Try this simpler salt-baked chicken recipe served with a dipping sauce. It's a delicious way to prepare a classic Chinese dish, resulting in the juiciest chicken cooked using salt.
Chinese salt baked chicken is a traditional dish in which a whole chicken is covered in salt before cooking. The salt helps seal the chicken's juices, making it tender and flavorful. It's a simple and delicious way to prepare chicken in Chinese cuisine. If you like Chinese food, try Hong Kong Style Sweet and Sour Chicken, too.
Ingredients: 9
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes
Resting time: 35 minutes
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Why should you make this salted chicken recipe?
Simpler: The cooking steps are simpler, and there’s no waiting time. This might not sound like a fast recipe, but it is compared to the time it takes to prepare Chinese salted chicken the traditional way.
Today's recipe uses more readily available ingredients, making it easier to find everything you need than recipes requiring specific Chinese ingredients.
Versatile: This flavorful chicken can be served with some side dishes or used in other recipes.
Ingredients
The pot: You will need a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot large enough to fit the chicken and the salt snuggly. It should not be oversized, either; the larger it is, the more salt you need. The pot I used has a diameter of 9 inches/23 cm (measured at the top) and is 4.5 inches/11.5 cm deep.
One medium chicken; the one I had weighed 3.3 lbs (1.5 kg). It’s essential to check that the chicken fits in the cooking pot and to consider the large amount of salt that must also fit in the pot.
Sea salt: I needed 4.5 lbs (2 kg) to cover the chicken completely. The size of your pot determines how much salt you need; make sure you have enough to cover the bird. The good news is that you can reuse the salt for regular cooking afterward.
Ginger: Ginger powder is used for the chicken, and fresh ginger is used for the dipping sauce.
Shaoxing wine is the only specialty ingredient you need for this recipe. However, you can replace it with brandy if it’s unavailable or you don’t feel like buying a bottle for just one recipe. Use more Shaoxing wine to make Fried Rice with Turkey.
Ingredient swap: For an authentic flavor, use sand ginger powder and Chinese rose wine. Otherwise, use regular ginger powder and Shaoxing wine (or even brandy); the flavor profile will be somewhat different, but you will still love every morsel of this delicious salted chicken.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make Chinese salt baked chicken?
Step #1: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once the water boils, carefully place the bird in the pot and blanch it for 4 minutes. Drain it, run it under cold water, and pat it dry with paper towels.
Step #2: In a small bowl, mix green onions with Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, ground ginger, and salt. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with this mixture.
Step #3: Truss the chicken; it’s enough to bind its legs together with kitchen twine.
Step #4: Place one piece of parchment paper on the working surface and wrap the chicken in the second piece.
Step #5: Place the wrapped bird onto the other piece of paper and fold the paper around it to form a parcel. Tie it with kitchen twine.
Step #6: Place the salt into a wok or large pan and heat it slowly for about 15 minutes, stirring regularly.
Step #7: Transfer about half of the salt to the cooking pot. Place the chicken on top and cover it completely with the remaining salt. Cover the pot tightly.
Step #8: Cook the salted chicken on medium heat for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and cook for another 40 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the chicken stand in the covered pot for another 30-35 minutes.
Step #9: While it rests, make the dipping sauce. Saute the green onions and ginger for 1 minute.
Step #10: Add the stock and salt, bring to a boil, then simmer for 2 minutes.
Carefully remove it from the pot, unwrap it, and carve it. Serve it with the dipping sauce.
Tips
If you have the time, you can leave the bird dry overnight in the refrigerator, just like the classic recipe for salt-baked chicken instructs you to do. Dry it well, rub it with soy sauce, and place it on a large plate. Refrigerate it uncovered. Remove it from the fridge 2 hours before cooking it. I tried both versions, but honestly, I could not spot the difference. Nobody could.
Check if the meat is cooked through. It should be, but just in case it isn’t, the only thing you can do is finish cooking it in the oven. The quickest and easiest way to do that is to cut it into pieces, place the pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake the salty chicken in the preheated oven (350°F/ 180°C) until the internal temperature reaches 165°C (74°C).
As the chicken is quite done already, this should not take more than 10 minutes or so, but make sure to check; there should be no traces of pink.
How to store and reheat?
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months and thaw them in the fridge.
Reheat in the oven or the microwave. However, you can also serve the leftovers in a sandwich or salad at room temperature.
What to serve with it?
I always serve it with steamed or boiled basmati or jasmine rice and green vegetables like bok choi or spinach (kale) when I can’t find Asian greens. Stir-fried vegetables like green beans or broccoli are also a great match.
You can use the leftover salt baked chicken to make sandwiches or other dishes like soup, enchiladas, salad, and so on. Try this Caesar Salad Sandwich, make Chicken Salad with Cranberries, or Chicken Chipotle Enchiladas.
More chicken dishes
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📖 Recipe
Salt Baked Chicken
Equipment
- Large enameled Dutch oven or another heavy-bottomed pot, Note 1
- Kitchen twine
Ingredients
Salted chicken:
- 1 medium chicken about 3.3 lbs/ 1.5 kg
- 4.5 lbs fine sea salt 2 kg, Note 2
Filling:
- 1 green onion finely sliced
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger Note 3
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons Shaoxing wine Note 3
Dipping sauce:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 green onion very finely sliced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger minced
- ⅓ cup chicken stock 75 ml
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Blanch the chicken: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once the water boils, carefully place the chicken into the pot and blanch it for 4 minutes. Drain the water and rinse the chicken in cold water. Pat it dry with kitchen towels; it should be as dry as possible.1 medium chicken
- Filling: Mix the finely chopped green onions with Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, ground ginger, and salt. Use this mixture to stuff the chicken’s cavity1 green onion + 1 teaspoon ground ginger + 1 tablespoon soy sauce +3 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- Truss the chicken; it’s enough to bind its legs with kitchen twine.
- Wrap the chicken: Cut two large pieces of parchment paper and lay one flat on the working surface. Wrap the chicken with the second piece of parchment paper, then place the wrapped chicken on the first piece of paper, with the folded side down. Fold the loose parchment paper over the chicken and tie it like a parcel using kitchen twine.
- Heat salt: Place the salt in the pot and heat it slowly for about 15 minutes, stirring regularly. Remove about half of the salt from the pot. Set the chicken on top of the remaining salt, then cover it with the salt you just removed. Secure the pot with a tight-fitting lid.4.5 lbs fine sea salt / 2 kg
- Cook the chicken on medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Then, reduce the heat to low and cook for an additional 40 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the chicken rest in the covered pot for another 30-35 minutes.
Dipping sauce:
- Make the sauce while the chicken rests.
- Sauce: Heat the oil and saute the finely chopped green onion and minced ginger for 1 minute. Add chicken stock and salt, bring to a boil, then simmer for 2 minutes.1 tablespoon vegetable oil + 1 + 1 teaspoon fresh ginger + ⅓ cup chicken stock/ 75 ml + ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Serve: Carefully remove the chicken from the pot, unwrap it, and carve it (legs, breasts, and wings). You can also remove the bones and arrange the meat on a platter. Serve the chicken with the dipping sauce.
Notes
- The pot I used has a diameter of 9 inches/23 cm (measured at the top) and is 4.5 inches/11.5 cm deep.
- Salt: The amount you need depends on the size of your pot; it should be enough to cover the chicken. After cooking this recipe, you can reuse the salt for regular cooking.
- Ingredient swap: Sand ginger powder and Chinese rose wine are used for an authentic flavor. However, as these ingredients are not universally available, you can use ground ginger and Shaoxing wine (or even brandy) instead. The flavor profile will be somewhat different but still be delicious.
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