Traditionally this recipe comprised of a whole chicken that was marinated, wrapped in lotus leaves, then immersed into a bed of hot rock salt in a wok and cooked on a stovetop. With the modern convenience of an oven, this is not necessary anymore and it is much easier to control the cooking temperature. The traditional recipe uses a Chinese spirit called Mei Kuei Lu Chiew, which has similar properties to that of Italian grappa or French Marc. I've substituted it with gin as it does create both fragrance and aroma to the chicken.
There are many different chicken dishes that are served for Chinese New Years but the most important factor is that the whole bird is served, with feet and head when practical, as serving it whole symbolizes a good start and finish and to avoid bad luck throughout the year. The golden color of the roasted bird also represents wealth
Ingredients
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-
1 4 to 5 pound fryer or roasting chicken
-
3 teaspoons coarse sea salt plus 1 Tbsp
-
2 tablespoons Mei Kuei Lu Chiew, Shao-Hsing wine or gin
-
1/4 cup shallots, finely chopped
-
2 tablespoons ginger, finely minced
-
1 1/2 tablespoons light soy sauce
-
1 tsp honey
-
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
-
2 green onions, cut into equal pieces and lightly bruised
-
1 1-inch x 2-inch piece of dried tangerine peel, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes or until soft
Ginger Sauce for Chicken
-
5 tablespoons canola oil
-
1 tsp sesame oil
-
2 tablespoons ginger, finely minced
-
2 tablespoons green onion, finely chopped
-
1/2 tsp salt
Recipe Method
1 .Clean the
chicken and remove any excess fat and membranes.
2. Rub the chicken with the 3 teaspoons of salt, let sit for 5 minutes then wash under cold water and drain. Pat the whole bird dry with paper towels and place on a rack to air dry for about an hour in a cool room. Mix together the remaining salt, wine or gin, shallots, ginger, soy sauce, honey and sesame oil.
3. Preheat oven to 425F.
4. Rub about 3 Tablespoons of the mixture inside the cavity of the chicken and the remainder all over the outside. Place the green onions and tangerine inside the cavity.
5. Place the chicken, breast side up, on a rack set in a roasting pan filled with about 1/4 -inch depth of water. Roast for about an hour or until a meat thermometer registers 170F when inserted into the thigh area, and the skin has turned a dark golden brown colour.
6. Chop the chicken into bite sized pieces, reserving any chicken juices.
7. Serve with pan juices or Ginger Sauce.
Ginger Sauce for Chicken:
Mix all the ingredients together and serve in small individual condiment dishes.
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