Barbara Kafka's Chinese Chicken in the Pot

Ingredients

• 4 cups low sodium homemade or canned chicken broth
• 1/2 ounce dried shitake mushrooms
• 1 whole chicken, cut into thighs, breasts, legs, and wings, skinned and trimmed of excess fat
• 6 medium cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
• 1-inch piece ginger, cut into thin matchstick
• 1 whole star anise
• 8 scallions, whites cut into 2-inch pieces, greens cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup gluten free soy sauce
• 1 can sliced water chesnuts, drained and rinsed
• 4 ounces snow peas, ends trimmed
• 3 cups cooked white rice, for serving

Directions

1. Warm 1 cup of stock in a small saucepan, then pour it over the mushrooms and leave them to soften for 15 minutes. Lift out the mushrooms, and pass the soaking stock through a coffee filter to catch any grit. Set both the mushrooms and the strained liquid aside.
2. Put the chicken pieces in a large, wide pot and pour in the remaining stock to cover them. Add the garlic, ginger, star anise, and scallion whites. Cover the pot and bring everything to a boil. Stir in the reserved mushroom liquid and the soy sauce, then return the pot to a boil. Add the mushrooms and simmer until the chicken is just cooked through, about 5 minutes more.
3. Add the water chestnuts, scallion greens, and snow peas, stirring so the vegetables settle into the broth. Cover again, bring the liquid back to a gentle boil, and cook until the snow peas are tender but still just crisp, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Spoon the cooked rice into 4 bowls, dividing it evenly, and place the chicken pieces on top. Ladle the broth evenly into the bowls, arrange the vegetables around the chicken, and serve right away while warm.