Tea Smoked Chicken
Edward Bottone is a food and lifestyle journalist, a former chef and restaurateur, TV and radio presenter, and culinary educator.
`Tea-smoked chicken is a popular dish that is part of traditional Chinese cuisine, specifically the Sichuan cuisine.
Ingredients
- 15 ml (1 tablespoon) Sichuan peppercorns
- 12 ml (2 1/2 teaspoons) coarse salt
- 1.4-1.6 Kg (3- to 3 1/2-pound) chicken
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) loose Lapsang souchong tea or tea removed from 11 tea bags
- 30 ml (2 tablespoons) packed dark brown sugar
- Sesame oil for brushing chicken
Preparation
- In a dry, small, heavy skillet toast peppercorns over moderate heat, shaking skillet, 5 minutes. Cool peppercorns and with a mortar and pestle or in an electric coffee/spice grinder coarsely grind. In a small bowl stir together peppercorns and salt.
2. Pat chicken dry and rub inside and out with peppercorn mixture. Transfer chicken, breast side up, to a steamer and steam over boiling water, covered, 25 minutes, or until chicken is just cooked through. While chicken is steaming, line bottom and lid of a wok with heavy-duty foil. In wok stir together loose tea and brown sugar until combined well.
3. Arrange a metal rack about 5 cm (2 inches) above tea mixture and transfer chicken, breast side up, to rack in wok. Heat wok, covered, over moderately high heat until wisps of smoke begin to appear, 2 to 3 minutes, and smoke chicken, covered, 6 minutes. Turn chicken over and smoke, covered, 6 minutes more.
4. Remove wok from heat, and let chicken stand, covered, 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and brush lightly with oil.
Tea in Cooking
Edward Bottone
Edward Bottone is a food and lifestyle journalist based in Philadelphia, whose works have appeared in Philadelphia Magazine, The Bermudian, London Times Express, Islands Magazine, and the online magazine Table Matters where he was also Editor. He has also published academic papers on Tourism and Taste.
He is a former chef and restaurateur with establishments in Philadelphia and Bermuda, a TV and Radio presenter, and Assistant Professor teaching a range of courses, including Gastronomy and Culture, at Drexel University and Delaware Valley University. Reach him at curiouscook77@gmail.com
Courtesy photo
