Beggar’s Chicken

✅ I. Ingredient List

Here are the main ingredients needed to make Beggar’s Chicken.

👨🍳 II. Instructions

Making Beggar’s Chicken requires careful procedure. Here are the core steps.

1. ​🐔 Prepare the Chicken:
   • Slaughter the chicken, drain the blood, scald in hot water, and remove feathers thoroughly.
   • Make a 3.5-4 cm long opening under the left wing. Remove internal organs and trachea. Rinse clean with water and drain.
   • Chop off the claws. Remove the main wing bones and leg bones. Gently break the chicken neck with the back of a knife to snap the neck bone (without breaking the skin). Make a vertical cut on the inside of the legs for easier flavor penetration and wrapping.
2. ​🧂 Marinate for Flavor:
   • Grind sand ginger (山奈, shannai) and star anise into powder, place in an earthenware bowl.
   • Add Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, sugar, salt, scallion sections, and ginger shreds. Mix well.
   • Place the chicken in the marinade for ​15 minutes, turning it over 2-3 times during this period to allow the seasonings to penetrate evenly.
3. ​🥬 Stir-fry Filling & Stuffing:
   • Shred the pork leg meat and scallion (京葱).
   • Heat a wok over high heat, swirl oil to coat, then add rendered lard. Stir-fry the scallion shreds and pork shreds until fragrant.
   • Add Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, salt, and MSG. Stir-fry until cooked, then set aside on a plate.
   • Stuff the stir-fried ingredients into the chicken’s cavity through the wing opening, then pour the remaining marinade juice in as well.
4. ​🎁 Wrapping (Key Step)​:
   • ​Shape: Tuck the head between the legs, have the legs embrace the chest, and the wings fold down to hold the neck and legs.
   • ​Wrap in Caul Fat: Wrap the entire chicken body with pork caul fat to lock in moisture and aroma.
   • ​Wrap in Lotus Leaves: First, wrap with 1.5 or 2 lotus leaves. The second layer is a sheet of transparent paper (to prevent juice leakage), then wrap with another lotus leaf.
   • ​Tying: Tie with hemp rope first in two criss-cross patterns, then wrap it evenly like a ball into an egg shape.
5. ​🥧 Applying the Clay:
   • Smash the wine jar clay, add Shaoxing wine sediment (dregs), coarse salt, and water. Pound until韧 (tough and pliable).
   • Spread the clay evenly on a damp cloth. Place the wrapped chicken in the center.
   • Lift the four corners of the cloth, making the clay adhere tightly to the chicken. Pat the edges of the cloth with wet hands to ensure even adhesion.
   • Remove the cloth and wrap the clay-coated chicken in a sheet of white newspaper to prevent the clay from falling off during roasting.
6. ​🔥 Roasting:
   • Place the clay-ball chicken (belly side up) into a preheated oven.
   • ​Initial High Heat to Cook Through: First, roast at ​200°C for about 40 minutes​ to prevent spoilage from low temperatures.
   • ​Then Low Heat to Tenderize: Reduce the temperature to around ​160°C​ and continue roasting for ​3-4 hours​ until the chicken is thoroughly tender and fall-off-the-bone.
7. ​🍽️ Serving:
   • Place the roasted clay ball on a plate. Crack open the clay shell and remove the lotus leaves and other wrapping materials.
   • Transfer the chicken and the internal braising liquid to a serving plate. Serve with a side of Sichuan pepper salt for dipping.

🌟 III. Seasoning Ratio & Nutrition Info

Precise seasoning ratios are core to the flavor of Beggar’s Chicken.