Ingredients
750 g (about 1.6 lbs) young chicken, 100 g millet rice crust.
Seasonings
10 g ginger, 15 g tea leaves, 15 g scallions, 15 g sesame oil, 5 g salt, 25 g brown sugar, 25 g soy sauce, 20 g Shaoxing wine, 3 g Sichuan peppercorns.
Instructions
1. Cut 10 g scallion into sections, and finely mince the remaining 5 g scallion with Sichuan peppercorns and salt to make scallion-pepper salt, set aside.
2. Remove the feathers from a whole chicken, split it open along the backbone, remove the innards and crop, rinse clean, drain well, then evenly sprinkle scallion and Sichuan pepper salt all over the chicken and marinate for 20 minutes.
3. Spread the chicken open and place it skin-side down in a bowl, top with scallion sections and ginger slices, add soy sauce and cooking wine, then steam in a steamer until about 80% cooked; remove, discard the scallion and ginger; crumble the rice crust into a wok, sprinkle with tea leaves and brown sugar, set a steaming rack inside, place the chicken skin-side up on the rack, and cover the wok tightly with its lid.
4. First, smoke the tea over medium heat, then switch to high heat and smoke until thick smoke rises, then remove from heat; once the smoke clears, lift the lid, take out the chicken, and brush with sesame oil. Chop off the head, wing tips, and feet, cut the body into 5 cm by 3 cm (about 2 by 1.2 inch) pieces, lightly crush the bones and drumsticks and place them as a base, then arrange the chicken pieces on top to restore the original shape, with the head at the front and the feet on the sides. This dish features a smoky aroma infused with the fragrance of Guapian tea, with a golden and appealing color, tender meat, and a uniquely delightful flavor.