Salt-Rubbed Chicken
A Shanghai-style chicken dish brined in salt water and then steamed, yielding tender meat with a delicate flavor.
Ingredients
Fat hen (slaughtered, gutted, with feet removed and washed clean; wiped dry with a clean dry cloth)
1 (1900g)
Scallion segments
42g
Ginger chunks
42g
Sichuan peppercorns
13.5g
Yellow wine (Shaoxing wine)
330g
Salt (for rubbing all over the chicken)
85g
MSG (monosodium glutamate)
A pinch
Chicken broth (for making the marinade sauce)
2100g
Instructions
1
Marinating the chicken
Prepare the chicken by slaughtering it, removing the innards and feet, washing it clean, and wiping it dry with a clean dry cloth. Use a needle to prick small holes evenly across the chicken legs and breast. Rub salt and Sichuan peppercorns all over the chicken, place it in a bowl, and press it for about twelve hours.
2
Preparing the marinade sauce
Combine the chicken broth with the yellow wine and MSG to season it. Bring to a boil in a pot, then pour it into the bowl. Once cooled, submerge the pressed chicken in the liquid for about five to six hours.
3
Steaming
Remove the chicken and place it in a steamer with scallions and ginger on top. Steam over gentle heat for about twenty-five minutes, then cut into rectangular strips to serve.
