizing. Why boil one when you can roast it? Roasted chicken is savory, comforting, and crowd-pleasing. Everybody loves roasted chicken. Boiled chicken? Not so much.
But David Chang is here to change our minds about the underrated, under-appreciated boiled chicken. It's a dish that graces the menu in various forms across Chang's Momofuku restaurants — like the boiled whole chicken at Majordomo served with rice, domojang, ginger scallions, hand torn noodles, and soup – and Chang says he personally makes boiled chicken more than any other recipe.
There's a reason why we should open our kitchens (and our hearts) to this dish. Let's find out why David Chang wants us to boil a whole chicken, because if it's good enough for Momofuku, it's good enough for us.
How and why to boil your next chicken
David Chang is a big believer in boiled chicken because of how versatile it is. He explains in the recipe demo that with boiled chicken, you get the juicy meat along with the broth it creates, which can be repurposed in many different ways. Here are a few more reasons to boil chicken that Chang doesn't mention: It's quicker than roasting, it retains more vitamins and minerals, and, with the absence of skin or any butter or oil rubbed into it, you get the benefits of tender chicken without added calories or fat.
The best part of boiling chicken is that it's extremely simple and requires very few steps. Chang shows us how to make boiled chicken two ways: over rice, and in a soup. To boil the chicken, he simply seasons water with soy sauce and seasoned salt (to about 90% full seasoning), then plops in the whole chicken. It is then boiled for 35 to 40 minutes.
From there, Chang uses some of the broth to make flavorful rice and tops it with the tender, sliced chicken breast, which he enhances with chili crunch and scallion oil. He then creates a delicious soup using the rest of the broth by adding veggies like mushrooms, potatoes, and cabbage along with dried noodles. Finally, he adds the remainder of the chicken meat right before serving. What results is delicious.
What to do with leftover boiled chicken
Whether you make it one of the ways David Chang recommends or do something else entirely, chances are, you'll have some extra meat lying around after boiling a whole chicken. The good news is, the possibilities are endless when it comes to repurposing boiled chicken and its broth.
The leftover chicken is perfect for shredding, which means you can use the meat to make things like chicken tacos, chicken salad, pulled chicken sandwiches, casserole, chicken pot pie, enchiladas ... the list goes on and on. Having some boiled chicken on hand is also great for meal prep, last-minute weeknight dinners, or just adding some extra protein to any dish.
As for the broth, the obvious answer is to make a delicious soup of your choice, be it chicken noodle, wonton, or chicken tortilla soup. But you can do even more with that broth. You can use it to cook rice, like David Chang does, or other grains like barley, couscous, or quinoa. You can also use it as a base for sauces and gravies, or even to make chicken dumplings. Moral of the story: When David Chang tells you to boil a chicken, boil a chicken.