Recipe: Tea-Smoked Chicken

Tea-Smoked Chicken as it comes out of the oven.

Tea-Smoked Chicken is moist, flavorful and far cheaper than tea-smoked duck. And we proved you can make it in an average kitchen without setting off a fire alarm. Choose a fat, juicy bird so you’ll be well rewarded for your time and effort. Feeds 4-6.

Ingredients:
One whole chicken
1 T Kosher salt for rub
2 T dark brown sugar for rub

For marinade:
2 t finely grated ginger (1 inch knob, or a couple cubes of Trader Joe’s)
3 T fermented red bean curd (mix of curd and juice)*
1 T five spice seasoning
½ c xiaoshing cooking wine
2 T neutral oil

For smoking:
2 buds star anise
½ c uncooked rice
½ c brown sugar
¼ c tea leaves

Method: wipe down inside and outside of bird with paper towels and air-dry in refrigerator overnight. Rub skin surface with salt and brown sugar and dry cure 1 hour or a little more. Mix marinade ingredients in a large zip-seal bag; pour some into the cavity of the chicken then put the bird in the bag; seal and rotate to expose all surfaces to the liquid. Marinate in refrigerator 4 hours to overnight, turning several times to distribute marinade.

Line the bottom of a wok with aluminum foil, making sure the surface is covered with no gaps. Add smoking ingredients then a rack sufficient to hold the chicken. (We used an inverted expandable steamer basket.) Add the chicken and have ready several towels soaked in water. Cover and heat on medium high till smoke starts to seep out under the lid. Wrap the lid with the damp towels; when properly adjusted very little smoke should escape. Smoke for 45 minutes, then turn off heat and let cool to room temperature as you preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Transfer the chicken to a roasting pan and roast, breast side up, until the skin is a beautiful golden brown and the meat is cooked to 160 degrees internal temperature, 30-45 minutes depending on the size of the bird. Rest until cool enough to carve, then serve. Tea-smoked chicken pairs well with rice and Chinese vegetables but is also at home with Westernized sides.

This seems to be the most popular brand of fermented red bean curd.

*Fermented red bean curd is the stuff that gives char siu pork its distinctive red color. It has a salty umami flavor similar to miso or doubanjiang, but it’s worth the trouble to get the real thing which you can find in most Asian groceries. A plain fermented bean curd is also available; be sure you get the red kind.