Beggar's Chicken
Submitted by lbharris
A legendary Chinese dish: whole chicken rubbed with soy and sesame, stuffed with seasoned pork and mustard greens, wrapped in lotus leaves, sealed in clay, and slow-roasted until fall-apart tender.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
20 minREADY
40 minThis is one of China’s most storied dishes, steeped in legend and spectacle.
The tale goes that a starving beggar stole a chicken, wrapped it in mud, and roasted it over coals. When he cracked the hardened shell open, the most impossibly tender, fragrant bird emerged.
This recipe honors that tradition. A whole chicken is rubbed with dark soy, sesame oil, and sherry, then stuffed with stir-fried ground pork, salted mustard greens, and fresh ginger.
Triple-wrapped in softened lotus leaves, the bundle gets sealed in wet modeling clay and roasted until the meat practically falls from the bone.
Cracking the fired clay shell at the table is pure drama, and the rush of lotus-scented steam that escapes is unforgettable.
Kitchen Tips
- Lotus leaves are available at most Asian grocery stores, usually dried and folded. Soak them just until pliable, no more, or they’ll tear.
- Modeling clay works best, but heavy-duty aluminum foil layered thick is a solid substitute if clay isn’t available.
- Do not use nylon string to tie the lotus leaf bundle. It can melt in the oven. Cotton kitchen twine is the way to go.
- Present it whole at the table. Half the joy of this dish is the dramatic reveal when you crack the clay open in front of your guests.
Variations
- Swap the pork stuffing for a mix of dried shiitake mushrooms, Chinese sausage (lap cheong), and sticky rice for a Cantonese twist.
- Use banana leaves if lotus leaves are hard to find. They won’t impart the same subtle fragrance, but they’ll keep the chicken moist.
- Add star anise and five-spice powder to the skin rub for a deeper, more aromatic profile.
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare Chicken: Trim excess fat from chicken; remove wing tips.
Mix mixture for skin; rub chicken inside and out with it.
Leave uncovered at room temperature, while coating is absorbed and dried.
Repeat if necessary.
Stuffing: In hot wok, heat peanut oil to smoking.
Stir-fry ground pork 2 minutes; add mustard green, ginger and sugar; stir-fry 1 more minute.
Remove and cool.
Lotus Leaves: Number of leaves depends on their size and that of chicken.
Reduce heat under boiling water to simmer, and steep leaves for 3 to 5 minutes, until wet through and pliable (no longer or leaves may shred).
Now soak in cold water for 10 minutes, or longer, until time to use them; open folded leaves in cold water to wash them.
Wrap Chicken: Preheat oven to 550 degrees.
Stuff chicken with pork mixture.
Cut hard center out of lotus leaves, then slit along fold about 3” on each side of center, so cut away center can be overlapped.
Wrap chicken in 3 layers of lotus leaves.
Tie securely with piece of cotton or fiber string (don’t use nylon; it might melt).
Spread soft, wet modeling clay about ½ inch thick on sheet of newspaper.
Bring clay pack around chicken and seal.
Remove newspaper. (Use foil if clay unavailable.)
Roasting: Place clay-covered chicken on rack in shallow roasting pan in preheated oven.
Bake for 1 hour; reduce heat to 350℉ (180℃) and bake for another 1½ hours.
Serve: Present fired clay chicken to table.
Crack clay with suitable object, allowing some of steam to escape before you proceed.
Remove clay; carefully cut open lotus leaves with scissors.
Chicken will be very soft and tender; break apart to get at stuffing.
Serve guests, or invite them to pick with chopsticks.
Comments
