When growing up in San Francisco there was not a more festive holiday than Chinese New Year. The sidewalks of Market Street would be lined with thousands of people on a usual cold, damp and foggy evening in February to watch the colorful and loud parade. And then there was the star of the parade. The flowing dragon who was both lead and followed by dancers tossing firecrackers to ward off any evil spells. Now, as an adult and away from San Francisco, I still like to celebrate Chinese New Year with the difference being, I do it with food!
This entree style dish was created by Chef Larry Edwards after a eating holiday in Shanghai. He took the tastes of this Asian wonderland, created a glaze to brush on a split chicken and then roasted it to perfection. The final result is one of the tastiest Asian chicken dishes you will ever wrap your lips around.
The process of splitting a chicken is quite easy. Take your whole chicken and remove the entire length of the back bone (very easy to do with a pair of kitchen shears). Then take a paring knife (the small size makes it easier to use) and separate the chicken ribs from the chicken. Once separated, use the kitchen shears to cut them right out. Then simply use a sharp knife to separate the two breast halves from the bone (discard the breast bone or save it for stock) and you have a split chicken. Okay, now you're set to prepare Shanghai Split Chicken!
Ingredients needed for Shanghai Split Chicken (serves 2 as an entree)
- 1 whole chicken, split
- 1 Tbs. hoisin sauce
- 2 Tbs. oyster sauce
- 1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
- 2 Tbs. sherry
- 1 tsp. Chinese 5-spice powder
Steps:
- Pre-heat oven to 375.
- In a medium bowl whisk together all ingredients, except the chicken, until smooth.
- Lay the split chicken out on a baking sheet and brush liberally with the glaze.
- Place in oven and roast 45 minutes, basting with the glaze about every 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the chicken cool slightly before cutting into serving pieces.
The new cookbook from Chef Larry Edwards is now available from Amazon.com and bookstores worldwide. One of the most anticipated cookbooks of the year, "Edwardian Cooking: Inspired by Downton Abbey's Elegant Meals."
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