Kitchen Recipe Collection
Hakka Salt Baked Chicken (Yen Guk Gai)
An ingenious ancient cooking method. A whole chicken wrapped in parchment and completely buried in a massive pot of scorching hot coarse salt. The salt locks in all moisture and flavor.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 60 min
- Total
- 80 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- medium
- Cuisine
- Chinese
Ingredients
Scaled for 4 servings
- 1 whole free-range chicken (about 1.2 kg), dried completely
- 3 kg coarse sea salt (rock salt)
- 1 tbsp sand ginger powder (Sha Jiang)
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp salt (for marinating)
- 3 slices fresh ginger
- 2 scallions
- 2 large sheets of parchment paper or lotus leaves
Equipment
- Large, deep cast-iron pot or wok (must be able to hold 3kg of salt)
Instructions
- 1
Prepare Spice Rub
Mix the sand ginger powder, white pepper, and 1 tsp of salt.
- 2
Marinate Chicken
Rub the spice mixture all over the inside and outside of the completely dry chicken. Stuff the cavity with fresh ginger and scallions.
- 3
Wrap the Chicken
Wrap the chicken tightly in one sheet of parchment paper, then wrap it again in a second sheet. Ensure there are absolutely no gaps where salt could enter.
- 4
Heat the Salt
Pour the 3kg of coarse salt into a large cast-iron pot or wok. Heat it over a stovetop on high heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the salt is scorching hot.
- 5
Create a Bed
Carefully scoop out half the hot salt into a metal bowl. Leave a thick layer of salt at the bottom of the pot.
- 6
Bury the Chicken
Place the wrapped chicken on the bed of hot salt.
- 7
Cover with Salt
Pour the reserved hot salt completely over the chicken, burying it entirely.
- 8
Bake
Cover the pot with a lid. Reduce heat to medium-low. Bake on the stovetop for 45-50 minutes.
- 9
Rest
Turn off the heat. Let the chicken sit buried in the salt for another 15 minutes.
- 10
Unearth
Carefully brush the salt away (it will still be incredibly hot). Lift out the parchment parcel.
- 11
Unwrap
Cut open the parchment. The chicken will be incredibly juicy, tender, and infused with the earthy aroma of sand ginger.
- 12
Serve
Tear the chicken by hand (rather than chopping) and serve with a dipping sauce of oil and sand ginger.
Cooking Tips
- Sand ginger (Kaempferia galanga) is completely different from normal ginger. It has a unique, earthy, almost medicinal aroma that defines this dish. Do not substitute it.
- The 3kg of salt can be cooled, stored in a bag, and reused dozens of times for this specific dish.
Variations
- Oven Method: If heating salt on the stove is too difficult, you can bury the chicken in salt in a roasting pan and bake it in a 400°F oven for 60-75 minutes.
Nutrition Estimate
450 calories · 42g protein · 0g carbs · 28g fat · 0g fiber per serving
