Salt-baked chicken
This oven adaptation of Hakka salt-baked chicken uses a covered pot and a sand-ginger rub. Sand ginger supplies a distinctive aroma that ordinary ginger cannot duplicate.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 30 min
- Rest / wait
- 4 hr 30 min
- Total
- 6 hr 15 min
- Makes
- Serves 6
Your new skill: Checking a whole bird and retaining moisture in a covered roast
For a little background, read Can a menu word tell you how food was cooked?.
Your ingredients
Get ready: Lidded ovenproof pot or covered deep roasting tin, food thermometer and carving board.
- 1 whole chicken, about 1.5 kg
- 1 tbsp fine salt
- 1 tbsp sand ginger powder
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- ¼ tsp turmeric, optional for colour
- 2 tbsp neutral cooking oil
- 3 spring onions, in sections
- 8 fresh ginger slices
- Dip: 1 spring onion, finely chopped
- Dip: 1 tsp fresh ginger paste
- Dip: 2–3 tbsp cooked chicken juices
Let’s make it
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Season and chill
Pat the chicken dry with kitchen paper; do not wash raw poultry. Mix salt, sand ginger, white pepper, optional turmeric and oil. Rub over the chicken and inside its cavity. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
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Use a covered pot
Heat the oven to 200°C, or 180°C fan. Put spring onions and ginger inside the chicken. Place in a lidded ovenproof pot, or a deep roasting tin tightly covered with foil. Cook for about 60–90 minutes, depending on the bird and oven.
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Check before resting
Check the thickest breast and thigh, away from bone, reach 75°C for 30 seconds. Continue cooking if necessary. Rest covered for about 30 minutes. Do not rely on resting time to finish an undercooked bird.
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Make the dip
Mix chopped spring onion and ginger paste with a few tablespoons of the fully cooked hot chicken juices. Carve with help if needed and serve alongside. Keeping the lid on helps retain moisture.
What to try next
Try Blanched lettuce with oyster sauce or Cantonese clay-pot rice for your next kitchen project.
Keeping it: Cool leftovers and refrigerate within 2 hours. Eat within 48 hours, reheating only once until steaming hot throughout.
