If your chicken comes with the head, neck and feet, chop them off along with the wing tips and add to a stock pot large enough to put the chicken into. Add onions, daikon (if using), garlic, ginger, cilantro roots and white peppercorns. Add enough water to generously submerge all ingredients. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes to infuse the herbs.
1 whole chicken, 2 Cilantro roots, 4 cloves garlic, ½ onion, ½ teaspoon white peppercorns, 2 slices ginger, 3 -inch section daikon
Meanwhile, remove excess chicken skin and any fatty bits, such as around the neck flap and around the chicken cavity opening. Add these fat trimmings to the pot you will use to cook the rice; if you're using a rice cooker, put the fat in the pot of the rice cooker. Set it aside for now.
Once the stock is ready, season with 1 tablespoon of salt and fill the pot about ⅔ full with cold water (or however much you think is needed to submerge the chicken). Add the chicken to the pot and add more water as needed to keep the chicken submerged.
1 tablespoon fine grain salt
On medium high heat, bring the temperature of the water up to 165 - 170 degrees Fahrenheit. If you don't have a thermometer here's what to look for: the water should have lots of steam coming off the top but is not simmering (no bubbling!).
Once the temperature is reached, reduce the heat to medium-low, or whatever is needed to maintain the temperature there. Taste the broth and add more salt as needed until it tastes like a nice-but-mildly-salted soup.
Cook until the chicken is done, flipping the chicken halfway through and keeping an eye on the heat to make sure the water is not simmering. The internal temperature should be 165F at the thickest part of the thighs. This takes about 30 minutes for my small 2.5 lb chicken, and will take 40-50 minutes for larger chickens. Note: Cooking time starts AFTER water temperature has reached 165F.
When the chicken is done, use tongs to remove it from the stock and let cool to room temperature. Make the rice while the chicken cools.