Remove any giblets from the chicken cavity. Dry the chicken with paper towels. Sprinkle the salt evenly over the outside and inside of the chicken. Place the salted chicken in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, up to half a day, so the salt penetrates the meat.

Add 10 cups of water into a large pot that can hold the chicken. Add the Shaoxing wine, scallion, ginger slices, and garlic. Heat over high heat until boiling.

Holding the chicken by the end of its legs, gently dunk the bird into the hot water three times. This is to ensure water enters the cavity, which allows the chicken to poach evenly.

Gently drop the chicken into the water, breast side up. Bring the pot to a very low simmer, cover the pot, and cook over low heat. Poach for 7 minutes per pound of meat. Flip the chicken once in the middle. The pot should be kept at a very low simmer, barely bubbling at all. Cook until the thickest part of the thigh registers 165°F (74°C). If you don’t have a thermometer, pierce the thickest part of the chicken and the liquid that comes out should be clear. If the chicken is not cooked but the temperature is close, turn off the heat and let the chicken poach, covered for an additional 7 minutes.

While poaching the chicken, prepare the ginger scallion sauce by mixing the scallion, ginger, chicken bouillon, light soy sauce, sugar and peanut oil. Stir to mix well.

Prepare a big bowl of ice water. Once the chicken is done, remove the chicken from the pot using a spider strainer, and place it in the bowl of prepared ice water. (*Footnote 2) Once the chicken has cooled off enough to handle, drain the chicken thoroughly.

Place the chicken on a cutting board. Rub the chicken skin with sesame oil.

Break the chicken down into bone-in bite-size pieces using a cleaver. If you don’t have a cleaver, you can also cut off the breasts and legs, remove the bones, then slice the chicken. Serve with ginger scallion sauce as a main dish.