How to make air-dried chicken

Can you use just any kind of chicken to make air-dried chicken? Of course not. Although it is not impossible, it will destroy its texture and taste, and it will not make people like it as soon as they smell it. Therefore, when choosing materials, they are usually carefully selected. The preparation methods in each place are different and the tastes are also varied.

Shandong air-dried chicken recipe

It is made through four processes of pickling, braising, air-drying and smoking. The seasoning package consists of more than 20 kinds of spices, which blends into a unique flavor without suppressing the original taste of the chicken. Even if eaten cold, there is no fishy smell.

Material selection: Egg-laying chickens weighing about three pounds raised at home.

Initial treatment:

Use a blowtorch to burn off the hair on the surface of the slaughtered and cleaned white-striped chicken, making the chicken skin slightly yellow and tightened.

Sear the chicken to tighten the skin.

Pickling:

1. Add salt and Dahongpao peppercorns (500g of salt and 50g of peppercorns) into the pot, stir-fry until the aroma of the peppercorns comes out, then serve and let cool.

2. Rub a layer of pepper salt on the surface of the chicken and marinate it with salt.

3. Use a small knife to reach into the abdominal opening, and make a cut in the thick meat on both sides of the chest to facilitate the absorption of seasoning (be careful not to cut the chicken skin). Then use pliers to clamp the chicken hip bone from the abdominal opening to facilitate shaping. Stuff the chicken legs into the abdominal cavity, cross the two chicken wings and pin up the chicken head. Use a small knife to make a small opening on both sides of the chicken breast and the chicken thigh to facilitate the absorption of seasoning. Let it marinate for two hours. Use a knife and pliers to cut and split the thick parts of the meat to make it easier for flavoring. Let it sit and marinate for two hours. Lock the chicken head on a plate to prevent it from breaking during braising.

4. Wash the surface impurities with clean water and blanch it in a pot of cold water. When taking it out, face the opening downwards and drain out the impurities in the abdominal cavity.

Marinade:

Add two bags of spices, 12 kilograms of soy sauce, 1500 grams of sweet noodle sauce (scoop a small amount of broth into the pot after it is dissolved to avoid sticking to the bottom), and 1 kilogram of MSG to 80 kilograms of broth. Bring to a boil, then add 20 marinated chickens, a spice bag, 250 grams of high-proof liquor, stir well, press on the sieve, add weights, cook for two hours, then remove from the pot and let cool naturally. During the marinating process, insert a spoon into the bottom of the pot and stir in circles to ensure that the chicken is evenly colored. Cook for 2 hours until the chicken skin becomes slightly wrinkled.

Spice recipe:

200 grams of Sichuan pepper, 150 grams of star anise, 150 grams of fennel, 100 grams of galangal, 100 grams of white pepper, 100 grams of white cardamom, 100 grams of angelica, 80 grams of nutmeg, 80 grams of cinnamon, 60 grams of cardamom, 6 grams of bay leaves, 50 grams of magnolia, 50 grams of fragrant sand, 50 grams of galangal, 30 grams of tangerine peel, 30 grams of piper longum, 30 grams of cloves, 30 grams of amomum, 20 grams of lemongrass, 20 grams of betel nut slices, and 3 monk fruits. Put the above spices into a bag and marinate 20 chickens each time. It can be recycled twice.