Saturday is the beginning of the Lunar New Year and the start of the Year of the Rooster. And not just any rooster–the FIRE Rooster! Whether you typically celebrate Chinese New Year or not, this sounds like a great excuse to fire up the Big Green Egg grill.
This recipe from one of our HOMEFIELD team members is an exotic take on a Texas
favorite — traditional beer can chicken. While this may not be an authentic Chinese dish by a longshot, it’s a great way to acknowledge a holiday that roughly a sixth of the world’s population observes (and serve up a tasty treat for you and yours).
Sarah’s Year of the Rooster Asian BBQ Chicken
Ingredients & Supplies
- 1 Whole Chicken
- Light Olive Oil
- 1/2 Cup 5-Spice Dry Rub
- 1 bottle of Tsingtao, Sapporo or your favorite light Asian Beer
- Yellow Onion
- Fresh Garlic
- Fresh Ginger
- Lime
- Cherry Wood Chips
- 11 x 9 Pan
- 1 Sittin’ Chicken
5-Spice Dry Rub
Make as little or as much as you want by combining ingredients with the following ratio:
- 2 parts brown sugar
- 1 part Chinese 5-spice powder
- 1 part salt
- 1/4 part ground pepper
Chinese 5-spice powder is a spice blend that can vary from supplier to supplier, similar to how curry blends can vary. But the basic ingredients in Chinese 5 Spice are anise, cinnamon, fennel, cloves and black pepper. A little 5 Spice goes a long way. If you don’t have a spice shop that you frequent, look for Chinese 5 Spice in the bulk spice section of your local grocery store to save a buck. Central Market sells it for less than $7 a pound.
The night before you’re planning on barbecuing, prep your wood chips and chicken.
Lightly coat your chicken with olive oil and your 5-spice rub and let it chill overnight. Fill a 9 x 11 pan with the smoking chips of your choice. Cherry wood chips are recommended. Soak your wood smoking chips in water overnight as well.
Light your lump charcoal and place your wet wood chips on top once the goals are glowing. Set your Big Green Egg for indirect cooking with a ConvEGGtor (Plate Setter) at 250° F.
Pour half a beer into the Sittin’ Chicken ceramic roaster along with a few wedges of freshly cut onion, a few cloves of garlic and a 2-3 inch piece of ginger. Add a bit of onion, garlic, ginger and lime wedged to the cavity of the chicken if you have room. Cook the chicken on the Sittin’ Chicken roaster for an estimated 30 minutes per lb. or until the internal temperature of your chicken reaches 165° F.
You can enjoy the chicken as is, but if you’re looking for serving suggestions, give a nod to Peking Duck by carving the chicken into slices and eating it on a flour tortilla with cucumber sticks, hoisin sauce and some chopped scallion.
恭禧發財 Happy New Year! Gong Hey Fat Choy! Let’s Eat!
