Salt-Smothered Chicken
- 1 whole broiler fryers
- 1 teaspoon ginger root minced
- 1 each scallions, spring or green onions cut in 1/4inch rounds
- 1 teaspoon cilantro minced
- 1 piece tangerine peel dried, (1 inch in diameter)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 18 teaspoon peppercorns szechuan
- 2 teaspoons cointreau or orange wine
- 1 cup water warm
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons chicken broth cold, or cold water
- 5 pounds rock salt (kosher)
- 1 x cilantro for decorating
- BEFORE COOKING: Wash bird and blot dry with paper towels.
- Hang for 1 to 2 hours in a cool, dry place.
- Combine the ginger root, scallion, parsley, dried tangerine peel, salt, pepper, orange wine and water in the bowl.
- Tie or sew the bird's neck opening.
- Pour the marinade into the body cavity.
- Sew cavity shut to prevent marinade from leaking.
- Combine cornstarch and stock or water.
- Have rock salt ready to go.
- COOKING: Put the rock salt in the casserole.
- Turn heat to high and stir salt crystals until they become red-hot, about 30 minutes.
- Scoop out enough salt to make a well in which you can place the chicken, leaving a bed of salt about 2 inches thick.
- Place the filled bird breast-side-down in the salt and pack it all around with the scooped-out salt.
- Cover casserole and reduce heat to medium-low.
- Cook for 45 to 60 minutes.
- Remover bird and cut away threads.
- Pour marinade from the cavity into a strainer over the pint saucepan.
- Chop chicken into Chinese-style serving pieces and arrange on a platter.
- Heat the marinade over medium heat until boiling.
- Give the cornstarch-stock mixture a quick stir to dissolve any lumps; add to marinade.
- Stir for 1 to 2 minutes or until the mixture becomes clear.
- Pour over bird.
- Decorate with sprigs of Chinese parsley and serve.
fryers, ginger root, scallions, cilantro, salt, peppercorns szechuan, orange wine, water, cornstarch, chicken broth cold, salt, cilantro
Taken from recipeland.com/recipe/v/salt-smothered-chicken-43919 (may not work)