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Traditional Beggar's Chicken

Name: Traditional Beggar's Chicken
Prep time: 2 h 2 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 4 h 2 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: chinese
Ingredients: chicken; Salt; cooking wine; chestnut; honey; Lotus Leaf; yellow clay; water

groups4 servingsspeedMediumcountertopsPrep: 122 minsskilletCook: 120 minsscheduleTotal: 242 minsoutdoor_grillRoasted

Recipe details are AI-generated from the video and may contain errors — for reference only.

skilletInstruction

6 Steps Total

schedulePrepare in advance

circleThe spring chicken needs to be marinated for 2 hours in advance2h

Waiting Time

00:00:18

warningStay safe

Wash hands thoroughly after handling raw poultry to prevent cross-contamination; raw meat carries bacteria that can contaminate other ingredients if touched unwashed.

Select a 3-to-4-month-old spring chicken without cutting into pieces, rub 1 tsp salt evenly inside and outside the whole chicken
Then pour 2 tbsp cooking wine over it
Place in a container and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours

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Watch out

Salt and cooking wine must be rubbed evenly inside and out, otherwise the chicken will be unevenly seasoned and taste bland in some areas.

Ingredients:chicken (1 piece)Salt (1 tsp)cooking wine (2 tbsp)

Tools:glass container

Preparation

00:00:35

Put 15 washed fresh chestnuts into boiling water and blanch them
Remove and submerge in cold water
Peel off the outer skin and set aside

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Watch out

Blanched chestnuts should be plunged into cold water while hot before peeling, otherwise the inner skin will stick tightly to the flesh and be hard to clean.

Ingredients:chestnut (15 piece)

Tools:large potmesh strainersmall bowl

Active Cooking

00:00:52

Stuff the 15 peeled chestnuts into the chicken cavity
Brush 1 tbsp honey evenly over the chicken body to enrich texture and add gloss
Finally, wrap the whole chicken tightly in 2 lotus leaves and tie securely with twine

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Watch out

Lotus leaves must wrap the chicken completely and tightly be tied with string, otherwise the aroma will escape and the meat will dry out during baking.

Ingredients:chickenchestnuthoney (1 tbsp)Lotus Leaf (2 piece)

Tools:twinebrush

Preparation

00:01:16

Put 2500g of clean, sticky yellow clay into a large bowl
Gradually add 500ml water while kneading like dough
Ensure the clay is neither too thin nor too dry to maintain good adhesiveness
Spread and coat the kneaded yellow clay evenly over the lotus leaf-wrapped chicken to form a 1cm thick crust
To prevent hot air from escaping and causing the clay layer to fall off during baking, poke a few small holes in the clay surface with a wooden skewer

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Watch out

The moisture of the yellow clay must be moderate

too dry won't form a shape, too wet will slide off, and the coating thickness must be an even 1cm

Ingredients:yellow clay (2500 g)water (500 ml)

Tools:wooden skewermixing bowl

Active Cooking

00:01:51

warningStay safe

Oven temperature is extremely high, thick heat-insulating gloves must be worn when putting in and taking out the tray to avoid severe burns.

Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius
Place the clay-wrapped beggar's chicken on a baking tray and put it into the oven
Bake for 2 hours until the clay crust surface is completely dry and cracked

local_fire_department200 degrees, about 2 hours

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Watch out

Baking time must be a full 2 hours, otherwise the center of the chicken will not be fully cooked.

Tools:baking trayovenoven mitts

Active Cooking

00:02:11

After letting the roasted chicken cool slightly, use a hammer to break open the clay crust
Peel open the lotus leaves to reveal the ceremonial, tender, and juicy specialty roasted chicken

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Watch out

When tapping the clay shell, use moderate force, otherwise it is easy to accidentally smash the chicken meat inside.

Tools:hammer