With the Lunar New Year celebration underway, Asian-themed food blogs I read have been replete with recipes for the occasion. This is one that caught my eye. A fairly simple roast chicken recipe (which I can always use for the frozen organic birds in the freezer), this Chinese-style dish is delicious and imparts the signature Cantonese BBQ aroma and flavors from restaurants and Asian supermarket delis. It’s the perfect meaty, juicy main dish for my pregnancy-protein cravings – and we’re almost there…. a few weeks left.
Chinese Roast Chicken, from Rasa Malaysia
Picture does not do justice for the color/texture of the crispy skin.
Ingredients
1 chicken, about 2 1/2 – 3 lbs
4 garlic, lightly pounded
1-inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced
Marinade
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1/2 teaspoon Chinese rose wine (or Shaoxing wine)
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 dashes white pepper
Skin Coating
1 tablespoon Chinese rice vinegar (clear in color)
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon Chinese rose wine
Directions
- Clean the chicken with water and pat dry inside and out. Truss the chicken.
- Mix the Marinade ingredients well in a small bowl and rub it generously on the skin of the chicken and also the cavity. Insert the garlic and ginger inside the cavity and then transfer it into a Ziploc bag. Pour the remaining Marinade into the bag and marinate the chicken overnight. You can turn the plastic bag to make sure that the chicken is evenly marinated.
- The next morning, mix the Skin Coating ingredients well in a small bowl. Take the chicken out of the plastic bag, discard the garlic and ginger in the cavity and scald the chicken with hot boiling water. Pour the hot water all over the chicken (this will remove the Marinade on the chicken skin.) Air dry the chicken for about 30 minutes at room temperature or until the skin surface is no longer wet. You can turn on a fan. Rub the Skin Coating mixture evenly on the chicken skin. Continue to air dry for about 3 hours. Turn the chicken over to air dry both sides. (I found the chicken needed some more seasoning – I would sprinkle the cavity and skin with some additional salt at this point.)
- Heat up the oven to 400 Degrees F. Place the chicken in a roasting pan and roast for about 12-15 minutes on one side and then turn to the other side. Roast for about 45 minutes or an hour, until the skin is golden brown. Remove from the oven, rest 10-15 minutes, cut and serve. Save the juice from the chicken and serve with steamed rice.
Garlic Dipping Sauce
1 tsp garlic, chopped fine
1/4 cup chopped scallion
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon coarse hot red-pepper flakes (or white pepper for a milder sauce)
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon honey
- Meanwhile, mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt. Stir together with remaining ingredients.
