This weekend begins the start of a 2-week long Chinese New Year celebration. It would be a wonderful time to be home in Guyana feasting, but, alas it is not to be so. I will, however, comfort myself by making a Chinese 5-spice-rubbed, hoisin-glazed roast chicken.
I’ve said this many times before – it is an enviable experience growing up and living in a multiethnic society. The exposure and access, the social and cultural practices and traditions, are all unrivaled; it is an education. I am so glad that I am Guyanese. If you’re going to be with family and friends over the 2-week period to join in the celebration and feasting, enjoy to the max!
The roast chicken recipe I am sharing with you is a little different because there is a combo flavouring, Chinese 5-spice powder; I think in Guyana we call it Chinese spice and it may be made with a few other ingredients. The other flavour ingredient is hoisin. Hoisin in a Chinese-style barbecue/dipping sauce. The earthy, smokiness of the spice rub and the sweet-salt complex caramelization from the sauce is palette-pleasing.
Roasting a whole chicken can be intimidating, so I am suggesting that you butterfly the chicken, that is remove the spine of the chicken so that the bird can be spread flat. The reason I am suggesting this is that it will make for easy seasoning, a shorter cook time, and, take some of the guess work of wondering if the chicken is done cooking. If you do not want to butterfly the chicken, use leg quarters for the recipe.
Here is the recipe.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
1 baking sheet lined with foil or 1 large roasting pan
INGREDIENTS
● 2 teaspoons Chinese 5-spice powder/Chinese spice
● 1¼ teaspoons fine table salt or to taste
● ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
● 1 (4 – 5 pound) whole chicken, butterflied
● ¼ cup Hoisin sauce
DIRECTIONS
1. Mix together the 5-spice powder, salt and black pepper; set aside.
2. Wash and pat dry the chicken. Insert your fingers under the skin of the breast to loosen the skin to make it easy to season the chicken. Your fingers should be able to glide under the skin around the thigh area as well.
3. Place the chicken skin-side down and sprinkle with seasoning then using your fingers massage it into the meat. Turn the chicken over and season under the skin of the breast and thighs. Rub the remaining seasoning all over the skin of the chicken – wings, breast, thighs and legs. Cover and let the chicken marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes. You can do this step the night before, refrigerating the chicken and bringing it up to room temperature before cooking.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
5. Gently pat the chicken with kitchen paper towels to remove any excess moisture and place it on the lined sheet – skin side up.
6. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the pan with chicken from the oven and drain off the drippings (reserve drippings for roasting potatoes, stir-frying veggies for fried rice or chowmein or using as stock etc.) Brush all over the top (skin-side) of the chicken with hoisin sauce. Return the pan with the chicken to the oven and cook for 20 minutes or until the juices run clear when you insert a knife in the thigh area by the breast.
7. Remove chicken from oven and cover loosely with foil. Let
rest for at least 30 minutes before cutting and serving.
Note
If you prefer, leave the chicken whole.
Cynthia
cynthia@tasteslikehome.org
