Paper-Wrapped Salt Baked Herbal Chicken

 

Ingredients:

1/2 Chicken

2 tsp. Salt (or enough to rub all over the chicken)

1 tsp. Light soy sauce

1 tbsp. Shaoxing wine

1 tsp. Sesame oil

1/2 tsp. ground white pepper

1 tsp. Corn flour

Herbs:

6 Red dates (halved)

3 slices Angelica Sinensis (Dang Gui) - rehydrated (keep the water)

6 pieces Codonopsis Root (Dang Shen) - rehydrated (keep the water)

1 tbsp. Wolfberries

Methods:

1. Clean the chicken and pat dry with kitchen paper.  Rub the chicken thoroughly with salt, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, white pepper and corn flour.  Marinate overnight in the fridge for best flavour.  Take out the chicken from the fridge to let it return to room temperature before baking.
2. Prepare the chicken for baking: Get ready a baking dish, big enough to put the chicken inside.  Line the baking dish with 2 layers of baking paper.  Place the chicken into the dish, Spread the red dates, Dang Gui, Dang Shen, wolfberries, and a little of the reserved herbal soaking water.
3. Wrap the chicken tightly in baking paper.
4. Bake at 180 degree Celsius for 1 hour, or longer if the chicken is bigger.
5. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes before unwrapping and serving.

Ready for the oven!

This Simple Yet Yummylicious recipe is so tender, juicy and naturally flavorful.  I adapted this recipe from 'Miki's Food Archives' with a slight adjustment to suit my cooking preference.