Sichuan Style Salt Baked Chicken

Total Time: 1 hr 35 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 3 lbs whole chickens
• 1/4 cup shaoxing wine
• 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 4 lbs kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon five-spice powder
• 2 teaspoons szechuan peppercorns
• 1 large piece cheesecloth
• 1 tablespoon hot water
• 1 tablespoon chinese chili sauce
• 1 teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Recipe

• 1 rinse the chicken under cool water, cut away any fat around the cavity opening, and place the chicken in a large bowl. in a small bowl, combine the rice wine, ginger, and green onions.
• 2 brush the outside of the chicken with the wine mixture and place the remaining contents of the small bowl in the chicken cavity. put the chicken in a cool place and let marinate for 2 hours.
• 3 preheat the oven to 400 degrees f. spread the salt evenly in a dutch oven that is slightly larger that the chicken and bake for 10 minutes. remove the salt from the oven but leave the oven on.
• 4 place the chicken on a dry surface and rub the spice mixture all over the chicken. wrap the chicken in cheesecloth.
• 5 carefully pour all but 1 inch of the salt (about 6 cups) into a heatproof bowl. set the chicken in the pot, breast up, and cover completely with the reserved hot salt. make sure the chicken is completely covered with a layer of salt. bake covered for 1 hour.
• 6 remove the chicken from the oven and let rest for 30 minutes. while chicken is resting, make the sauces. when chicken is done resting, discard the salt, unwrap and use a cleaver to chop the chicken into chopstick-friendly pieces. serve with dipping sauces.
• 7 chili sauce: in a small bowl, combine the water with the chili sauce, vinegar and sugar; stir to dissolve the sugar. let stand for at least 15 minutes and stir before serving.
• 8 garlic sauce: in a small bowl, combine the vinegar, garlic and sugar; stir to dissolve the sugar. let stand for at least 15 minutes and stir before serving.
• 9 ginger sauce: put the ginger in a small heatproof bowl. heat the oil in a small saucepan until it sends up a wisp of smoke, then pour it over the ginger and stir. stir in the salt. serve warm or at room temperature.