The clue comes in the name of this authentic Chinese way of cooking a whole chicken. The chicken is wrapped in lotus leaves and dough and cooked slowly in the oven. But first, the chicken is stuffed with an array of spices and then marinated using Lee Kum Kee Premium Light Soy Sauce and Lee Kum Kee Premium Dark Soy Sauce. You'll find it tough to get chicken juicier than when following this recipe.
Cut any hard, pointy ends off the soaked lotus leaves so that they don’t poke through the dough.
Mix Marinade.
Place Whole Spices into the chicken cavity. Massage Marinade all over the cavities of the chickens. Place in a large seal food bag, pour excess marinade into the cavity of the chicken, seal and refrigerate overnight or marinate for at least an hour.
Mix Dough ingredients and knead well for 5 minutes until smooth.
Roll the dough out roughly 3-4mm thick, ensuring there is enough dough to wrap around the whole chicken.
Lay 2 lotus leaves on top of the rolled-out dough. Place the chicken in the middle of the leaves.
Wrap the leaves and then the dough tightly around the chicken, not to pierce the dough. Use a little water to seal the dough.
Place the whole wrapped chicken onto a flour dusted roasting tray into a preheated oven at 200°C for 2-2.5 hours.
Cut around the centre of the cooked dough and remove the lid of dough to reveal the chicken.
PREP TIME: 20 MINS | COOK TIME: 120 MINS
And don't forget, Asian-inspired meals are made for sharing, so get friends and family together for a feast.
