Beggar chicken is a traditional dish. According to legend, this dish was first invented by a beggar. The earliest production method of beggar chicken is: after the chicken is eviscerated and washed, it is baked with mud and furnace ash. At present, the chef's operation procedure of cooking beggar chicken is more complicated and technically more difficult-he always has to go through nine processes, such as material selection, slaughter, pickling, seasoning, stuffing, seasoning, paste, baking and peeling.

Due to the complicated production process and relatively high technical requirements, the beggar chicken cooked by many chefs is unsatisfactory now. Here, the author will introduce some of his own experience and understanding to everyone.

First, material selection.

Beggars need to choose a fat "little hen" as the main ingredient, weighing about1500g. If the chicken is too big, the meat will get old; Too small, not fat. The traditional "beggar chicken" only uses "Sanhuang chicken". It is said that only this kind of chicken has the characteristics of extraordinary fragrance and tenderness after being baked.

Second, the slaughter of primary processing

1. After the live chickens are slaughtered, dry the chicken feathers with hot water. When combing, we should pay attention to two keys: first, combing should be carried out when the chicken is dead but not stiff, and combing will be unclean just after death; And if you die for a long time, it is easy to hurt your goose skin. Second, the water temperature should be appropriate, 70℃ is the best, too hot is easy to break the skin, too cold is not clean.

2. Immediately after plucking the chicken feathers, gut the chicken and take out its internal organs. The internal organs should be cut in the left armpit of the chicken. When the incision is about 3 cm long, put the middle finger and forefinger into the abdomen of the chicken from the incision and take out the internal organs, chicken gizzards, trachea and esophagus.

3. After cleaning the chicken viscera, rinse it with clear water from the opening until it is cleaned.

4. After the chicken is drained, chop off the chicken feet with a knife, take out the wing bones and leg bones in the middle, gently chop off the wing tips with the back of the knife, and draw a knife vertically on the inside of the chicken leg, which is convenient for pickling. Finally, the chicken neck bone should be broken with the back of the knife (but not broken) for dressing.

Third, curing.

First, put soy sauce, cooking wine, monosodium glutamate, refined salt, sugar, onion and shredded ginger into a pot to make flavor juice, and then put the washed chicken into the pot to marinate for about 25 minutes, turning it twice or three times. In addition, spices can also be added to the sauce (star anise and three-step star anise are ground into fine powder and added to the sauce).

Fourth, the filler material.

The so-called stuffing is to marinate and air-dry the chicken, and then fill the fried fresh ingredients into the chicken's stomach. The fillers used vary from place to place. Some only use shredded pork and shredded onion, and some use a variety of raw materials, such as sliced chicken gizzards, sliced chicken liver, shrimps, shredded pork, winter vegetables and shredded onion. Please note, however, that all ingredients must be stir-fried and seasoned before use. When stuffing, the raw materials should be stuffed into the chicken's stomach from the opening under the chicken's armpit, and the remaining flavor juice should also be poured in.

Fifth, burn incense

The perfuming process of beggar chicken is a link to keep the finished product smooth and oily. The materials used for perfuming are different. Some need to be mixed with spice powder and sesame oil and covered with chicken skin. Anyone perfumed with this spice powder does not need to add spices when pickling. Others chop green onions into minced meat, then mix them with lard and apply them to chicken skin.

Sixth, the package.

Bandaging is a very meticulous work. The method is: plastic surgery is carried out first, that is, the chicken head is pulled off and placed in front of the chicken breast (or the chicken head can be pulled under the armpit to block the opening), then the chicken leg is also pulled to the chest position to clamp the chicken head, and finally the chicken wings are pressed down to make it hug the chicken neck and the chicken leg. After the chicken shape is finished, you can start wrapping.

The traditional way of wrapping is three layers. The first layer is covered with pig oil (this is an important condition to keep the chicken oil moist and not paste when baking). The second layer is a tofu bag; The third layer is tightly wrapped with fresh lotus leaves (to increase the flavor of cooked vegetables).

Now the common way of wrapping is five floors. The first layer uses clean oil; The second layer is a lotus leaf scalded with boiling water; The third layer is non-toxic transparent paper (to prevent the leakage of marinade and grease); The fourth layer uses fresh lotus leaves; The fifth floor is made of zongye. After all the layers are wrapped, you can tie them.

The method of binding is: first, tie two crosses on the outside with hemp rope, and then wrap the chicken bag into an ellipse like a wool ball with hemp rope.

Seven, paste mud

Mud paste is the key technology to make beggar chicken. Because it requires not only uniform paste, but also appropriate paste (generally speaking, the thickness of paste is 2.5 ~ 3 cm), below, I will introduce a simple and effective paste method.

First, press the mud from the cooking jar (you can also choose the mud that you think is better) into powder, and at the same time, add the cooking wine foot liquid, and then add a proper amount of fine salt and water. Stir well, then mash. The purpose is to make the mud have better viscosity. Then you can paste the mud.

The method of pasting mud is: spread the mixed mud evenly on a wet cloth with a thickness of about 3 cm, then put the wrapped whole chicken in the middle, pick up the wet cloth and wrap it in the four corners, then spray some water on the surface of the wet cloth, pat it evenly by hand, and finally take off the wet cloth and wrap it in a newspaper.

Eight, baking

The traditional roasting method of beggar chicken is charcoal roasting. Is to burn the charcoal in the brazier red, take out a kang from the middle, put the chicken in the mud, and then cover it with the red-hot charcoal fire until the chicken is cooked. Now many places have changed to oven baking, but no matter which baking method is used, we must master the following essentials:

1. When baking, the firepower should be small and even, otherwise the paste will crack.

2. Turn it frequently, usually once every 15 minutes.

The length of barbecue time should depend on the tenderness of chicken. Roast the tender chicken for about 4 hours, and roast the old chicken for about 5 hours.

4. If the paste is found to be cracked during baking, it can be daubed with wet paste, otherwise it may leak oil or air, or even scorch the chicken.

Nine, peeling mud

After the chicken is cooked, take it out, first crack the paste and peel it off, then open the outer three layers of skin, put it on a big plate, tear off the lotus leaf in front of the guests, and finally divide it into pieces with a knife to enjoy.