Yim Kuk Kai aka Salt Baked Chicken

It’s been too long since I last posted on my blog and this is a special request from my son …so I had to cook this, take photos step-by-step and flog it for him so that he can have a go at this dish

Course Salt is one of the main ingredients you will need … minimum 1 kg but it all depends on whether you bake half a chicken, just a whole leg or a whole chicken …. I baked a whole chicken (quartered into 4pcs) and I used up to 3 kg

I used 2 casseroles …2 pcs of chicken in each casserole to bake …so here, it shows I spread the 1.5kg salt in each casserole and put the casserole into a pre-heated moderately hot (200-210°C / Gas Mark 5) oven for the salt to be heated up

here, I boiled Dong Quai (Angelica Sinensis), red dates and Kei Chi (Wolfberries) with just enough water to cover herbs for 10 mins or until gravy is reduced until concentrated … set aside

The boiled herbs with very concentrated gravy

I used one whole chicken chopped into 4 quarters (2 whole legs + 2 breasts w wings attached) …if you prefer, use all whole legs to the quantity you prefer … rub the chicken pieces with some sesame oil, salt & light soy sauce

Spread out on your kitchen counter top a double -layered piece of greaseproof paper … make sure it is big enough to wrap each chicken piece into a parcel … with plenty to overlap at closures

Put some of the herbs in the middle of the greaseproof paper

Put a piece of the chicken atop the herbs mixture on the greaseproof paper then put some more o fhe herbs mixture atop the chicken, t/w a bit of the gravy

Gather the top and bottom of the double-layered greaseproof paper and fold it downwards towards chicken piece

fold ends of paper in to allow stapler to reach as close to chicken as possible and staple both ends

Both ends stapled, as close to chicken piece as possible … extend back out the folded ends of the paper

Tuck both ends of the paper underneathe the parcel of chicken

Carefully flip the parcel over and staple the two ends of the paper … not necessary to staple if you don’t want to but it makes the parcel more secure for handling

The wrapped parcel of chicken ready to be buried into the course salt to be baked

With oven gloves, carefully take the casserole of course salt out of the hot oven, dish out 3/4 of the salt into another pot then spread the balance 1/4 evenly to cover base of casserole dish

Carefully place the chicken parcels atop the layer of salt in the casserole dish and then pour the salt that was dished out earlier atop the chicken parcels and cover the parcels completely

The chicken parcels completely buried in the course salt….bake in a moderately hot oven (200-210ºC / Gas Mark 5) for 45 – 60 mins …baking time will depend on the size of your chicken pieces … do not bake too long to avoid chicken being dry!

here it is … Yim Kuk Kai … Salt Baked Chicken revealed …. When done, carefully use  a wooden ladle to remove salt atop chicken parcels and lift parcel out onto serving plate with a thong (support base with wooden ladle if necessary) …. cut/tear open the paper at top of parcel to reveal the chicken and eat off the parcel as it is

I served up the chicken with this Stir Fried Mixed Vegetables of Broccoli, Mange-tout, Carrots, Fennel Bulb & Ginger ….yumz!!

Judie’s Beggar’s Chicken

This is my own version of Beggar’s Chicken … stuffed with Chinese Herbs baked encased in a flour dough …Beggar’s Chicken is made with a whole chicken, and in a restaurant, it is often served up in this hard flour dough case so that the diners get to crack it open to enjoy a mighty, tasty treat!

Don’t it look simply awesome? The herbal gravy is ‘to-die-for’ …. you can either eat it as it is or with plain steamed rice.
Simply a palate teaser…the chicken is sensuously soft and it merely just slips off the bones and melts in your mouth!

 Like some popular food, Beggar’s Chicken has a Chinese folklore tale behind it … this is a dish that originated from Beijing, China and it is said that a starving, homeless beggar had stolen a chicken from someone’s farm but realized he had no stove nor any tools to cook it so he built a fire and killed the chicken, wrapped it in slush and put the mud wrapped chicken over the fire to cook.  Just then, the Emperor and his entourage happened to be passing by and the Emperor was attracted by the aroma of the baked chicken.  The Emperor stoped and dined with the beggar, demanding to know how such delicious meal is cooked.  ”Beggar’s Chicken” thus is subsequently added to the list of dishes served at the Imperial Court.

It is the baking in the flour dough that makes this bird most intriguing, tender tasty and Beggar’s Chicken is packed full of flavour that is most unique!!  

It is said that in the “Chinese kitchen”, the Chinese are not too happy with the name “Beggar’s Chicken” hence in Beijing, “Beggar’s Chicken” is not popularly known as “Fu Guai Gai” or “Rich & Noble Chicken”

RECIPE

Ingredients: 

1 whole chicken, 1½ kg

 10g tong sum (Codonopsis Pilosula)

 10g dong quai (Angelica sinensis)

 8g pak kei (Astragalus Root)

 5g kei chee (Wolfberries)

 5g ginseng (optional)

 10g dried longan flesh

 1 cup water

 3 tsp salt

 3 Tbsp Chinese wine

 1kg plain flour

 water

 Oven bag/cling film

 Aluminium foil

 Method:

•  Clean the Chicken and rub the whole chicken, inside & outside with half of the salt
• Heat up oven to 220°C
• Put all the herbs + 1 Tbsp Chinese Wine in a pot together with the 1 cup water and the rest of the salt and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for further 5 minutes
• Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the boiled herbs mixture
• Secure the opening either by stitiching it up or tootpicks/bamboo skewers
• Put the chicken in the oven bag (or wrap up with cling film) and then aluminium foil, set aside
• Combine the plain flour with enough water to make a pliable dough
• Roll out the dough into a circle big enough to enclose the whole chicken parcel
• Place the chicken parcel in the centre and bring the dough up to enclose the chicken securely and overlap the edges and knead to seal the dough crust close
• Place it on a baking sheet and bake in the pre-heated oven for  2 hours 
• When done, use a pestle or kitchen chopper and break open the flour dough crust, open the foil &  bag/cling film carefully and tip the chicken and gravy into a serving dish, drizzle the balance of the Chinese Wine over the chicken and serve up as it is with a salad or served up with plain steamed rice and a stir-fried vegetable dish.