Tea and Cassia Bark-smoked Chicken with Hunan Red Onion Pickle Garnish & Ma-La Cucumber Fans
All sorts of exotic spices combine in the marinade and the smoking mixture, resulting in a golden-brown chicken with smoky-spicy taste. The chicken is rubbed with sesame oil, then cut into serving pieces with a cleaver. The chef suggests letting the chicken marinate in spices for 24 hours at room temperature. For most of us, concerned with salmonella, it is a good thing she gives an alternative – 24 hours in the refrigerator. The home-dried orange peel is easy: just peel fresh oranges in long, wide strips (be sure to leave the bitter inner pith behind), then lay them on the countertop until they curl.
Ingredients
- Whole Chicken - 3-1/2- to 4-pound, cleaned
- Kosher salt - 2-1/2 tablespoons
- Szechuan brown peppercorns - 1 tablespoon
- Fresh Ginger - 1/2 teaspoon, finely minced
- Hunan Red Onion Pickles
- Red Onions - 12 pound, very firm
- Japanese rice vinegar - 6-1/2 tablespoons, unseasoned
- Sugar - 3 to 3-1/2 tablespoons
- Dried Red Chili Flakes - 1/8 teaspoon
- Szechuan brown peppercorns - 1/8 teaspoon
- Garlic Cloves - 2 to 3 large, slightly smashed, then peeled
- To Finish
- Fresh Orange Peel - 2 teaspoons, finely minced
- Whole Scallions - 2 medium, cut into 3-inch lengths
- Fresh Ginger - 4 quarter-size slices
- Dry lichee black tea leaves - 1/4 cup
- Brown Sugar - 1/3 cup, packed
- Raw Rice - 1/3 cup
- Szechuan brown peppercorns - 1 tablespoon
- Star Anise - 3 whole
- Cassia Bark - 1/8 cup, crumbled
- Home-dried Orange Peel - 5 to 7 finger lengths
- Chinese or Japanese sesame oil - 1-1/2 teaspoons
Instructions
To prepare the chicken: Flush the chicken with cold water inside and out. Pat dry. Heat the salt and peppercorns in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the salt turns off-white and the peppercorns become very fragrant, about 3 minutes. Grind the hot mixture to a powder in a processor or mortar, then sieve to remove the peppercorn husks. Rub the pepper-salt, ginger, and orange peel over the outside and inside of the chicken. Put the chicken, breast-side up, in a heatproof pie pan. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 24 hours at room temperature, or up to 48 hours in the refrigerator.
To prepare the pickles: Remove the tips and peel of the onions, Cut evenly into rings 3/8 inch thick. Separate the rings, removing any loose inner membranes. Combine the vinegar, 3 tablespoons of sugar, chili, peppercorns, and garlic in a heavy, non-aluminum saucepan. Stir over medium heat to dissolve the sugar, then simmer 3 minutes. Taste and adjust if needed with the remaining sugar to balance sweet, tart, and spicy flavors. Add the onion rings, then toss until the onion wilts and the liquid simmers, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape the mixture onto a shallow bowl and refrigerate. Before serving, remove any remaining loose membranes and the peppercorns.
To finish the chicken: Drain the marinating juices. Smash the scallion pieces and ginger coins to release the juices, then arrange over the chicken and in the cavity. Place the pie pan on a rack inside a baking pan. Fill the pan to just below the rack with hot water. Cover the chicken with aluminum foil, crimping it around the edge of the pan. Poke a few holes for steam to escape. Place over medium-high heat. When the water boils, reduce the heat to medium and steam the chicken for 30 minutes. Let rest in the steamer for another 5 minutes before removing the foil. Drain the steaming juices and water. Remove the scallion and ginger.
Line an old wok and lid with super-heavy foil. Combine the tea, sugar, rice, peppercorns, star anise, cassia bark, and dried orange peel and scatter in the bottom of the wok. Place the chicken breast-side up on an oiled rack in the wok, set above the spices. Turn the heat to high, wait until the smoke sends up several thick plumes, then cover the wok and crimp the foil shut to contain the smoke. Some over medium-high heat for 12 minutes, then turn off the heat and let the chicken rest in the sealed wok for 7 minutes. Remove the bird, brush with sesame oil, then chop into pieces with a thick-bladed cleaver designed to cut through bones.
To serve: Fan chicken pieces on each serving plate. Garnish with Hunan Red Onion Pickles. Pass Ma-La Cucumber Fans as a side dish.
