serves
4
prep
35 minutes
cook
25 minutes
difficulty
Ace
serves
4
people
preparation
35
minutes
cooking
25
minutes
difficulty
Ace
level
Ingredients
- 1 x 1.5 kg whole small chicken
- peanut or vegetable oil for deep-frying
- coriander sprigs, to serve
For the marinade
- 1 bunch coriander
- 2 small red onions
- 1 large knob ginger (about 10 cm long)
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp MSG (optional)
- ½ tsp sugar
- 2 tsp Chinese rice wine
- 1 mandarin segment, finely diced
For the maltose water
- 1 tbsp maltose
- 500 ml hot water
- 100 ml white vinegar
Drying time: 4-6 hours
Instructions
De-bone the chicken by making a lengthwise cut, separating the breast meat from the breast bone. Remove the entire rib section by separating the meat from the bone, taking care to leave the skin intact.
Remove the thigh bones, gradually easing the meat away from each thigh bone, then using a cleaver to chop through the bone leaving approximately 2-3 cm of bone remaining on the end of the leg. Leave chicken wings intact.
Laying the de-boned chicken flat, skin-side down, slice breast meat crosswise and spread flat.
Finely chop coriander, red onion and ginger then combine with salt, MSG (if using), sugar, rice wine and finely diced mandarin to make the marinade.
Spread the marinade evenly on the meat side of the chicken.
Thread a wooden skewer through the breast meat and attach to a piece of wire netting to stretch across the whole of the chicken. The chicken skin should be taut and wrapped around the outer edges of the wire netting.
Using a butchers or similar tool to hold the wire netting up. Ladle boiling water over the chicken skin for approximately two minutes.
To make the maltose water, combine the maltose, hot water and vinegar. Ladle this mixture over the chicken for two minutes. Hang to dry for 4-6 hours.
Cook in Peking duck oven for 15 minutes before deep frying the skin. To deep fry the skin side, hold the chicken still on the rack (using a butchers hook or similar tool) over a large wok of oil (no more than ⅓ full). Carefully ladle hot oil over the skin until the skin is crisp and golden in colour. Note that the oil should only be ladled on to the skin side of the chicken to ensure even cooking and avoid burning.
Remove chicken from rack, cut into pieces, garnish with coriander and serve.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
