Chinese Beggar’s Chicken:
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (about 1000 – 1200g)
- Appropriate amount of salt
- 1 tablespoon of cooking wine
- 2 – 3 slices of ginger
- 2 scallions
- Some dried mushrooms (soaked in advance)
- A few pieces of Chinese ham (optional)
- Appropriate amount of flour and water for making the dough
- A large piece of lotus leaf (soaked in advance)
- Some fine soil or clay
Steps
- Prepare the chicken: Clean the whole chicken thoroughly, removing the internal organs and excess fat. Then use a fork or a toothpick to prick some holes on the surface of the chicken. Rub the chicken inside and out with an appropriate amount of salt, pour in 1 tablespoon of cooking wine, and put 2 – 3 slices of ginger and 2 scallions inside the chicken cavity. Let it marinate for about 30 minutes to 1 hour to make the chicken more flavorful.
- Stuff the chicken: If you like, you can stuff the marinated chicken with soaked dried mushrooms and pieces of Chinese ham. This will add more flavor and texture to the chicken.
- Wrap the chicken: First, wrap the stuffed chicken tightly with the soaked lotus leaf. Make sure there are no gaps to prevent the juice from leaking out during the baking process. Then, mix flour and water to make a moderately – hard dough. Roll out the dough and wrap the lotus – leaf – wrapped chicken with the dough, sealing the edges well.
- Bake the chicken: Preheat the oven to 200 – 220 °C. If you don’t have an oven, you can also dig a pit in the ground, light a fire, and put some fine soil or clay on the fire. When the soil or clay is hot, put the dough – wrapped chicken on the soil or clay, and then cover it with more hot soil or clay. Bake the chicken for about 1.5 to 2 hours. The high – temperature baking will make the dough hard and the chicken inside cooked thoroughly and tender.
- Serve: After the chicken is baked, take it out of the oven or the soil. Break the hard dough shell, remove the lotus leaf, and the fragrant Beggar’s Chicken is ready to be served. You can tear the chicken into pieces and enjoy it.
Beggar’s Chicken is a traditional and delicious Chinese dish with a unique cooking method, and the chicken made in this way is very tender and full of flavor.
