Kitchen Recipe Collection
Beggar's Chicken (Jiao Hua Ji)
A dramatic traditional dish where a whole stuffed chicken is wrapped in lotus leaves and baked inside a shell of clay. Cracking the clay reveals incredible aromas and tender meat.
- Prep
- 60 min
- Cook
- 120 min
- Total
- 180 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- hard
- Cuisine
- Chinese
Ingredients
Scaled for 4 servings
- 1 whole chicken (1.5 kg)
- 2 large dried lotus leaves, rehydrated
- 1/2 cup dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated and chopped
- 1/2 cup bamboo shoots, diced
- 100g pork belly, diced
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp five-spice powder
- 4 cups non-toxic potter's clay or a thick salt dough (4 cups flour + 2 cups coarse salt + water)
Equipment
- Oven
- Parchment paper
- Hammer (for serving)
Instructions
- 1
Marinate Chicken
Rub the chicken inside and out with soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, salt, and five-spice powder. Let sit for 30 minutes.
- 2
Prepare Filling
In a wok, stir-fry the diced pork belly, mushrooms, and bamboo shoots with a splash of soy sauce until cooked.
- 3
Stuff Chicken
Stuff the hot mixture tightly into the cavity of the chicken. Close the cavity with a skewer or by tying the legs.
- 4
Wrap in Lotus Leaves
Wrap the entire chicken tightly in the rehydrated lotus leaves. Tie securely with kitchen twine.
- 5
Wrap in Parchment
Wrap the lotus-leaf bundle in a layer of parchment paper (or foil) to protect it from the clay.
- 6
Prepare Clay/Dough
If you don't have food-safe clay, mix the flour, coarse salt, and water to create a very stiff, thick dough.
- 7
Encase Chicken
Encase the entire wrapped chicken in the clay or salt dough, ensuring there are absolutely no holes or cracks. Smooth the outside.
- 8
Preheat Oven
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- 9
Bake
Bake the clay-wrapped chicken on a baking sheet for 2 hours. The clay/dough will harden into a rock-solid shell, trapping all moisture and steam inside.
- 10
Rest
Remove from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes.
- 11
Crack the Shell
Present it at the table. Use a small hammer (or the back of a heavy cleaver) to crack open the hard clay shell.
- 12
Serve
Peel away the clay and unwrap the lotus leaves. The chicken will be incredibly tender and aromatic, practically falling off the bone.
Cooking Tips
- The legend says a beggar stole a chicken, wrapped it in mud to hide it in a fire, and discovered the mud trapped all the juices, creating a masterpiece.
- Using salt dough instead of actual clay is the standard modern home-cooking method and works perfectly to seal in the steam.
Variations
- Foil Method: For an easy modern shortcut, wrap the chicken in 4 layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil instead of clay/dough, though it lacks the dramatic presentation.
Nutrition Estimate
550 calories · 45g protein · 10g carbs · 35g fat · 2g fiber per serving
