Yan Ju Ji (Chinese Salt-Baked Chicken)

About This Recipe

Yan ju ji, or salt-baked chicken, is a Hakka Chinese specialty where a whole chicken is wrapped and buried in a large amount of heated coarse salt, then baked until the salt's dry, even heat cooks the chicken gently and thoroughly, resulting in remarkably moist, tender meat and delicately seasoned skin. The technique relies on salt's ability to conduct and retain heat evenly, cooking the chicken almost like a natural oven within an oven. The technique that defines this dish is preparing the salt bed properly: coarse rock salt is heated in a large pot or wok until very hot, and the chicken -- often rubbed with ginger and scallion inside the cavity and wrapped in parchment or cheesecloth -- is buried in the hot salt and baked, sometimes with the salt reheated partway through to maintain consistent temperature. Because the chicken cooks gently and evenly surrounded by salt, the meat stays exceptionally juicy, distinct from the drier result of conventional dry-roasting. Served with a ginger-scallion oil for dipping, torn or chopped into pieces, yan ju ji is a Hakka banquet classic, prized for its uniquely tender texture achieved entirely through the salt-baking method rather than any elaborate sauce or marinade.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1.5 kgwhole chicken
• 1 tspsalt(for rubbing chicken)
• 1 tbspshaoxing wine
• 6 slicesfresh ginger
• 3 stalksscallions(whole)
• 3 kgcoarse rock salt
• 3 tbspgrated ginger(for dipping sauce)
• 3 tbspminced scallion(for dipping sauce)
• 0.33 cupneutral oil(heated, for dipping sauce)
• 0.5 tspsalt(for dipping sauce)

Instructions

1. 1

   Prep the chicken

   Rub chicken inside and out with salt and shaoxing wine. Stuff the cavity with ginger slices and whole scallions.

2. 2

   Wrap

   Wrap the chicken tightly in parchment paper or cheesecloth.

3. 3

   Heat the salt

   Heat rock salt in a large, heavy pot or wok over medium-high heat, stirring, until very hot, about 15 minutes.

4. 4

   Bury the chicken

   Remove about a third of the hot salt to a separate bowl. Nestle the wrapped chicken into the remaining salt in the pot, then cover completely with the reserved hot salt.

5. 5

   Bake

   Cover the pot and cook over low heat for 60-75 minutes, checking occasionally and reheating the salt if it cools significantly.

6. 6

   Make the dipping sauce

   Combine grated ginger, minced scallion, and salt in a heatproof bowl. Pour hot oil over and stir to combine.

7. 7

   Unwrap and serve

   Carefully remove the chicken from the salt, unwrap, and check that it's fully cooked through (74C/165F in the thigh). Chop or tear into pieces and serve with the ginger-scallion oil.

Variations

• •

  Add a few star anise or Sichuan peppercorns to the cavity along with the ginger and scallion for extra fragrance.

• •

  Use a whole duck instead of chicken for a traditional Hakka variation.

• •

  Serve with a simple soy-based dipping sauce if a milder flavor than the ginger-scallion oil is preferred.

Storage

Refrigerate leftover chicken up to 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat gently in a covered dish in a low oven to keep it from drying out.

Frequently Asked Questions