Beggar’s Chicken
This is a very old dish associated with the cooking lore of China. One of the versions of the legend goes something like this:
An old, starving beggar was forced to steal a chicken to survive during a terrible famine in ancient China. After killing and gutting the bird with his bare hands he had to figure out how to cook it and eat it but he had no pots or pans. He was so hungry that he did not want to waste any time plucking the feathers from the bird so he devised an ingenious cooking method to solve both problems.
He wrapped the entire bird in river clay. Then the old beggar placed the clay directly on the coals of his fire and baked the bird inside the clay. As the clay dried, it hardened forming a perfectly shaped and tightly sealed cooking pot around the bird.
As he watched the fire, his hunger overcame him and he fainted for a time. The fire burned low and almost went out. When he woke he saw the fire and saw how hard the clay had become. He was so hungry that he could wait no longer. He removed the clay wrapped chicken from the fire and cracked it open with a rock.
The clay stuck to the feathers and the feathers were removed from the bird as he peeled the clay away. The meat was so moist and tender that he did not need a knife to eat the meat that fell off the bones of the bird. A few months later, he brought a version of the dish to the Empress of China as a gift and she was so impressed that she declared it was a great dish of the land. Of course, he became famous and wealthy as a result of pleasing the Empress.
Don’t worry, these days we substitute parchment paper and foil for the clay and our chickens arrive at our grocery stores without feathers.
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, about 3 pounds
Parchment paper
Aluminum foil
Butcher’s twine (optional)
For the wet rub:
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon dry sherry (don’t use cooking sherry, it’s salted)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 teaspoons Chinese Five Spice (to make your own see The Self Educated Cook's Book
Preparation:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. Wash the whole chicken under cold running water then pat it dry with paper towels, inside and out. Set the chicken aside while you prepare the wet rub.
2. Place all the rub ingredients into a small bowl and whisk them together until fully incorporated.
3. Rub 1 tablespoon of the mixture in the cavity of the bird. At this point, I like to truss the bird. I have done this so many times that I have learned how to do this without twine and I explain how to do this in my book. If you don’t know how to truss a bird without twine, use the twine or buy my book and learn. Once the bird has been trussed, place it on a rimmed sheet pan and rub the entire outside of the bird with the remaining wet rub mixture. Place the bird, breast up, in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until lightly browned then remove it form the oven. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees.
4. Move the chicken to a large plate and pour any juices from the baking sheet over the chicken.
5. Crimp one full edge of two sheets of aluminum foil together along their entire length to make one large sheet with a sealed center seam. Center the large sheet of foil on the rimmed sheet pan. Crimp one full edge of two sheets of parchment paper together along their entire length to make one large sheet with a sealed center seam just like the foil. I find a stapler to be a convenient means to ensure that the parchment paper seam stays sealed. Center the large parchment sheet over the aluminum foil.
6. Place the chicken in the center of the parchment paper and carefully (don’t break the seal between the parchment sheets) fold up the edges and tightly crimp and seal the edges. A good seal on the parchment paper is critical. Now, carefully fold up and crimp the foil as tightly as possible to completely seal the parchment paper inside the foil. Again, don’t break the center seam on the bottom. When the chicken is completely sealed in the parchment paper and foil, place the pan in the 350 degree oven and bake for 2 1/2 to 3 hours until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 180 degrees in the breast meat and a minimum of 165 in the thigh.
7. Be careful opening the foil and parchment paper as steam will rush out. There will be a great deal of liquid retained in the bottom of the pouch. This can be defatted and used as a gravy or soup base. Serve with your favorite stir fried or steamed vegetables.
An old, starving beggar was forced to steal a chicken to survive during a terrible famine in ancient China. After killing and gutting the bird with his bare hands he had to figure out how to cook it and eat it but he had no pots or pans. He was so hungry that he did not want to waste any time plucking the feathers from the bird so he devised an ingenious cooking method to solve both problems.
He wrapped the entire bird in river clay. Then the old beggar placed the clay directly on the coals of his fire and baked the bird inside the clay. As the clay dried, it hardened forming a perfectly shaped and tightly sealed cooking pot around the bird.
As he watched the fire, his hunger overcame him and he fainted for a time. The fire burned low and almost went out. When he woke he saw the fire and saw how hard the clay had become. He was so hungry that he could wait no longer. He removed the clay wrapped chicken from the fire and cracked it open with a rock.
The clay stuck to the feathers and the feathers were removed from the bird as he peeled the clay away. The meat was so moist and tender that he did not need a knife to eat the meat that fell off the bones of the bird. A few months later, he brought a version of the dish to the Empress of China as a gift and she was so impressed that she declared it was a great dish of the land. Of course, he became famous and wealthy as a result of pleasing the Empress.
Don’t worry, these days we substitute parchment paper and foil for the clay and our chickens arrive at our grocery stores without feathers.
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, about 3 pounds
Parchment paper
Aluminum foil
Butcher’s twine (optional)
For the wet rub:
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon dry sherry (don’t use cooking sherry, it’s salted)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 teaspoons Chinese Five Spice (to make your own see The Self Educated Cook's Book
Preparation:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. Wash the whole chicken under cold running water then pat it dry with paper towels, inside and out. Set the chicken aside while you prepare the wet rub.
2. Place all the rub ingredients into a small bowl and whisk them together until fully incorporated.
3. Rub 1 tablespoon of the mixture in the cavity of the bird. At this point, I like to truss the bird. I have done this so many times that I have learned how to do this without twine and I explain how to do this in my book. If you don’t know how to truss a bird without twine, use the twine or buy my book and learn. Once the bird has been trussed, place it on a rimmed sheet pan and rub the entire outside of the bird with the remaining wet rub mixture. Place the bird, breast up, in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until lightly browned then remove it form the oven. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees.
4. Move the chicken to a large plate and pour any juices from the baking sheet over the chicken.
5. Crimp one full edge of two sheets of aluminum foil together along their entire length to make one large sheet with a sealed center seam. Center the large sheet of foil on the rimmed sheet pan. Crimp one full edge of two sheets of parchment paper together along their entire length to make one large sheet with a sealed center seam just like the foil. I find a stapler to be a convenient means to ensure that the parchment paper seam stays sealed. Center the large parchment sheet over the aluminum foil.
6. Place the chicken in the center of the parchment paper and carefully (don’t break the seal between the parchment sheets) fold up the edges and tightly crimp and seal the edges. A good seal on the parchment paper is critical. Now, carefully fold up and crimp the foil as tightly as possible to completely seal the parchment paper inside the foil. Again, don’t break the center seam on the bottom. When the chicken is completely sealed in the parchment paper and foil, place the pan in the 350 degree oven and bake for 2 1/2 to 3 hours until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 180 degrees in the breast meat and a minimum of 165 in the thigh.
7. Be careful opening the foil and parchment paper as steam will rush out. There will be a great deal of liquid retained in the bottom of the pouch. This can be defatted and used as a gravy or soup base. Serve with your favorite stir fried or steamed vegetables.
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