{"id":8186,"date":"2015-10-10T08:00:42","date_gmt":"2015-10-10T12:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/omnivorescookbook.com\/?p=8186"},"modified":"2022-10-25T14:22:21","modified_gmt":"2022-10-25T18:22:21","slug":"cantonese-roast-chicken","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/omnivorescookbook.com\/cantonese-roast-chicken\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Cantonese Roast Chicken (\u5e7f\u5f0f\u70e7\u9e21)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"This<\/p>\n

This Cantonese roast chicken tastes even better than one at a good restaurant. The skin is truly crispy and the meat so moist and tender. Want to to cook a perfect Asian style chicken in the oven? Look no further!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I love Cantonese style BBQ and one of my favorites is the roast chicken. I\u2019ve been doing research on this dish and have conducted quite a few experiments in my kitchen. Luckily, I didn\u2019t have to take too many detours to develop a recipe I\u2019m really proud of. I know, calling it \u201cthe best\u201d sounds a bit cheesy. But after we devoured half the chicken the day it was cooked, Thomas insisted that I use the word \u201cperfect\u201d in the recipe title.<\/p>\n

Our theory is, if we can\u2019t make our roast chicken taste better than a Costco rotisserie chicken<\/a>, it\u2019s not worth doing. The result exceeded our expectations, well beyond the Costco standard.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m confident to say, this recipe is definitely worth your time and effort.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a quick look at how this recipe works.<\/p>\n

The key: The chicken is brined in a soy sauce based mixture for 36 hours. It is then air dried for half a day, until the liquid in the skin is completed removed. The chicken will be roasted at 400 F (200 C) – a temperature that is slightly higher than one you\u2019d typically see for roasting chicken in the oven. The high temperature will not only brown the chicken, but also render the fat completely to create a super crispy skin while the meat is still very moist and tender.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"This<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll explain a bit more about each step, with a few things to note:<\/p>\n

(1) The very flavorful marinade lays a good foundation<\/strong>. It contains tons of fresh herbs to infuse the best flavor into the chicken. You\u2019ll want to devour the whole thing when it\u2019s done, even without a dipping sauce.<\/p>\n

(2) You have to marinate the chicken long enough, for at least 24 hours<\/strong>. I recommend 36 hours, if possible. During my experimentation, I tried marinating the chicken overnight, for 24 hours, and for a day and a half. I found that 24 hours\u2019 marinating time will create a flavorful chicken, but that when eating certain parts (such as the thickest part of the breast), the marinade only went half way through, leaving a layer of meat a bit plain. The 36-hour timeframe will get the whole bird seasoned evenly and thoroughly.<\/p>\n

(3) Then you need to let the chicken dry completely<\/strong>. This is a technique commonly used for all sorts of Cantonese barbecue. No matter whether roasting a duck, pig, or goose. This process helps to create a shiny and crispy skin, without using baking powder or any other food additive.<\/p>\n

Do not be afraid to leave the chicken at room temperature for a few hours. It will be preserved by the salt from the marinade and won\u2019t spoil quickly. I find it helpful to leave the bird in front of an air conditioner vent. The airflow will help dry the bird faster.<\/p>\n

Some recipes suggest you dry the chicken in the fridge. I personally don\u2019t like this method, since it takes more time (overnight or even longer). Plus, you\u2019d need to let the bird to return to room temperature before baking, so it adds an extra day to the cooking process.<\/p>\n

(4) Let the chicken roast all the way through without flipping<\/strong>, unless you have a rotisserie oven (I don\u2019t). I tried flipping the chicken in my experiments, but this turned out to just be a good way to rip its skin apart. It will NOT create a crispy skin on the underside of the chicken.<\/p>\n

I admit that the back part of the chicken skin looks pretty unimpressive if you never flip it, but as long as you tie the chicken legs together (doing this \u201clifts\u201d both sides of the chicken), it will only leave a very narrow part that touches the baking rack. In short, 90% of the chicken skin is perfectly roasted, with just a small compromise. You can save the unimpressive part if you cannot finish the whole bird the day it\u2019s cooked. By the way, I will teach you how to create crispy chicken (as good as fried) using the leftovers, in a coming post.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/p>\n

(5) Wrap the wing tips and the ends of the legs with aluminium foil before baking<\/strong>. These parts cook and brown very fast. I found it helpful to spray some oil onto the foil before wrapping, so the foil will come off easily after baking, without tearing the skin away.<\/p>\n

(6) Turn on your ventilation fan from the beginning of baking<\/strong>. Your house will smell like chicken for the next two days if you turn on the fan too late.<\/p>\n

(7) Keep an eye on the chicken during the cooking and cover the browned part with aluminum foil<\/strong>. Again, because I don\u2019t have a fancy rotisserie oven, some parts of the chicken were definitely cooked faster. Make sure to check the chicken every 10 to 20 minutes. If you find certain parts are already dark brown, cover them with small pieces of foil. It will prevent these parts from burning and won\u2019t interfere with the browning of the rest of the chicken. Wear a pair of oven mitts when you do this.<\/p>\n

I usually end up covering, at some point: the chicken butt, wings, legs, and where the neck would be.<\/p>\n

(8) Do not overcook!<\/strong> Use a thermometer to check on the chicken every 10 minutes toward the end of the cooking. Stop baking immediately when the thickest part of the leg reads 165 F (74C).<\/p>\n

That\u2019s it. Although the chicken is baked at a slightly higher temperature, because the brining process locks the moisture inside, the chicken will turn out very very tender and juicy (as tender as a Costco rotisserie chicken!). Plus, because of the air-drying process, it creates the type of uber-crispy skin that you can only get at a restaurant. Basically, it\u2019s a perfectly roasted chicken.<\/p>\n

\"20<\/a>
Need some side dishes to go with the chicken? Check out my 20 Asian side dishes recipes!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cooking a whole bird takes some time and effort. But if you plan the process carefully, you\u2019ll find the active cooking time is far less than you might have imagined. And, if you follow my recipe closely, you won\u2019t make a mess in your kitchen at all.<\/p>\n

If you are very busy during the week, I suggest the schedule below:<\/p>\n