Wash and dry produce.

Pat chicken* dry with paper towels. Using a sharp knife, at each of the leg joints, carefully make 1-inch cuts through the skin just into the meat (don’t cut through!). Place chicken, skin side up, in a medium pot (large pot for 4 servings) with enough water to cover by 2 inches.

Thinly slice ginger crosswise. (TIP: It doesn’t need to be perfect and no need to peel; you’ll just use it to season the poaching liquid.) Add to pot with chicken along with half the soy sauce.

Cover pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium; simmer, covered, until chicken is cooked through, 20-30 minutes.

Transfer chicken to a cutting board; season with salt and pepper. Tent with foil to keep warm; set aside until ready to serve.

While chicken cooks, in a small pot, combine rice, 1¼ cups water (2¼ cups for 4 servings), and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a low simmer. Cook until rice is tender, 15-18 minutes.

Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.

While rice cooks, peel and mince garlic. Trim and halve cucumbers lengthwise; slice crosswise into ½-inch-thick half-moons. Quarter lime. Thinly slice chili, removing seeds for less heat. Trim and cut scallions into 2-inch batons. Roughly chop cilantro. Roughly chop peanuts.

Heat 2 tsp oil (4 tsp for 4 servings) in a small pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook until browned and crispy, 1-2 minutes. TIP: Tilt pan to pool the oil and submerge the garlic so it browns evenly. Watch carefully as it can burn quickly! The garlic will continue to brown and crisp once removed from the oil, so remove from pan a bit earlier than you think.

Transfer crispy garlic to a paper-towel-lined plate; set aside until ready to use in Step 6. Reserve garlic oil in a small heatproof bowl.

In a medium bowl, combine cucumbers, half the chili, 1 tsp sugar, and ½ tsp salt (2 tsp sugar and 1 tsp salt for 4 servings), and a squeeze of lime juice. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

To bowl with reserved garlic oil, add garlic-ginger scallion paste, remaining chili, and remaining soy sauce. Stir and set aside until ready to serve.

Once chicken is cooked, reserve 2 cups poaching liquid (4 cups for 4 servings); strain ginger and discard. Return reserved liquid to pot used for chicken.

Bring liquid to a boil over high heat. Add scallions and stock concentrate; cover and cook until scallions are tender, 5-8 minutes.

Add half the cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice (big squeeze for 4); taste and season with salt and pepper. Divide broth between bowls.

To pot with rice, add crispy garlic and 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4); fluff with a fork.

Divide rice, chicken, and spicy cucumber pickles (draining first) between plates in separate sections. Top chicken with as much sauce as you like. Sprinkle with peanuts, crispy fried onions, and remaining cilantro. Serve with scallion broth and remaining lime wedges on the side.