Cantonese Roast Soy Sauce Chicken
Here, Gloria Tai, our manager of food development at Williams Sonoma, shares one of her favorite foods to serve at a Lunar New Year feast. “There’s a multitude of meanings and symbols” in the foods that are served on this holiday, she explains, and serving a whole bird or fish represents the wholeness of the family as they join together. Don’t forget to plan in advance when making this dish—the chicken needs to marinate overnight and then spend several hours in the refrigerator drying out to ensure the skin turns out as crispy as possible—but the amount of hands-on time is minimal.
Ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken, about 4 lb. (2 kg)
For the seasoning mixture:
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder
For the marinade:
- 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) mushroom soy sauce or low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) dark soy sauce
- 2 Tbs. Shaoxing rice wine or sherry
- 5 slices fresh ginger
- 1 garlic clove, sliced
- 2 green onions, white and light green portions, cut into 3-inch (7.5-cm) pieces
- 1/2 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder
- Pinch of ground white pepper
- Pinch of sugar
For the ginger-scallion oil:
- 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) vegetable oil
- 3 Tbs. finely chopped fresh ginger
- 1 cup (4 oz./125 g) finely chopped green onions
- Kosher salt
- Pinch of sugar, if desired
- Squeeze of fresh lemon juice, if desired
Directions:
Rinse the chicken inside and out with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
To make the seasoning mixture, in a small bowl, stir together the salt, Sichuan peppercorns and five–spice powder. Set aside.
To make the marinade, in a separate bowl, whisk together the soy sauces, rice wine, ginger, garlic, green onions, five–spice powder white pepper and sugar until thoroughly combined.
Sprinkle the seasoning mixture evenly in the cavity of the chicken. Put the chicken in a large sealable plastic bag and add the marinade. Turn to coat. Refrigerate overnight, turning the chicken occasionally to make sure the marinade evenly coats the chicken. (If you don’t have a bag large enough for your chicken, you can marinate the chicken in a large nonreactive bowl, covered, in the refrigerator.)
At least 5 hours and up to one day before roasting the chicken, remove the chicken from the refrigerator. Remove the chicken from the marinade; discard the marinade. Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan lined with aluminum foil (this will make cleanup easier). Return to the refrigerator, uncovered, and let dry for at least 5 hours and up to overnight. (The drier the chicken, the crispier the skin will be.)
Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 400°F (200°C).
Roast the chicken for 30 minutes. Check the chicken and cover the wings and ends of the drumsticks if they’re darkening too quickly. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C). Continue roasting, turning the chicken over about every 20 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the thigh reaches 170°C (77°C), 40 to 55 minutes more.
Transfer the chicken to a carving board and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the ginger-scallion oil. In a fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the vegetable oil until hot. Turn off the heat and stir in the ginger, green onions and a pinch of salt. When the mixture is cool enough to touch, carefully taste. Stir in a pinch of sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice, if desired.
Carve the chicken into serving pieces and serve with the ginger-scallion oil alongside. Serves 4.
Recipe courtesy of Gloria Tai
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