Beggar's Chicken

Beggar's Chicken (Jìqǐ Jī)

A whole chicken marinated with Shaoxing wine, ginger and scallions is wrapped in lotus leaves, sealed in a thick layer of clay and slow-baked until the meat falls from the bone in its own juices. The traditional Hangzhou version uses mud from the lotus pond, but a flour-and-salt clay works perfectly in a home oven.

Prep

45 min

Cook

180 min

Total

225 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Hard

Recipe ingredients

• •1.5 kg (about 3¼ lb) whole chicken, small, free-range if possible; innards removed
• •60 ml (¼ cup) Shaoxing wine, dry sherry is an acceptable substitute
• •30 g (1 oz) fresh ginger, smashed and sliced
• •4 whole scallions, cut into 5 cm lengths
• •15 g (¼ cup) dried Chinese mushrooms, rehydrated in warm water
• •10 g (2 tbsp) rock sugar, smashed; or 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) light soy sauce
• •15 ml (1 tbsp) dark soy sauce, for color
• •5 g (1 tsp) five-spice powder
• •5 g (1 tsp) salt
• •30 g (1 oz) dried lotus leaves, 2 large or 3 medium; soak in hot water 20 min to soften
• •1 sheet large baking paper sheet, about 60 × 60 cm
• •1500 g (about 3 lb) all-purpose flour, for the home clay substitute
• •300 g (about 10 oz) coarse salt, mixed with flour to mimic clay and seal
• •600 ml (2½ cups) water, for the flour-salt dough

Steps

1. 1 Rinse the chicken inside and out and pat very dry with paper towels. Prick the skin all over with a skewer to help the marinade penetrate.
2. 2 Combine Shaoxing wine, soy sauces, five-spice, salt, smashed rock sugar, ginger and scallions. Rub the mixture thoroughly over the chicken and inside the cavity, then stuff the cavity with the rehydrated mushrooms and any extra scallions. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes, or covered in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours.
3. 3 Soak the lotus leaves in hot water for 20 minutes until pliable. Drain and lay them overlapping on a large sheet of baking paper so they fully cover the chicken with at least 5 cm of leaf overhang on every side.
4. 4 Place the marinated chicken breast-up on the leaves. Pour any remaining marinade over the top, then fold the leaves over the bird and tie securely with kitchen twine so the bundle is completely sealed (any gap will let steam out and the clay will crack).
5. 5 Make the 'clay': mix the flour and coarse salt in a bowl, then stir in the water to form a stiff, bread-dough-like paste. It should hold its shape and not be sticky.
6. 6 On a large sheet of foil or extra baking paper, flatten the flour-salt dough into a disc about 2 cm thick. Place the wrapped chicken on top, then wrap the dough up and around the bird, sealing every seam. The coating should be at least 2 cm thick everywhere with no thin spots or exposed lotus leaf.
7. 7 Place the clay-coated bundle seam-side down on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 160 °C / 320 °F (fan 140 °C / 285 °F) oven for 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours. The bird is done when the clay is hard and crackled dark tan and an instant-read thermometer pushed through clay, leaf and thickest part of the thigh reads at least 82 °C / 180 °F.
8. 8 Rest the bundle at room temperature for 15 minutes, then crack the clay with the back of a heavy knife or a small hammer. Peel away the flour-salt shell, then the lotus leaves (save the juices pooled in the leaves to spoon over the meat). Lift the chicken onto a platter and shred or portion at the table.
9. 9 Safety: cook the chicken to a minimum internal temperature of 82 °C / 180 °F in the thigh; juices must run clear, not pink. The thick flour-salt crust acts as insulation, so do not shorten the bake or the meat nearest the bone will remain underdone.