Chinese Roast Chicken Buns With Scallions And Spicy Hoisin Sauce Recipe Cook The Book

Steps:

• Heat the peanut oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the star anise and peppercorns; cook, stirring, until toasted, about 10 seconds. Add the cilantro, scallions and garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add the soy sauce mixture and simmer over medium heat until slightly reduced, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool, then add the chicken and toss. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours.
• Transfer the chicken to a rack set in a roasting pan (reserve the marinade). Refrigerate the chicken, uncovered, about 3 hours to dry out the skin.
• Position a rack in the upper third of the oven; preheat to 400 degrees F. Pour 1/4 inch of water and the reserved marinade into the roasting pan. Roast the chicken 20 minutes. Baste with the pan juices, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue roasting until the skin is glazed and a thermometer inserted into a breast registers 160 degrees F, 20 to 25 more minutes. Transfer the chicken (on the rack) to a board. Pour the pan juices into a skillet; simmer over medium-high heat until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Drizzle over the chicken.
• Whisk the soy sauce, rice wine, hoisin sauce and honey in a bowl; set aside.

Steps:

• Put most of the sliced ginger into a large roasting tin, then sit the chicken on top. Stuff the chicken with remaining ginger, the green ends from one bunch of onions, half of the garlic and a lemon half. Mix the five-spice, 2 tsp oil and seasoning, then rub all over the chicken. Nestle the other half of the garlic nearby, and drizzle all with 1 tsp oil. Loosely re-tie the legs. Set aside at room temperature for half an hour or so.
• Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Roast the chicken for 1 hr. Toss the lemon wedges and the spring onion ends into the pan juices, then roast for 30 mins more or until the meat is cooked at the thickest part of the thigh and the lemon wedges are sticky. Lift the chicken from the pan and set aside, uncovered, to rest.
• Spoon away any excess fat from the pan, then put the pan onto a medium heat and bring to a simmer. Add 1 tsp sugar, the soy, hoisin, juice from the remaining half lemon and any resting juices. Simmer for a few mins until it thickens slightly, then check the seasoning and add more sugar if needed - don't add any extra salt as the soy and hoisin will add plenty. Serve with the chicken, rice and vegetables.