Cantonese Cuisine · FFET10091
White Cut Chicken (Bai Qie Ji)
Cantonese white cut chicken: a whole bird is poached in water kept below a boil, cooled in cold water, chopped and dipped in ginger-scallion oil.
A long oval white porcelain plate holds neatly overlapping pieces of white cut chicken, glossy golden-yellow skin over cream-white meat, with a small dish of green-gold ginger-scallion dip and wooden chopsticks beside it.
The regional cooking of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, prized for live, fresh ingredients and light flavours.
White cut chicken is the plain-poached chicken of Cantonese cooking: a whole bird is cooked in water just below a boil, plunged in cold water, hung to dry, chopped and served with ginger-scallion oil or soy sauce. Guangzhou has old restaurants such as Qingping (recorded in 2025), and Qingyuan chicken is well suited to the dish. Yuan Mei's Suiyuan Shidan (1792) includes white-sliced chicken in its poultry section: a plump chicken boiled plain in little water for its own flavor. This Jiangnan writer's record does not establish the Cantonese dish's origin.
What
White cut chicken is a whole bird cooked in water just below a boil, cooled in cold water, dried, chopped and served plain with ginger-scallion oil or soy sauce, so that the taste of the chicken itself comes through.1,8,9
When
Yuan Mei's Suiyuan Shidan (1792) includes white-sliced chicken in its poultry section: a plump chicken boiled plain in little water for its own flavor. This Jiangnan record cannot establish the Cantonese dish's origin, and the listed sources give no year for its emergence. Qingping restaurant introduced a white marinade method in 1981 (recorded in 2025).2,6,7
Where
Guangdong. Guangzhou is home to Qingping restaurant and Jiu Ji on Guangda Road, known since the Republic era (recorded in 2025). Chicken from Qingyuan is often used for the dish. The listed sources do not establish its city of origin.1,2,4,5
How
A young free-range bird is dipped into water just below a boil and lifted out, 3 times, then left to finish in the hot water. It is plunged into cold water, hung to dry, chopped with a straight-edged cleaver and served with ginger-scallion oil or soy sauce.1,2,8,9
Why
Qingyuan chickens are raised free-range on hilly land for about 150 to 200 days, with a 2026 account giving 160 to 180 days. Such birds have less fat and firmer meat, which suits poaching. Chicken is the centerpiece of feast and New Year tables in Lingnan.1,3,4,5
Impact and influence
Qingyuan chicken is a national geographical indication product (recorded in 2026), covering the breed rather than the dish. Its white cut chicken cooking craft reportedly joined Guangdong's provincial intangible heritage list in 2022; this rests on a 2026 report, with no provincial notice among the listed sources. White cut chicken also features at New Year and Hakka banquets, including the Hakka custom si dian jin.1,3,5
No tale about this food has been found.
Grandma Li
This is a simplified home version, not the traditional restaurant method.
White cut chicken looks simple, but it all comes down to the heat: the water must not boil hard, and the bird needs enough time in it. This is how I make it at home, with one bird and one deep pot, cooled in ice water and served with ginger-scallion oil. The amounts and timings below are my own choices at home, informed by a few published recipes.
Ingredients
- Whole young free-range chicken 1 bird, about 1.5 kg
- Ginger for the pot 5 slices
- Scallions for the pot 2 stalks
- Water just enough to cover the bird, about 3 liters, depending on the pot
- Ice and cold water enough to cover the bird, for cooling it
- Cooking oil about 4 tablespoons: about 1 teaspoon to brush the skin and 3 tablespoons to heat for the dip
- Minced scallion for the dip 3 tablespoons
- Minced ginger for the dip 2 tablespoons
- Salt for the dip about 1/2 teaspoon
- Light soy sauce for dipping (optional) 1 tablespoon
Steps
- Take the chicken out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes ahead so it comes to room temperature, and pat it dry inside and out.
- Put the ginger and scallions in a deep pot, add water to just cover the bird and bring it to a boil over high heat.
- Hold the bird, let the hot water fill the cavity and pour it out, lifting and lowering it three times in all. Then set it in the pot breast side up, cover, turn the heat very low so the water only trembles, and poach for 35 to 40 minutes.
- Check that it is cooked through: pierce the thick part of the thigh with a chopstick, and the juices should run clear with no trace of blood. I also use a thermometer and go by 74 degrees Celsius in the thick part of the thigh.
- Lift the bird out and set it in a large bowl of ice and cold water for about 10 minutes. Take it out, pat it dry and brush the skin with a thin layer of oil.
- Put the minced scallion, ginger and salt in a heatproof bowl. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil until very hot and pour it over; once it stops sizzling, stir, and that is the ginger-scallion oil.
- Chop the bird into pieces, arrange them on a plate and serve with the ginger-scallion oil for dipping, plus a small dish of soy sauce if you like.
Tips
- I like to cool the bird in ice water; to me the skin is more pleasant to bite that way.
- I keep the water at a bare tremble, and I would rather poach a few minutes longer than let it boil hard. That is just my habit.
Allergens: soy, wheat