A Favorite Recipe - Cantonese Crispy Skin Roast Chicken

If you came to our home for dinner, depending on the time of year, we would go to the back yard garden and choose from a variety of greens and vegetables. This year, we got an early start (March 15), by using hoop houses in our garden. Nate Sumner from Heritage Prairie Farm taught us how to assemble these simple unheated greenhouses using 10’ tubing, plastic, and clamps to jump-start the growing season. During the winter we head down to the root cellar in our basement and chose from last season’s preserves and canning; Green Acre’s San Marzano tomatoes, homemade sauerkraut, or applesauce made from Klug Farms Honeycrisp apples. One of our favorite meals, Cantonese Crispy Skin Roast Chicken, is best with a fresh whole chicken from the Asian market on Argyle Street.  The Buddhist chickens sold at Hoa Nam Market are full flavored and come with head and feet intact.  The point is this; if you came to our home for dinner we always cook with as many seasonal, fresh, and homemade ingredients as possible.

Our goal is to make the Big Bowl kitchens an extension of what we do at home. We continue to search for local, family farms and producers who share our mantra; Local, Natural, Sustainable, Organic, and Eco-friendly. Last month, we attended the Family Farmed Expo in Chicago where we met real people who are growing and caring for their animals, fields, and families.  Attended by over 4500 people, 150 exhibitors and 170 speakers, it gave us an opportunity to meet new farm families and speak about our connections to family farming at Big Bowl. We continue to be inspired by people, like us, who make it possible to bring the finest, most nutritious and responsibly raised food to your table.

Enjoy this recipe, a family favorite for Sunday dinner in our home.

Cantonese Crispy Skin Roast Chicken

1 Whole Fresh Chicken, 4 lbs., head and feet removed (reserve for chicken stock)

1-Teaspoon Dark Soy Sauce

½ Teaspoon Sesame Oil

2 Tablespoons Seasoned Salt (recipe follows)

3 Slices Fresh Ginger

2 Scallions

Rinse and dry the chicken.  Rub the chicken with the dark soy and sesame oil.  Season the chicken with the seasoned salt; inside the cavity too.  Place the ginger slices and scallion in the cavity.  Allow the chicken to rest before cooking.  Place the chicken into a roasting pan, breast side down, into a 500-degree oven.  After 10 minutes, turn the chicken over and lower the temperature to 375 for an additional 40 minutes.  The legs should move freely and the juices run clear from the thigh when the chicken is done.  Remove from the oven and rest 10 minutes before carving.  To serve, cut the chicken at the joints and remove the breast from the bone.  In a spice grinder, grind 2 tablespoons of the seasoned salt and mix with 2 teaspoons of sugar. Pass the seasoned salt/sugar mix to accompany the roasted chicken.

Seasoned Salt For Roast Chicken

1 Cups Kosher Salt

1-3” Piece of Cassia Bark (Chinese cinnamon)

2 Pieces Whole Star Anise

1 Tablespoon Sichuan Peppercorn

Place all ingredients in wok over high heat and roast until salt is browned and fragrant.  Allow salt to cool before using.