San Hua Kao Ji Three Flower Roast Chicken Recipes

SAN HUA KAO JI, THREE-FLOWER ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Marinate the chicken: Combine all marinade ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse into a coarse paste. Wash chicken and pat dry, then prick the thick part of the breast, legs and thighs with a sharp fork. Rub cavity and skin with paste; put chicken in a resealable bag and let rest about 10 hours or overnight.
• Poach the chicken: Combine all the poaching seasonings with 3 quarts water and bring to a boil in a 5-quart heavy pot. Add chicken, breast side down, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook, covered, 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let chicken stand, covered, for 30 minutes. Turn chicken over, cover it again and let stand another 15 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and let it drain. Allow to cool slightly.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Steep tea leaves in hot, but not boiling water (about 180 degrees) about 3 minutes. Drain, reserving wet leaves. Stuff chicken with half the leaves and the remaining ingredients. Coat chicken with remaining leaves. Discard tea.
• Loosely wrap chicken with a large piece of foil and set it on a baking sheet. Poke 4 to 5 small holes in foil to allow steam to escape and liquid to drain.
• Bake chicken 30 minutes on the middle rack, then remove from oven, discard foil and drain any liquid. Return chicken to baking pan, breast side up, and bake until dark brown, 45 minutes to an hour. Cool slightly, then gently pull chicken meat in coarse strips. Discard skin, bones and stuffing. Serve chicken warm or cool with some of tea leaves.

THREE CUP CHICKEN (SAN BEI JI)

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the ginger, garlic, scallions, and chilies, if using, and cook until just fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add the chicken pieces and lightly brown, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the rice wine, soy sauce and sugar and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
• Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, until the chicken pieces are cooked through and the sauce has reduced to a thick, slightly syrupy consistency, about 15 minutes. If the sauce is not thick enough, continue cooking uncovered, stirring occasionally, until it has reduced to your desired consistency.
• Stir in the basil and remove from heat. Serve immediately with the rice.