Beggar's Chicken

Name: Beggar's Chicken
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 4 h
Total time: 4 h 45 min
Ingredients: 1 Tender hen (about 1500 g); 2.5 Fresh lotus leaves; 1 Cellophane sheet; 75 g Pork leg meat (cut into shreds); 4 m Fine hemp string; 250 g Pork caul fat; 5 g Julienned ginger; 2 g Star anise (ground to powder); 5 g Scallion segments; 7.5 g Sugar; 1 g Sand ginger (ground to powder); 75 g Shaoxing wine; 35 g Soy sauce; 10 g Sichuan pepper salt; 25 g Spicy soy sauce; 1 large White paper; 162 g Refined salt; 3000 g Wine jar clay; 4 g MSG; 100 g Scallion (cut into shreds); 25 g Rendered pork fat

A traditional Hangzhou specialty wrapped in lotus leaves and baked in mud, with tender, flaky chicken and an alluring aroma.

4h 45m

Easy

0 favorites

Ingredients

Tender hen (about 1500 g) 1

Fresh lotus leaves 2.5

Cellophane sheet 1

Pork leg meat (cut into shreds) 75 g

Fine hemp string 4 m

Pork caul fat 250 g

Julienned ginger 5 g

Star anise (ground to powder) 2 g

Scallion segments 5 g

Sugar 7.5 g

Sand ginger (ground to powder) 1 g

Shaoxing wine 75 g

Soy sauce 35 g

Sichuan pepper salt 10 g

Spicy soy sauce 25 g

White paper 1 large

Refined salt 162 g

Wine jar clay 3000 g

MSG 4 g

Scallion (cut into shreds) 100 g

Rendered pork fat 25 g

Instructions

Preparing the hen

Slaughter the hen, scald with 80°C hot water to remove the feathers, then rinse clean. Make a 4 cm opening under the left armpit, remove the entrails, trachea, and esophagus, rinse thoroughly with water, and drain well. Cut off the chicken feet, separate the main bones of the wings and legs, lightly tap the wing tips a few times with the back of a knife, tap the base of the neck with the back of a knife to gently break the neck bone, then make a vertical cut on the inner side of each leg to make stuffing the seasonings easier.

Marinating and seasoning

Grind the sand ginger and star anise into powder and place them in a clay pot. Add 50 g Shaoxing wine, 25 g soy sauce, the sugar, 1.5 g refined salt, 1.5 g MSG, the scallion segments, and the julienned ginger, and mix well. Marinate the chicken for 15 minutes so the seasonings penetrate the meat.

Stir-frying the filling

Cut the pork leg meat and scallion into fine shreds. Place a wok over high heat, add the rendered pork fat, and heat to about 70% hot. Add the scallion and pork shreds and stir-fry, then add 10 g soy sauce, 0.5 g refined salt, 25 g Shaoxing wine, and 2.5 g MSG, and stir-fry until just cooked to make the filling.

Stuffing and wrapping

Use chopsticks to stuff the stir-fried filling into the chicken through the opening under the armpit, and pour in the marinade. Tuck the chicken head close to the chest toward the middle of the legs, then fold the legs up against the chest and fold down both wings so they hug the neck and legs. Wrap the body of the chicken in the pork caul fat, then wrap with 1.5 lotus leaves on the outside, followed by 1 sheet of cellophane, and finally another lotus leaf. Tie everything firmly with the fine hemp string.

Coating with clay

Crush the wine jar clay and mash it together with the settled wine sediment, 160 g refined salt, and 500 g water until it forms a soft paste. Use a damp cloth to spread the clay paste evenly and tightly over the entire chicken. Remove the cloth and wrap the clay-coated chicken in white paper to prevent the mud from falling off during baking.

Baking

Place the clay-coated chicken in the oven and first bake at a high temperature of 220°C for 40 minutes, then lower the temperature to 160°C and continue baking for 3 to 4 hours until fully cooked. Crack off the hardened clay, and serve the chicken with the Sichuan pepper salt and spicy soy sauce on the side.