Name: Salt-Baked Chicken
Yield: Makes 5 to 6 servings as a main dish or 10 to 12 servings as part of a multicourse meal
Cuisine: Hakka
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon ground galangal; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 3½ tablespoons vegetable oil; About 10 pounds rock salt, for baking; ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper; ½ teaspoon kosher salt; 1½ tablespoons minced garlic; 2 teaspoons kosher salt; 1 teaspoon ground ginger; 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine (shaoxing) or dry sherry; 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce; 1 chicken (about 4 pounds), preferably free-range or organic

Preparation info

Makes
5 to 6
servings as a main dish

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Hakka Cookbook

By Linda Anusasananan

Published 2012

About

Chef Simon Yan in Beijing buried a marinated, paper-wrapped chicken in a big, wide pan of hot salt. He cooked it over high heat, turning the bird occasionally. In Western kitchens, using an oven results in less work and greater control. The chicken emerges juicy and moist. Once you find the right pan for baking, this is an easy preparation. Allow a couple of hours to heat the salt and bake the chicken. After cooking, the dry salt can be recycled for another use. Because the