Red cooked tangerine chicken

4 Servings

Ingredients

QuantityIngredient
poundsFrying chicken (or chicken parts)
1largePiece dried orange or tangerine peel
cupDry sherry
½cupPeanut oil
cupBoiling water
Cornstarch paste
Flower roll for garnish
Parsley or watercress for garnish
3largesSlices ginger root
3tablespoonsHoisin sauce
2tablespoonsDark soy sauce
3Whole star anise
2largesLumps rock sugar
1teaspoon5-spice powder
3Green onions, quartered

Directions

SAUCE

Preparation: Rinse and soak dried peel in sherry for 1 hour. Remove chicken neck, heart, gizzard and liver (use in stock pot). Wash chicken and chop into large chunks. Mix sauce ingredients.

Browning: Add peanut oil to moderately hot wok. When oil is hot, brown chicken pieces; remove pieces from oil with strainer and drain over bowl.

Slow-cooking: Remove all oil from wok; heat to moderate. Add peel, sherry, and sauce (remixed first); add boiling water. Bring to simmer. Add chicken pieces. Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until chicken is tender but still adhering to bones. When tender, remove pieces from sauce. Transfer 1 cup of sauce, less the spices, to a saucepan; thicken with cornstarch paste to a light gravy.

Arrange chicken pieces on large serving platter to resemble the shape of a chicken. Place bunch of parsley or watercress at the tail, a flower roll at the head with a piece of star anise for a beak. Pour sauce over chicken when ready to serve.

Posted by Fred Peters.